Tajikistan vs. Kyrgyzstan
Geography
| Tajikistan | Kyrgyzstan | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central Asia, west of China, south of Kyrgyzstan | Central Asia, west of China, south of Kazakhstan |
| Geographic coordinates | 39 00 N, 71 00 E | 41 00 N, 75 00 E |
| Map references | Asia | Asia |
| Area | total: 144,100 sq km land: 141,510 sq km water: 2,590 sq km | total: 199,951 sq km land: 191,801 sq km water: 8,150 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Wisconsin | slightly smaller than South Dakota |
| Land boundaries | total: 4,130 km border countries (4): Afghanistan 1357 km, China 477 km, Kyrgyzstan 984 km, Uzbekistan 1312 km | total: 4,573 km border countries (4): China 1063 km, Kazakhstan 1212 km, Tajikistan 984 km, Uzbekistan 1314 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | mid-latitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains | dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan Mountains; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone |
| Terrain | mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest | peaks of the Tien Shan mountain range and associated valleys and basins encompass the entire country |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m mean elevation: 3,186 m | highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m lowest point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m mean elevation: 2,988 m |
| Natural resources | hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold | abundant hydropower; gold, rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc |
| Land use | agricultural land: 34.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 6.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 27.7% (2018 est.) forest: 2.9% (2018 est.) other: 62.4% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 55.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 6.7% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.4% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 48.3% (2018 est.) forest: 5.1% (2018 est.) other: 39.5% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 7,420 sq km (2012) | 10,233 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | earthquakes; floods | major flooding during snow melt; prone to earthquakes |
| Environment - current issues | areas of high air pollution from motor vehicles and industry; water pollution from agricultural runoff and disposal of untreated industrial waste and sewage; poor management of water resources; soil erosion; increasing levels of soil salinity | 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; air pollution due to rapid increase of traffic |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | landlocked; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR | landlocked; entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range; 94% of the country is 1,000 m above sea level with an average elevation of 2,750 m; many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes |
| Total renewable water resources | 21.91 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 23.618 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | the country's population is concentrated at lower elevations, with perhaps as much as 90% of the people living in valleys; overall density increases from east to west | the vast majority of Kyrgyzstanis live in rural areas; densest population settlement is to the north in and around the capital, Bishkek, followed by Osh in the west; the least densely populated area is the east, southeast in the Tien Shan mountains |
Source: CIA Factbook
