Languages:
Kyrgyz (official), Russian (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.7%
male: 99.3%
female: 98.1% (1999 est.)
Government Kyrgyzstan
Country name:
conventional long form: Kyrgyz Republic
conventional short form: Kyrgyzstan
local long form: Kyrgyz Respublikasy
local short form: Kyrgyzstan
former: Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Bishkek
geographic coordinates: 42 54 N, 74 36 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
7 provinces (oblastlar, singular - oblasty) and 1 city* (shaar);
Batken Oblasty, Bishkek Shaary*, Chuy Oblasty (Bishkek), Jalal-Abad
Oblasty, Naryn Oblasty, Osh Oblasty, Talas Oblasty, Ysyk-Kol Oblasty
(Karakol)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)
Independence:
31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 31 August (1991)
Constitution:
adopted 5 May 1993; note - amendment proposed by President Askar
AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 2 February 2003
significantly expanded the powers of the president at the expense of
the legislature; during large-scale demonstrations in November 2006,
President BAKIYEV and the opposition negotiated a new constitution
granting greater powers to the parliament and the government