Location:
Central Asia, west of China
Geographic coordinates:
41 00 N, 75 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 198,500 sq km
water: 7,200 sq km
land: 191,300 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries:
total: 3,878 km
border countries: China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,051 km, Tajikistan 870
km, Uzbekistan 1,099 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in
southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone
Terrain:
peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins encompass
entire nation
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m
highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m
Natural resources:
abundant hydropower; significant deposits of gold and rare earth
metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other
deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc
Land use:
arable land: 7.04%
permanent crops: 0.39%
note: Kyrgyzstan has the world's largest natural growth walnut
forest (1998 est.)
other: 92.57%
Irrigated land:
10,740 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
water pollution; many people get their water directly from
contaminated streams and wells; as a result, water-borne diseases
are prevalent; increasing soil salinity from faulty irrigation
practices
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range;
many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes