Kyrgyzstan

GMT + 6 hours. Kyrgyzstan does not operates Daylight Saving Time.
Almaty (Kazakhstan) to Kyrgyz time is same
Tashkent (Uzbekistan) to Kyrgyz time – 1 hour
Beijing (China) to Kyrgyz time + 2 hours
Moscow (Russia) to Kyrgyz time – 3 hours

The mountainous terrain, remoteness from any oceans and being surrounded by deserts, gives Kyrgyzstan what can only be described as a harsh continental climate, with large changes in temperature occurring in a short period of time. The wettest place is the west slope of the Ferghana Range with 1,000 mm, whilst the driest is Balykchy on the western tip of Issyk-Kul Lake with 100 mm of precipitation. The average temperature throughout the country in January varies between — 4 to — 14 C and in July between + 12 to + 40 C and there is an average of 247 days of sunshine a year.

The fact that 94% of Kyrgyzstan is covered in mountains produces great variations in the geographical, topographical and natural appearance of the country. The lowest valley floor is itself 500 metres above sea level and the highest peaks soar to more than 7,000 metres above sea level in the mighty Tien Shan Range. These mighty peaks are world renowned and are part of the exclusive list of 7,000 metre plus peaks of the world — Pobeda Peak (Victory Peak) 7,439m, Lenin Peak 7,134m and the legendary Khan-Tengry (7010m) — the white/pink marble pyramid held sacred by the Kyrgyz through the ages.
Mountain lakes abound and arguably one of the most beautiful sets of lakes anywhere in the world can be found at Sary Chelek in a national park. To see this is to behold the true beauty of nature. The ‘Pearl of the Heavenly Mountains’ — or Issyk-Kul Lake — is the second largest high mountain lake in the world, second only to Lake Titicaca in size and is so big it has its own unique biosphere. Although forests cover only a small area of Kyrgyzstan the truly unique indigenous walnut tree forests of Arslan-bob are worth any sort of journey to see.

The flora and fauna here are both unique and plentiful, ranging from exquisite semi-tropical tulips to stunningly beautiful alpine edelweiss — yes Kyrgyzstan is not known as the ‘Switzerland of Asia’ for nothing and the vitamin content of herbs are second to none in the world, far exceeding those of the famed herbs of Georgia beloved of perfume and medicinal companies of the west! There is even a unique fir tree — the Tien Shan Spruce.
The number and range of birds of prey has to be seen to be believed and travellers to the more remote parts of the country will be amazed at how close it is possible to approach these magnificent animals if one is careful. Although they should probably be counted as domestic animals, it should be noted that camels and yaks are also to be found in the higher areas and plans are afoot to dramatically increase the breeding of yaks.
To do full justice to the wonderful range of flora and fauna would take far more space than is available here — so, again, please come and see for yourself — you will not be disappointed!

The official statistics says about 6 millions of inhabitants. And among them are Kyrgyz 72,8%; Uzbek 14,5%; Russian 6,2% and other nationalities 6,5% (Germans, Ukrainians, Kazakhs, Koreans, Tatars, Tajiks, Uighirs and Dungans). The average density for the whole country is 30 people per square kilometre, although Ferghana Valley is extremely overcrowded.

The official language is Kyrgyz but the State language is Russian. Recently, a new law was adopted whereby Kyrgyz has become the State language. History has left a legacy that means that in the north around Bishkek Russian is the dominant language but in the villages and the South Kyrgyz is the everyday language.

Kyrgyzstan is a very tolerant nation and allows freedom of worship to everyone and there are more than 100 different religious sects/philosophies active in the country. Its interdenominational council is being studied worldwide as an example of how to create and promote religious tolerance and harmony. The Kyrgyz are Muslim but it has to be said that a lot of them practice it in their own way. Official statistics indicate; Muslim 80%; Russian Orthodox 17%; Others 3%.

Kyrgyzstan has its own Constitution, President, Prime Minister, Cabinet of Ministers and Parliament (Jogorku Kenesh).
The President holds the reins of power through the President’s Administration and can dissolve the Cabinet of Ministers at will and the Prime Minister has very limited, almost token, powers

The country is still divided under the system laid down in Soviet times.
The administrative regions are:
Oblast — Kyrgyzstan is divided into 7 Oblasts (provinces) each with its own Governor (gubernator) and each oblast is further subdivided into Rayons, (districts) (40 in total).
The capital Bishkek is recognised as a separate entity in total and has its own administration etc.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the economy has undergone massive changes and is still evolving. The central supply driven economy has been totally replaced by a free market economy. This has entailed several distinct phases, which have all had their pluses and minuses. Agriculture was and still is the largest employer of people in the Kyrgyz economy. Land reforms in Kyrgyzstan have progressed further and faster than anywhere else in the CIS and the result has been a bit of a mixed bag. Kyrgyz citizens meeting certain clearly defined criteria have received land shares (plots of land) as private property. Since the collective farms were broken up and people formed their own flocks, a great number of the national flock of sheep have been killed but now numbers are increasing again as the value of the flock as a source of income is becoming more and more apparent. This also applies to other farm animals such as horses.
There are natural resources, in particular water and that has led to the development of the hydro electricity industry and several substantial plants are due to be completed in the next few years. Electricity exports continue to grow every year and are really only restricted by the limited load capacity of the HT lines from the country. However, unlike the other Central Asian states, Kyrgyzstan does not have large reserves of oil and gas. There are large coal reserves but at present access is very difficult and transport costs make them impossible to market. However, when the projected China — Iran — Europe Railroad is built these resources should be much more exploitable. Gold is one resource much in demand and there are currently 130 plus prospecting/mining companies active in the country. A major resource, uranium, is no longer in such great demand on the world market.