Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan (in Kyrgyz, Кыргызстан, Kırgızstan; in Russian, Кыргызстан, Kırgızstan), officially the Kyrgyz Republic (in Kyrgyz, Кыргыз Республикасы< /span>, Kırgız Respublikası; in Russian, Кыргызская Республика, Kyrgýzskaya Respublika), is a mountainous country located in the heart of the Asian continent, which is landlocked. Geographically it belongs to the Central Asia region and shares borders with the People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Its capital and most populous city is Bishkek.

Kyrgyzstan's history spans a wide variety of cultures and empires over the past two thousand years. Although geographically isolated by its dense terrain – which has helped the country preserve its ancient culture – Kyrgyzstan has historically been at the center of trade and cultural routes, such as the Silk Road, that have linked distant civilizations. Always inhabited by a succession of independent tribes and clans, it has periodically come under foreign rule. Only after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 has it achieved sovereignty as a nation-state.

Despite Kyrgyzstan's struggle for political stabilization of ethnic conflicts, riots, economic problems, transitional governments and political party conflicts, it maintains a unitary parliamentary republic. A revolution in April 2010 toppled former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and led to the adoption of a new constitution and the appointment of an interim government. Elections for the post of President of Kyrgyzstan were held in November 2011.

The national language, Kyrgyz, is closely related to the other Turkic languages, with which it shares strong cultural and historical ties. Kyrgyzstan is one of the active members of the Turkic Council and the TÜRKSOY community. It is also a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Eurasian Economic Community, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. On May 8, 2015, it joined the Eurasian Economic Union as a full member country along with Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia.

History

Christian stone with inscriptions in alphabet uigur, found in Lake Issyk-Kul and dated in 1312.

According to recent discoveries by Chinese and Kyrgyz historians, the country's history dates back to 201 B.C. C. The first descendants of the Kyrgyz people, believed to be descendants of the Turks, lived in the northeastern part of present-day Mongolia. Later, some of these tribes migrated to the region that is now southeastern Siberia and settled along the Yenisei River, where they lived since the 17th century VI up to the VIII century. The indigenous Siberian origin of the Kyrgyz population is confirmed by recent genetic studies.

Yurta Kyrgyz, 1869–1870, by Vasili Vereshchaguin.

They spread through what is now the Tuva region of the Russian Federation, remaining in that area until the rise of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century, when the Kyrgyz began migrating south. In this regard, the monk Juan del Plano Carpino tells us in his travel book that he made in the middle of the XIII century through lands of the Mongol Empire: "These men are pagans, they have no hair on their beards and they have the following custom: to express their pain when someone dies, and as a sign of sadness, they tear off a strip of skin from ear to ear." In the 12th century, Islam became the dominant religion in the region. Most of the Kyrgyz population are Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi school.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Kyrgyz people settled in the territory now known as the Kyrgyz Republic. In the early 19th century, southeastern Kyrgyz territory fell under the control of the Kokand Khanate, and the territory was formally incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1876.

Russian rule sparked numerous revolts against tsarist authority. On the other hand, some Kyrgyz chose to move towards the Pamir Mountains in Afghanistan. The failed rebellion of 1916 in Central Asia caused many Kyrgyz to emigrate to China.

Soviet rule was initially established in the region in 1918, and in 1924, the autonomous region of Kara-Kyrgyz Oblast was created within the USSR. The term Kara-kyrgyz was used until the mid-1920s by the Russians to distinguish them from the Kazakhs, who were also considered to be part of Kyrgyzstan. In 1926, it became the Autonomous Kyrgyz Soviet Republic. On December 5, 1936, the Kyrgyz SSR was established and in 1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Kyrgyz republic was established.

Government and politics

Map of Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyzstan is a secular democratic republic, as described since the 1993 Constitution.

On June 27, 2010, a referendum was approved that included a series of important changes in the political structure of the country. According to the new Constitution approved, a system of balances is established between the Executive, the Legislative and the president unprecedented in the Central Asian region.

In this way, the legislative power rests in a parliament, called Jogorku Kenesh, made up of a single chamber of 120 deputies. Through the reform it was established that no party could control more than 65 seats, with the intention of avoiding absolute majorities that would render the rest of the parties inoperative. On the contrary, some rights are assured to the minority parties, such as the presidency of the budget and legal affairs committees. Likewise, limitations to the immunity of deputies are included.

