Kyrgyzstan

The kyrgyz republic attained its independence in 1991 after over a century of Russian/Soviet domination. Still in the process of defining itself as a nation, Kyrgyzstan is attempting to expand democracy and political freedoms while reining in government corruption, easing ethnic tensions, and combating [Page 998]terrorism. Some 55 percent of the population is involved in cotton, tobacco, wool, and livestock agriculture. Kyrgyzstan also exports gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, and electricity. Kyrgyzstan remains poor with a per capita income of $1,800, and is ranked 186th in world incomes. Eighteen percent of Kyrgyzstanis are unemployed, and 40 percent of the people live below the national poverty line. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Reports rank Kyrgyzstan 109th of 232 countries in overall quality of life.

The landlocked, central-Asian nation has 2,780 square miles of inland water. The climate ranges from dry continental to polar in the higher elevations of the Tien Shan Mountain Range. The subtropical climate of the Fergana Valley in the southwest gives way to a temperate climate in the northern foothill zone. The land area alternates between the peaks of the Tien Shan, and its valleys and basins.

Kyrgyzstan has abundant hydropower and significant deposits of gold and rare earth minerals, but coal deposits and oil and natural gas reserves are suitable only for local exploitation. Less than 10 percent of the land area is arable, but Kyrgyzstan has the largest natural-growth walnut forest in the entire world.

Kyrgyzstan has signed a water-sharing agreement with four other Central Asian republics that limits domestic use to one-fourth of the water supply, most of which goes for irrigation. Consequently, almost a fourth of the population of 5,146,000 lack access to safe drinking water. A weak infrastructure and lack of funding has forced the government to rely on obsolete water purification systems; waterborne diseases are easily contracted from contaminated streams and wells. In mining areas, water supplies may be contaminated with heavy metal such as mercury, antimony, and uranium and with oils and sanitary wastes. Agricultural and livestock waste contaminates water in other areas. The Aral Sea has also been heavily contaminated with municipal, agricultural, and industrial waste.

Kyrgyzstan's status as a largely agricultural nation makes it environmentally vulnerable. Poor irrigation practices and management have led to salinity and depletion of the soil. Some 40 percent of the population have no access to improved sanitation. A chronic land shortage has been made worse by flooding agricultural lands for hydroelectric projects, several of which are located in seismically active areas.

Another major environmental concern is the Soviet legacy of uranium dump sites. About 230 mining facilities in Kyrgyzstan produce over 600 million cubic meters of toxic waste each year. Approximately 15 percent of land in Kyrgyzstan is protected. Of 83 endemic mammal species, seven are endangered, as are four of 168 endemic bird species. In 2006, scientists at Yale University ranked Kyrgyzstan 80th of 132 countries in environmental performance, slightly below the relevant geographic group but well above the relevant income group. The lowest scores were received in the areas of sustainable energy and air quality.

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