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 the East to the Uzengikuch River in the West – stretching over 1000 km.
Mercury and Antimony is produced at a number of mines – most notably the Khaidarken mine. Kyrgyzstan satisfies 6-10 per cent of the world’s needs in mercury. The mine is considered to be unique in that it is completely oriented to exporting its product – mainly due to the fact that it is located next to one of the largest world purchasers of mercury – China. “Pure” mercury is produced only in Kyrgyzstan, China, Spain and Algeria. These four countries account for about 60 per cent of the market’s needs. The remainder comes from other countries, which produce mercury during the extraction of other natural deposits. The mine has suffered, however, from a downturn in world demand