Issyk Kul Province
Encyclopedia
Issyk Kul Province is a province
(oblast
) of Kyrgyzstan
. Its capital is Karakol
. It is surrounded by Almaty Province
, Kazakhstan
(north), Chui Province (west), Naryn Province
(southwest) and Xinjiang
, China
(southeast).
The north is dominated by the eye-shaped Issyk Kul Lake, surrounded by the ridges of the Tian Shan
mountain system: the Kyungey Ala-Too
mountains to the north and the Terskey Alatau to the south (the 'sunny' and 'shady' Alatau, respectively). To the south is mountains and 'jailoos' (mountain meadows used for summer grazing). The highest peaks of the Tian Shan
mountains, including Khan Tengri
, are located in the easternmost part of the province.
Most of the population of the province lives around the lake, in particular in the cities of Balykchy
near the lake's western end, and Karakol
near its eastern end.
) ends at Balykchy. The main highway (A365) from Bishkek
passes through Balykchy and into Naryn Province on its way to the Torugart Pass
into China. Highway A363 circles the lake and A362 runs east from the lake into Kazakhstan.
in this province. Its name is hard enough to pronounce for foreigners to the language that the village's mayor has offered a reward for any American that can pronounce "Kyzyldzhildyz
".
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
(oblast
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
) of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
. Its capital is Karakol
Karakol
Karakol , formerly Przhevalsk, is fourth largest city in Kyrgyzstan, near the eastern tip of Issyk Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan, about from the Kyrgyzstan-China border and from the capital Bishkek. It is the administrative capital of Issyk Kul Province...
. It is surrounded by Almaty Province
Almaty Province
Almaty is a province of Kazakhstan. Its capital is Taldykorgan, which has a population of 118,400. The province itself has 1,603,700 people.-Geography:...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
(north), Chui Province (west), Naryn Province
Naryn Province
Naryn Province is the largest province of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Naryn. The province was established on November 21, 1939 as Tien-Shan Province. On December 20, 1962 the province was dissolved, but on December 11, 1970 re-established again...
(southwest) and Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(southeast).
Geography
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan , also spelled Tien Shan, is a large mountain system located in Central Asia. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Victory Peak , ....
mountain system: the Kyungey Ala-Too
Kyungey Ala-Too
The Kyungey Ala-Too or Kyungei Alatoo, Kungey Ala-Too, Kungey Alatau is a range in the North Tien-Shan. Its length is about 280 km and it stretches from Boom Gorge to Kegen - Karkyrin valley. The highest point of the range is Peak Chok Tal ....
mountains to the north and the Terskey Alatau to the south (the 'sunny' and 'shady' Alatau, respectively). To the south is mountains and 'jailoos' (mountain meadows used for summer grazing). The highest peaks of the Tian Shan
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan , also spelled Tien Shan, is a large mountain system located in Central Asia. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Victory Peak , ....
mountains, including Khan Tengri
Khan Tengri
Khan Tengri is a mountain of the Tian Shan mountain range. It is located on the China—Kyrgyzstan—Kazakhstan border, east of lake Issyk Kul. Its geologic elevation is , but its glacial cap rises to...
, are located in the easternmost part of the province.
Most of the population of the province lives around the lake, in particular in the cities of Balykchy
Balykchy
Balykchy is a town with a population about 40,000 people located at the western end of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, at and an elevation of about 1,900 metres...
near the lake's western end, and Karakol
Karakol
Karakol , formerly Przhevalsk, is fourth largest city in Kyrgyzstan, near the eastern tip of Issyk Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan, about from the Kyrgyzstan-China border and from the capital Bishkek. It is the administrative capital of Issyk Kul Province...
near its eastern end.
Basic Socio-Economic Indicators
- Population: 437,200 (assessment for 1 January 2009) including 28.7% - urban, and 71.3% - rural population
- Employed population: 180,300 (2008)
- Registered unemployed population: 4,902 (2008)
- Export: 18.8 million US dollars (2008)
- Import: 221.7 million US dollars (2008)
- Direct Foreign Investments: 1,1 million US dollars (in 2008)
Demographics
As of 2009, Issyk Kul Province included 3 towns, 5 urban-type settlements, and 175 villages. Its de-facto and permanent population, according to the Population and Housing Census of 2009, was 425,116 and 438,389 correspondingly.Ethnic composition
According to the 2009 Census, the ethnic composition (de jure population) of Issyk Kul Province was:| Ethnic group | Population | Proportion of Chuy Province population |
|---|---|---|
| Kyrgyzs | 86.2% | Russians Russians The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries.... |
8.0% | Kazakhs Kazakhs The Kazakhs are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia .... |
1.5% | Uygurs | 0.9% | Kalmyks | 0.9% | Dungans | 0.7% | Uzbeks Uzbeks The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China... |
0.7% | Tatars Tatars Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,... |
0.5% | Ukrainians Ukrainians Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens... |
0.3% | other groups | 0.3% |
Transportation
The railroad coming from the northwest (from BishkekBishkek
Bishkek , formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan.Bishkek is also the administrative centre of Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.The name is thought to...