Executive power rests with the President of the Cabinet of Ministers and his government. Since the 2010 reform, the government maintains a large part of the executive powers, although many of them have to be previously approved by parliament.

The figure of the president is the one that has suffered the most cuts with the constitutional reform. He continues to hold the role of Head of State, with prerogatives over the army and state security agencies. But, for example, his terms have been reduced to just one of six years, and parliament exercises greater control over him.

The highest court is the Supreme Court. In descending order are the regional and local Courts. There is also a Superior Court of Arbitration. To safeguard the Constitution there is a Court for this purpose. There is currently a process underway for a profound reform of the judicial system, which will introduce relevant changes in it and in relation to the other branches of the State.

Human Rights

In terms of human rights, regarding membership of the seven bodies of the International Bill of Human Rights, which include the Human Rights Committee (HRC), Kyrgyzstan has signed or ratified:

Status of major international human rights instruments

Kyrgyzstan	International treaties
	CESCR		CCPR			CERD	CED	CEDAW		CAT		CRC			MWC	CRPD
	CESCR	CESCR-OP	CCPR	CCPR-OP1	CCPR-OP2-DP			CEDAW	CEDAW-OP	CAT	CAT-OP	CRC	CRC-OP-AC	CRC-OP-SC		CRPD	CRPD-OP
Pertenence
Signed and ratified, signed, but not ratified, neither signed nor ratified, without information, it has agreed to sign and ratify the body concerned, but also recognizes the competence to receive and process individual communications from the competent bodies.

Democracy in Kyrgyzstan

Protesters destroy the gate of the Capitol in Biskek during the 2010 Kyrgyz Revolution.

Real democracy begins at the end of April 2010 with the holding of a constitutional referendum on Sunday the 27th of that month. The event takes place in an atmosphere of tension, as one of the most violent conflicts in the history of Kyrgyzstan had taken place just two weeks before, the Osh revolt of 2010. Since its independence from the USSR, the Kyrgyz governments have been overthrown through this kind of uprisings, of popular character and origin, as happened in 2005 with the Tulip revolution. Thus, despite the support for the referendum by the UN, the United States, Russia and the European Union, some critics tried to discredit the call and warned that its holding among so many security problems, with thousands of undocumented people -the country has one of the largest nomadic populations in the world, with no fixed abode - and with two of its cities plunged into chaos and disorder (Osh and Jalal-Abad) it was not the most appropriate, since the fraud attempts would be massive.

There were basically three points under discussion that had to be decided: whether to weaken the president's powers in favor of parliamentary control (i.e., move from a presidential republic to a parliamentary republic), whether Roza Otunbayeva, as president of the interim government since the April riots, it had continued to lead the country until the presidential elections at the end of 2011, and if the Constitutional Court was eliminated and its powers transferred to the Supreme Court.

These three issues were posed in a single question, which was democracy yes or no?. Taking into account the environment in which the referendum was held, the fingerprint system was chosen to avoid any possibility of fraud. People who presented two witnesses as guarantors of their identity accreditation were also allowed to vote without documentation. According to comments from the observers of the OSCE electoral mission, it was a peaceful process, despite the fact that "the referendum did not fully correspond to the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and to the norms of the legislation crazyl».

Finally, and according to the data published by the Central Electoral Commission on Monday morning, June 28, 70% of the 2.7 million voters chose “yes” in 90.7% and only one 7.56% said “no”.

Foreign Policy

Kyrgyzstan is a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Turkish Council.

Political-administrative organization

Kyrgyzstan is divided into seven provinces. The capital, Bishkek, is administratively an independent city or municipality (shaar), as well as the capital of Chuy province. Osh also has the rank of shaar.

Territory of Kyrgyzstan

Province	Capital	Area (km2)	Population (2005)	Map
1. Biskek (shaar)	Biskek	127	900 000
2. Batken	Batken	16 995	400
3. Chuy	Biskek	20 200	818 000
4. Jalal-Abad	Jalal-Abad	33 700	962 200
5. Naryn	Naryn	45 200	269 700
6. Osh	Osh	29 200	1 299 500
7. Tales	Tales	11 400	216 100
8. Ysyk-Kol	Karakol	43 100	450 700
Kyrgyzstan	Biskek	198 500	5 316 600

Each province is divided into districts (raion), administered by officials appointed by the government. Rural communities (aiyl okmotus) consist of up to twenty small settlements, which have their own mayors and councillors, elected by the population.

