Kyrgyzstan Country profile
Official Name: Kyrgyz Republic
Geography
Area: 77,181 sq. mi.
Cities: Bishkek (capital), Osh, Cholpon Ata, Karakol.
Terrain: 90% mountainous, with some desert regions. Elevation extremes--lowest point: Kulundy village in the Batken province 401 m; highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m.
People
Nationality: Kyrgyzstani.
Population (July 2008): 5,356,869.
Annual growth rate (2008): 1.38%.
Ethnic groups (2007): Kyrgyz 68.9%; Russian 9.1%; Uzbek 14.4%; Dungan (ethnic Chinese Muslims) 1%; Uighurs 1%; Tajik 0.9%, Kazakh 0.8%, Tatars 0.7%; Korean 0.4%, German 0.3%.
Main religions: Islam; Russian Orthodox.
Languages: Kyrgyz (state); Russian (official, 2001).
Education: Nine years compulsory. Literacy--98.7%.
Health (2006): Infant mortality rate--29.2 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy--67.7 years.
Population distribution (2006): Urban 64.7%; rural 35.3%.
Government
Type: Republic.
Independence: August 31, 1991 (from the Soviet Union).
Constitution: May 5, 1993; amended in 1996, 1998, 2003, 2006, and 2007.
Economy
GDP: 2008 (est.), $4.6 billion; 2007, $3.75 billion; 2006, $2.8 billion; 2003, $1.9 billion.
GDP growth rate in 2008: 7.6%.
Inflation rate at end of 2008: 24.4%.
GDP per capita (2008 est.): $870.
Unemployment rate (as of the end of 2008): 11.1%.
Natural resources: Abundant hydropower; significant deposits of gold and rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other deposits of iron, bauxite, copper, tin, molybdenum, mercury, and antimony.
Agriculture: Products--tobacco, cotton, wheat, vegetables (potatoes, sugar beets, beans), fruits (apples, apricots, peaches, grapes), berries, sheep, goats, cattle, wool.
Industry: Types--small machinery (electric motors, transformers), light industry (cotton and wool processing, textiles, food processing), construction materials (cement, glass, slate), shoes, furniture, mining, energy.
Trade: Exports (2008)--$1.6 billion: cotton, wool, meat, tobacco, gold, mercury, uranium, hydropower, machinery, shoes. Partners--Switzerland 27.3%, Russia 19.2%, Uzbekistan 14.3%, Kazakhstan 11.3%, France 6.7%, Afghanistan 2.8%. Imports--$3.3 billion: oil and gas, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs. Partners--Russia 44.3%, China 14.6%, Kazakhstan 11.4%, Uzbekistan 4.4%, U.S. 3.0%.
Total external debt mid-2008 was $3.16 billion, of which $2.19 billion was public debt.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
The 1993 constitution defines the form of government as a democratic republic. The executive branch includes a president and prime minister. The judicial branch comprises a Supreme Court, a Constitutional Court, local courts, and a Procurator-General. The legislative branch is composed of a