Kyrgyzstan Geography - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

Central Asia, west of China, south of Kazakhstan

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: 4,573 km

border countries (4): China 1,063 km; Kazakhstan 1,212 km; Tajikistan 984 km; Uzbekistan 1,314 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 the Tien Shan mountain range and associated valleys and basins encompass the entire country

Elevation

highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m

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

mean elevation: 2,988 m

Natural resources

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: 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

10,043 sq km (2020)

Major lakes (area sq km)

salt water lake(s): Ozero Issyk-Kul 6,240 sq km
note - second largest saline lake after the Caspian Sea; second highest mountain lake after Lake Titicaca; it is an endorheic mountain basin; although surrounded by snow capped mountains it never freezes

Major rivers (by length in km)

Syr Darya river source (shared with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan [m] ) - 3,078 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Tarim Basin (1,152,448 sq km), (Aral Sea basin) Amu Darya (534,739 sq km), Syr Darya (782,617 sq km)

Population distribution

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

Natural hazards

major flooding during snow melt; prone to earthquakes

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

NOTE: The information regarding Kyrgyzstan on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Kyrgyzstan 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Kyrgyzstan 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.