Geography

Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordering Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It lies between latitudes 39° and 44° N, and longitudes 69° and 81° E. It is further from the sea than any other country in the world, and all its rivers flow into closed drainage systems that do not reach the sea. The Tian Shan mountainous region covers more than 80% of the country (Kyrgyzstan is occasionally referred to as 'the Switzerland of Central Asia', as a result), with the remainder made up of valleys and basins.

Lake Issyk-Kul, or Ysyk-Köl in Kyrgyz, in the northeastern Tian Shan, is the largest lake in Kyrgyzstan and the second largest mountain lake in the world after Titicaca. The highest peaks are in the Kakshaal-Too range, forming the Chinese border. Jengish Chokusu Peak, at 7,439 m, is the highest point and is considered by geologists to be the northernmost peak over 7,000 m in the world. Heavy snowfall in the winter causes flooding in the spring that often causes extensive damage to the river. Snowmelt from mountains is also used for hydroelectricity.

Kyrgyzstan has significant metal deposits, including gold and rare earth metals. Due to the country's predominantly mountainous terrain, less than 8% of the land is cultivated, and this is concentrated in the northern lowlands and fringes of the Fergana Valley.

Byskek in the north is the capital and largest city, with 937,400 inhabitants (2015 data). The second city is the ancient city of Osh, located in the Fergana Valley, near the border with Uzbekistan.

The main river is the Kara Daria, which flows west through the Fergana Valley into Uzbekistan. Across the border in Uzbekistan it meets another major Kyrgyz river, the Naryn. The confluence forms the Sir Daria, which originally flowed into the Aral Sea. As of 2010, it no longer reaches the sea, as its water is withdrawn upstream to irrigate cotton fields in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and southern Kazakhstan. The Chu River also briefly flows through Kyrgyzstan before entering Kazakhstan.

• 

  Topographic map of Kyrgyzstan.

• 

  In the valleys various types of fruits are cultivated, such as these apples.

• 

  Map of Kyrgyzstan.

• 

  The Tian Shan Mountains, the highest point in the country.

• 

  Lake Issyk-Kul.

• 

  Travel around 4x4 by the mountains of Kyrgyzstan.

Climate

The climate in Kyrgyzstan varies by region. The southwestern Fergana Valley is subtropical and extremely hot in summer, with temperatures reaching 40°C. The northern foothills are temperate, and the Tian Shan varies from dry continental to polar climates, depending on elevation. In the coldest areas, temperatures drop below freezing for about 40 days in winter and even some desert areas experience constant snowfall during this period.

Economy

Development of per capita GDP in Central Asian countries.

Exports to		Imports
Country	Percentage	Country	Percentage
GermanyGermany	28.7 %	Russia Russia	23.9 %
UzbekistanUzbekistan	17.7%	UzbekistanUzbekistan	13.5 %
Russia Russia	12.9 %	Kazakhstan Kazakhstan	10.3 %
ChinaChina	8.7 %	United States	9.7 %
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan	6.6%	TurkeyTurkey	4.8%
Other	25.4 %	Other	37.8 %

Kyrgyzstan's economy has been predominantly agricultural and ranching, until the industrialization measures of successive Soviet governments led to increased industrialization in almost all of the former Soviet Union territories.

Despite everything, agriculture and livestock constitute more than half of the employment of the active population, and around 40 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. Throughout the country, especially in rugged areas, there is especially livestock (sheep, horses and cattle). In the lower and flatter areas, there is a strong agricultural sector of cotton, and fruit, the result of extensive irrigation. Tobacco, silk and opium flower are also grown.

Currently, more than 20 percent of Kyrgyzstan's GDP comes from the industrial sector, especially related to the great mining potential of its lands. The mining extraction of gold, coal, antimony and uranium, among others, has been an important incentive for rapid industrialization. There are also oil and natural gas deposits, recently discovered in the Ferganá Valley, but they fail to meet domestic demand. The leather, wool and meat processing industry is relatively important.

The Naryn and Chu rivers are used for the production of hydroelectric energy, but in Kyrgyzstan there is a great potential in this type of energy that has yet to be developed.

Bazar Dordoy in Biskek, the capital.

Despite the large loans granted by Western countries and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), loans conditional on the liberalization of the economy and international opening, the Kyrgyz Republic has had economic difficulties after independence.

