Kyrgyzstan

The Mongols’ invasion of Central Asia in the fourteenth century devastated the territory of Kyrgyzstan, costing its people their independence and their written language. The son of Chinggis (Genghis) Khan,…

In 1876 Russian troops defeated the Quqon Khanate and occupied northern Kyrgyzstan. Within five years, all Kyrgyzstan had become part of the Russian Empire, and the Kyrgyz slowly began to…

Soviet era Soviet power was initially established in the region in 1919 and the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Oblast was created within the Russian SFSR (the term Kara-Kirghiz was used until the…

Kyrgyzstan’s "Dead Sea" For most of the way, the road which runs around the southern shore of Lake Issyk Kul hugs the coast quite closely.  About 30km from Balykchy, however, if…

Mercury is the second most commonly found element in the Kyrgyz Republic.  Deposits are found in the form of a large belt, 5 kilometers deep, from the leilek river in…

A wide range of fossil fuels are found in Kyrgyzstan – coal, peat, gas and oil. Coal: It is estimated that there are something like two and a half billion…

The Kyrgyz for gold is “Altyn”. It is used as a name and KyrgyzAltyn is the main, government run, company working in gold extraction. Evidence of ancient gold mines has…

Uranium is mined in various places but Kyrgyzstan is more important as a center for processing the mineral.  There are plans to increase production, in particular in co-operation with Russia…

"Pearl of the Tien Shan" From Bishkek the lake is approached through Boom Gorge, and it is possible to cut into the mountains here to the Chon Kemin valley, birthplace…