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Kyrgyzstan vs. Tajikistan

Geography

KyrgyzstanTajikistan
LocationCentral Asia, west of China, south of KazakhstanCentral Asia, west of China, south of Kyrgyzstan
Geographic coordinates41 00 N, 75 00 E39 00 N, 71 00 E
Map referencesAsiaAsia
Areatotal: 199,951 sq km

land: 191,801 sq km

water: 8,150 sq km
total: 144,100 sq km

land: 141,510 sq km

water: 2,590 sq km
Area - comparativeslightly smaller than South Dakotaslightly smaller than Wisconsin
Land boundariestotal: 4,573 km

border countries (4): China 1063 km, Kazakhstan 1212 km, Tajikistan 984 km, Uzbekistan 1314 km
total: 4,130 km

border countries (4): Afghanistan 1357 km, China 477 km, Kyrgyzstan 984 km, Uzbekistan 1312 km
Coastline0 km (landlocked)0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claimsnone (landlocked)none (landlocked)
Climatedry continental to polar in high Tien Shan Mountains; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zonemid-latitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains
Terrainpeaks of the Tien Shan mountain range and associated valleys and basins encompass the entire countrymountainous 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
Elevation extremeshighest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m

lowest point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m

mean elevation: 2,988 m
highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m

lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m

mean elevation: 3,186 m
Natural resourcesabundant hydropower; gold, rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinchydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
Land useagricultural 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.)
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.)
Irrigated land10,233 sq km (2012)7,420 sq km (2012)
Natural hazardsmajor flooding during snow melt; prone to earthquakesearthquakes; floods
Environment - current issueswater 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 trafficareas 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
Environment - international agreementsparty 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
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
Geography - notelandlocked; 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 lakeslandlocked; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR
Total renewable water resources23.618 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)21.91 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Population distributionthe 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 mountainsthe 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

Source: CIA Factbook