Kyrgyzstan Geography Profile 2009

Location

Central Asia, west of China

Geographic coordinates

41 00 N, 75 00 E

Map references

Asia

Area

total: 199,951 sq km
land: 191,801 sq km
water: 8,150 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than South Dakota

Land boundaries

total: 3,051 km
border countries: China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,224 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 Mountains; 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: 6.55%
permanent crops: 0.28%
other: 93.17%
note: Kyrgyzstan has the world's largest natural-growth walnut forest (2005)

Irrigated land

10,720 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources

46.5 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 10.08 cu km/yr (3%/3%/94%)
per capita: 1,916 cu m/yr (2000)

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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

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