Initially, these problems were the result of the breakdown of economic exchanges with the Soviet bloc, which resulted in a loss of markets, and impeded the transition to a free market economy. The Government has cut spending, ending most subsidized prices, and introducing a value added tax. With this, the Government shows confidence in the transition to a free market economy. With the stabilization and economic reform, the Government seeks to establish a pattern of constant growth in the long term. These reforms allowed Kyrgyzstan to join the World Trade Organization on December 20, 1998.

Demographics

Demographic evolution.

Population density in Kyrgyzstan, 2015

The population of Kyrgyzstan was estimated at 5.2 million in 2007. Of these, 34.4% are under the age of 15 and 6.2% are over the age of 65. The country is mainly rural, with only about a third of the population living in urban areas. The average population density is 25 inhabitants per km². The largest ethnic group in the country are Kyrgyz, a Turkic people who make up 69% of the population (2007 estimate). Other ethnic groups include Russians (9.0%), who are concentrated in the north, and Uzbeks (14.5%), who live in the south. Small but notable minorities include Dungans (1.9%), Uyghurs (1.1%), Tajiks (1.1%), Kazakhs (0.7%) and Ukrainians (0.5%) and other smaller ethnic minorities (1.7%). Kyrgyzstan has more than 80 different ethnic groups in the country.

The Kyrgyz have historically been semi-nomadic herders living in round tents called yurts, tending sheep, horses and yaks. This nomadic tradition continues to function seasonally (see transhumance), as herding families return to the high mountain meadow (or jailoo) in the summer. Traditionally sedentary Uzbeks and Tajiks have cultivated the lower-lying irrigated land in the Fergana Valley.

Kyrgyzstan has experienced a pronounced change in its ethnic composition since the country's independence. The percentage of ethnic Kyrgyz increased from around 50% in 1979 to almost 70% in 2007, while the percentage of European ethnic groups (Russians, Ukrainians and Germans) as well as Tatars dropped from 35% to 10%. The percentage of ethnic Russians dropped from 29.2% in 1970 to 21.5% in 1989. Since 1991, a large number of Germans—101,000 in 1989—has returned to Germany. Between 1991 and 2002, more than 600,000 people emigrated from Kyrgyzstan and the ethnic minority population decreased from 47 to 33 percent.

Languages

Kyrgyzstan is one of two former Soviet republics in Central Asia, along with Kazakhstan, which has Russian as its official language. Kyrgyz was adopted as an official language in 1991. After pressure from the Russian minority in the country, Kyrgyzstan adopted Russian as an official language in 1997 as well, becoming an officially bilingual country.

Kyrgyz is a Turkic language of the Kipchak branch, closely related to Kazakh, Karakalpak, and Nogayan. It was written in the Arabic alphabet until the 20th century. The Latin script was introduced and adopted in 1928, and was later replaced by Stalin's Cyrillic orders in 1941.

According to the 2009 census, 4.1 million people spoke Kyrgyz as their first or second language, while 2.5 million spoke Russian. Uzbek is the second most widely spoken native language, followed by Russian. Russian is the second most widely spoken language, followed by Kyrgyz and Uzbek.

Many business and political affairs are conducted in Russian. Until recently, Kyrgyz was still a language spoken at home and rarely used during meetings or other events. However, most parliamentary meetings today are held in Kyrgyz, with simultaneous interpretation available for non-Kyrgyz speakers.

Education

The education system in Kyrgyzstan includes primary (grades 1-4) and secondary (grades 5-11, or sometimes 12) education within one school. Children are usually accepted into primary schools at the age of seven. All children are required to complete nine grades in school and receive a certificate of completion. Grades 10-11 are optional, but are required to complete graduation and receive a state-accredited high school diploma. To graduate, the student must complete the 11-year course and pass four required state tests in writing, mathematics, history, and a foreign language.

There are 77 public schools in the capital, Bishkek, and more than 200 in the rest of the country. There are 55 higher education institutions and universities in Kyrgyzstan, of which 37 are state institutions.

Culture

Mosque in Karakol.

Literature

Manas is a traditional epic poem of the Kyrgyz people. The poem, at approximately half a million lines, is twenty times longer than Homer's Iliad and Odyssey combined and one of the longest epic poems in the world. It is a patriotic work, which recounts the exploits of Manas and his descendants and followers, who fought against the Chinese in the 9th century to maintain Kyrgyz independence.

Traditions

Although it is illegal, bride kidnapping is still practiced. Initially, in a country where arranged marriages were common, the groom carried out a consensual kidnapping with the bride he wanted to marry if he could not pay the price of the same or her family was opposed to the wedding. On the other hand, some of these kidnappings are no longer consensual, but are real kidnappings.

Religion

During the Soviet era, state atheism was promoted. Today, however, Kyrgyzstan is a secular state although Islam has exercised an increasing influence in politics. For example, there have been several attempts to decriminalize polygamy, and also to have officials travel on Hajj (the pilgrimage to La Mecca) under tax-exempt arrangement.

Kyrgyzstan is a majority Sunni Muslim nation, adhering to the Hanafi school of thought. The vast majority of the population professes the Muslim faith, while most Christians are Orthodox and there are some Protestants. There are 1,500 Catholics in the country. There is a small number of Jews and about 11% of the population has no affiliation. There are currently more than 5,000 members of Jehovah's Witnesses in the country.

Music

A group of Kyrgyz musicians playing in Karakol.

Music of long, sustained notes, with prominent Russian elements.

Traditional music includes manaschi, singers of the epic poem Manas, and instrumental music called kui (or küü), which tells stories that unfold around a musical journey.

The komuz, or plucking, is the national musical instrument of Kyrgyzstan. It has three strings, is made of wood and is played with the fingers, without a bow. Its sound is similar to that of a guitar. Apart from the komuz, traditional Kyrgyz instruments include the "kyl kiak", a bowed two-stringed instrument that is also an important symbol of Kyrgyz identity, the "sybyzgy", a flute which is blown from the side, the "poplar-choor" and the "temir ooz komuz" (mouth komuz), also known as mouth harp in some countries.

Transportation

Road in Chuy province.

Transportation in Kyrgyzstan is severely limited by the country's mountainous topography. The roads have to wind through steep valleys, gorges 10,000 feet or more, and are subject to frequent landslides and snow avalanches. Getting around in winter is nearly impossible in many of the more remote and high-altitude regions.

Other problems stem from the fact that many highways and railway lines built during Soviet times are today cut off by international borders, requiring time-consuming border formalities to cross, when they are not completely closed. Horses are still a widely used means of transport, especially in the more rural areas, since the road infrastructure of Kyrgyzstan is not very extensive, so horses are able to reach places where motor vehicles cannot and Furthermore, it does not require imported and expensive fuel.

Sports

The selection of ice hockey from Kyrgyzstan (red) in a match against Japan.

Football is the most popular sport in Kyrgyzstan. The official body that regulates this sport at the national level is the Football Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic, which was founded in 1992, after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The federation manages the Kyrgyz national soccer team and the Vysshaja Liga, the first division.

Horse riding

Traditional sports reflect the importance of horsemanship in Kyrgyz culture. Ulak Tartysh, like in the rest of Central Asia, is very popular. It is a team sport similar to a cross between polo and rugby, in which two teams of jockeys fight for possession of a headless and limbless carcass, in order to place it in the goal zone.

Other popular horse riding games include:

• Aht Chabysh: long-distance horse race, sometimes even more than 50 kilometers.
• Jumby Atmai: a precious metal bar is attached to a pan with a rope. Participants try to break the rope by firing as they gallon.
• Kyz kuumaiA man persecutes a woman to try to win a kiss, while she flees to the gallop. If she doesn't succeed, the girl can hit him with the "kamchi" (latigo).
• Oodarysh: two participants fight on horseback, trying to dismantle the other from the horse.
• Tyin Enmei: collect a coin from the ground to the gallop.

Handball

Kyrgyzstan is the homeland of Talant Dujshebaev, a player who played for CSKA Moscow, Teka Santander, Nettelstedt, Minden and Ciudad Real, his number 10 being retired at the Quijote Arena in the latter city. Talant became a Spanish national after the disintegration of the USSR. He was the coach of the Club Balonmano Atlético de Madrid until the disappearance of the sports section due to problems finding sponsors.

Athletics

High jumper Igor Paklin, who at the time held the world record for the specialty while representing the Soviet Union, competed under the Kyrgyz flag after the fall of the Soviet regime.

Mixed martial arts

This sport, known worldwide as MMA, began to gain popularity in recent years in the country, thanks to UFC world champion Valentina Shevchenko, born in Kyrgyzstan and later a Peruvian national.