) ends at Balykchy. The main highway (A365) from Bishkek
Bishkek
Bishkek , formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan.Bishkek is also the administrative centre of Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.The name is thought to...
passes through Balykchy and into Naryn Province on its way to the Torugart Pass
Torugart Pass
Torugart Pass is a pass in the Tian Shan mountain range on the border between the Naryn Province of Kyrgyzstan and the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China.The scenic Lake of Chatyr-Kul lies near the pass on the Kyrgyz side...
into China. Highway A363 circles the lake and A362 runs east from the lake into Kazakhstan.
Tourism
The province, which resembles the Alps or Colorado, would be a major tourist destination were it not for its remoteness, underdeveloped infrastructure, and growing conflict between Kyrgyz nationalists and independence factions, which in December 2008 flared up again, killing 39 civilians. Currently, it is visited mostly by locals who use the Soviet-era establishments around the lake and the more adventurous sort of international tourist.Trivia
There is a village by the name of KyzyldzhildyzKyzyldzhildyz
Kyzyldzhildyz is a village in the Issyk Kul Province of Kyrgyzstan....
in this province. Its name is hard enough to pronounce for foreigners to the language that the village's mayor has offered a reward for any American that can pronounce "Kyzyldzhildyz
Kyzyldzhildyz
Kyzyldzhildyz is a village in the Issyk Kul Province of Kyrgyzstan....
".
Districts of Issyk Kul
Issyk Kul is divided administratively into 5 districts: :| District | Capital |
|---|---|
| Ak-Suu District Ak-Suu District Ak-Suu is a raion of Issyk Kul Province in eastern Kyrgyzstan. The capital lies at Teploklyuchenka. -Geography:Located in Kyrgyzstan's eastern corner, the district borders in the north with the Almaty Province of Kazakhstan, and in the east, with the Aksu Prefecture of China's Xinjiang Uyghur... |
Karakol Karakol Karakol , formerly Przhevalsk, is fourth largest city in Kyrgyzstan, near the eastern tip of Issyk Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan, about from the Kyrgyzstan-China border and from the capital Bishkek. It is the administrative capital of Issyk Kul Province... |
| Jeti-Oguz District Jeti-Oguz District Jeti-Oguz or Jeti-Ögüz is a raion of Issyk Kul Province in north-eastern Kyrgyzstan. The capital lies at Kyzyl-Suu.-Towns and villages:... |
Kyzyl-Suu Kyzyl-Suu Kyzyl-Suu is a village in the Issyk Kul Province of Kyrgyzstan. About 10km inland from Lake Issyk Kul on the A363 highway between Jeti-Ögüz resort and Barskoon, it is the capital of Jeti-Oguz District... |
| Tong District Tong District Tong is a raion of Issyk Kul Province in north-eastern Kyrgyzstan. The capital lies at Bokonbayevo.. Tong District borders Issyk Kul District to the north-west, Jeti-Oguz District to the south and south-east, Kochkor District to the south-west, Naryn District to the south, Kemin District to the... |
Bokonbaev |
| Tup District Tup District Tup is a raion of Issyk Kul Province in north-eastern Kyrgyzstan. The capital lies at Tyup.. It borders Issyk Kul District to the west, Ak-Suu District to the east and south-east, Kazakhstan to the north, and Issyk Kul to the south... |
Tyup Tyup Tyup is a town in the Issyk Kul Province of Kyrgyzstan. It is a road junction town at the northeast corner of Lake Issyk Kul. To the west on A363 is Anan'yevo and to the south Karakol... |
| Issyk Kul District Issyk Kul District Issyk Kul District is a raion of Issyk Kul Province in north-eastern Kyrgyzstan.The capital lies at Cholpon-Ata. :The district is located on the northern shore of Issyk Kul, which dominates much of the landscape.... |
Cholpon-Ata Cholpon-Ata Cholpon-Ata is a resort town on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan with a year-round population of about 12,000. It is the administrative center of the Issyk Kul District of Issyk Kul Province; this district occupies most of the lake's north shore... |