Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in
southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone
Terrain:
peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins encompass
entire nation
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m
highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m
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
Land use:
arable land: 6.55%
permanent crops: 0.28%
other: 93.17%
note: Kyrgyzstan has the world's largest natural growth walnut
forest (2005)
Irrigated land:
10,720 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
water pollution; many people get their water directly from
contaminated streams and wells; as a result, water-borne diseases
are prevalent; increasing soil salinity from faulty irrigation
practices