Literacy: 97% 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. The latter valley is bounded by the westward-thrusting arms of the Kungey-Alatau and Terskey-Alatau ranges and contains Lake Ysyk (Issyk-Kul), whose clear deep waters are fed by the snow-covered peaks. In January the average temperature is −0.5 °F (−18 °C). Panoramic view of the Tien Shan mountain chain in Kyrgyzstan. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. In 2000 Russian was adopted as an official national language. Kyrgyz is a Turkic language of the Kipchak branch, closely related to Kazakh, Karakalpak, and Nogay Tatar. The capital is Bishkek (known from 1862 to 1926 as Pishpek and from 1926 to 1991 as Frunze). Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The inauguration of the new head of state is scheduled for November 24. In Kyrgyzstan, Russian is the chief language to carry out business and political affairs. «Knowledge of languages, including Russian, is the shortest way to personal development. «The Russian language has the status of an official language in Kyrgyzstan and will preserve it in the future. The Chatkal Range is linked to the Ysyk-Köl region by a final enclosing range, the Kyrgyz. Early presidential elections to be held on January 10, 2021 in Kyrgyzstan, Tourist stop points to be built in Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan, Kamchi Kolbaev placed in SCNS detention center until end of investigation, New building of Infectious Diseases Hospital commissioned in Bishkek, Three more medical workers diagnosed with coronavirus in Kyrgyzstan, Four people die from coronavirus for 24 hours in Kyrgyzstan, 287 people recover from COVID-19, pneumonia in Kyrgyzstan for 24 hours, Building of Central Election Commission of Kyrgyzstan searched. Updates? Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Kyrgyz is the official language of Kyrgyzstan and a significant minority language in the Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, China and in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province of Tajikistan. Wooded ravines and the valleys of the mountainous steppe regions provide the abode of the argali, a mountain sheep, along with mountain goats, deer, and snow leopards. On the southern border lie the Kok Shaal-Tau, Alay, Trans-Alay (Zaalay), and Atbashi ranges. The world becomes for them not so global and difficult for traveling, getting education. The Kyrgyz, a Muslim Turkic people, constitute nearly three-fourths of the population. Author of. The brown bear, wild pig, lynx, gray wolf, and ermine live in the woodlands. After pressure from the Russian minority in the country, Kyrgyzstan adopted Russian as an official language as well in 1997, to become an officially bilingual country. The rugged mountain-and-basin structure of much of the country, and the high alpine plateau of the central and eastern regions, are separated from the Fergana Valley on the west by the Fergana Range, running southeast to northwest, which merges into the Chatkal Range. There is very high degree of mutual intelligibility between Kazakh and Kyrgyz. «In recent years, relations with Russia are developing dynamically, and I will make efforts to further strengthen this course. Therefore, knowledge of languages ​​only enriches a person’s life,» Sooronbai Jeenbekov said. The lower parts of its fringing ranges lie in belts of high temperature and receive hot, drying winds from the deserts beyond. It is bounded by Kazakhstan on the northwest and north, by China on the east and south, and by Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on the south and west. Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Uralic and Altaic Studies and of History, Indiana University, Bloomington. Most of Kyrgyzstan’s borders run along mountain crests. The only other important lowlands in the country are the Chu and Talas river valleys in the north, with the capital, Bishkek, located in the Chu. Deserts and plains surround Kyrgyzstan on the north, west, and southeast, making the contrast with the climate and landscape of its mountainous interior all the more striking. Lake Ysyk (Issyk-Kul) is a slightly salty body of water located in northeastern Kyrgyzstan. He stressed that he considers Russia as the main strategic partner of the republic. It is still commonly used as the language of business, and many ethnic Russians cannot speak Kyrgyz. All rights reserved. Rocky streambed in the Kyrgyz Range of the Tien Shan, near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Kyrgyzstan is above all a mountainous country. Annual precipitation varies from 7 inches (180 mm) in the eastern Tien Shan to 30 to 40 inches (760 to 1,000 mm) in the Kyrgyz and Fergana ranges. All information on this web-site is intended for personal use only and is not a subject to be copied and/or transmitted in any other form other than in reference to the «24.kg» News Agency. Please select which sections you would like to print: Corrections? A Study of History: Who, What, Where, and When? Omissions? Languages: Kyrgyz (official); Russian is de facto second language of communication. In the desert, yellow gophers, jerboas, hares, and a large-eared hedgehog are typical. Kyrgyz , also spelled as Kirghiz, Kirgiz and Qirghiz, is a Turkic language spoken in Central Asia. Early independence and the presidency of Askar Akayev, The Tulip Revolution and the presidency of Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Presidencies of Almazbek Atambayev and Sooronbai Jeenbekov, https://www.britannica.com/place/Kyrgyzstan, Central Intelligence Agency - The World Factbook - Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Kyrgyzstan - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). In the most populous valleys, rainfall ranges from 4 to 20 inches (100 to 500 mm) a year. Both Kyrgyz and Russian are listed as official languages in Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyz language was adopted as the official language in 1991. 11 candidates ran for the main post of the country. © «24.kg» News Agency. The country’s lowland areas, though occupying only one-seventh of the total area, are home to most of its people. Woodlands run along the lower valleys and on slopes of the north-facing ranges. Russian is also one of the most widespread languages in the world, with speakers in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Latvia, Moldova, Estonia, Georgia Tajikistan, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. After the independence of the country, Kyrgyz was designated as a second official language on September 1991. Though Kyrgyz was originally only spoken in homes across the country and rarely used in government proceedin… Kyrgyzstan’s great distance from the oceans and the sharp change of elevation from adjacent plains strongly influence the country’s climate. Kyrgyzstan, country of Central Asia. The history of the Kyrgyz in what is now Kyrgyzstan dates at least to the 17th century. «The Russian language has the status of an official language in Kyrgyzstan and will preserve it in the future. It is one of the two former Soviet republics located in Central Asia to continue using Russian as the official language of Kyrgyzstan. In actuality, there are 3 main languages spoken in Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyz, Russian, and Uzbek. The Chu River, in the Chu Valley, near Millyanfan, Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan, known under Russian and Soviet rule as Kirgiziya, was conquered by tsarist Russian forces in the 19th century. Formerly a constituent (union) republic of the U.S.S.R., Kyrgyzstan declared its independence on August 31, 1991. We need to continue to increase political dialogue, cooperation in the field of security, intensify trade, economic and investment cooperation, as well as promote cultural and humanitarian cooperation,» he said. The amount of precipitation the country’s westward- and northward-facing slopes receive increases with their height. To the southwest are two great hollows, the Fergana Valley and another valley close to Mount Khan-Tengri. However, as you’re hanging out with locals, you may notice that they mix languages, only speak one of the country’s official languages, or speak an entirely different language altogether.