World Factbook
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz Respublikasy
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
191,801 sq km
water
8,150 sq km
total
199,951 sq km
Climate
dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan Mountains; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone
Terrain
peaks of the Tien Shan mountain range and associated valleys and basins encompass the entire country
Land use
other
39.4% (2023 est.)
forest
6.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
54% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 6.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 46.9% (2023 est.)
Location
Central Asia, west of China, south of Kazakhstan
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation
lowest point
Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m
highest point
Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m
mean elevation
2,988 m
Irrigated land
10,041 sq km (2022)
Map references
Asia
Land boundaries
total
4,573 km
border countries
China 1,063 km; Kazakhstan 1,212 km; Tajikistan 984 km; Uzbekistan 1,314 km
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
major flooding during snow melt; prone to earthquakes
Geography - note
landlocked; entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range; 94% of the country is 1,000 m above sea level with an average elevation of 2,750 m; many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes
Natural resources
abundant hydropower; gold, rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than South Dakota
Geographic coordinates
41 00 N, 75 00 E
Population distribution
the vast majority of Kyrgyzstanis live in rural areas; densest population settlement is to the north in and around the capital, Bishkek, followed by Osh in the west; the least densely populated area is the east, in the Tien Shan mountains
Major lakes (area sq km)
salt water lake(s)
Ozero Issyk-Kul 6,240 sq km note - second largest saline lake after the Caspian Sea; second highest mountain lake after Lake Titicaca; it is an endorheic mountain basin; although surrounded by snow capped mountains it never freezes
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage
Tarim Basin (1,152,448 sq km), (Aral Sea basin) Amu Darya (534,739 sq km), Syr Darya (782,617 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Syr Darya river source (shared with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan [m]) - 3,078 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth