KYRGYZSTAN: A GEOPOLITICAL PORTRAIT

Abstract

An analysis of Kyrgyzstan’s geopolitical orientation requires first taking a look at its geopolitical portrait from the perspective initially understood by the founders of geopolitics. Our country is located in the center of Eurasia a long way from the World Ocean (from 1,700 to 6,530 km), it is 453.9 km long from north to south, 925 km wide from east to west, and 199,900 sq km in area. But the latter would be more if the folds of the Earth’s crust, which form mountains, were smoothed out. The territory of Kyrgyzstan is ap proximately equal to the area of Portugal, Holland, Belgium, and Switzerland put together. Nevertheless, it constitutes only 5% of the territory of Cen tral Asia, and 0.1478% of the planet’s total area. The republic’s population amounts to no more than 9% of the region’s population and 0.08% of the Earth’s population, and 6.5% and 0.0051% of the GDP, respectively. Forests cover 4.2% of our country’s territory, water 4.4%, farmland 53.5%, and its bor der is 4,104 km long, 1,084 km of which it shares with China, 1,051 with Kazakhstan, 870 with Tajikistan, and 1,099 with Uzbekistan. Kyrgyzstan occupies part of western (“Sovi et”) Tien Shan, and the eastern (larger) part of Tien Shan belongs to China. The highest elevation above sea level in Kyrgyzstan (Victory Peak) is 7,439 m, the lowest is 401 m (in the Liayliaksk District of the Batken Region), creating a differ ence in height of 7,038 m between the highest and lowest points, and an average elevation above sea level of 2,750 m. So, 94.2% of the republic’s terri tory is 1,000 m, and 40.8% is 3,000 m above sea level. More than 50% of the population settlements are located at elevations between 1,000 m and 2,000 m, in which 1,745,000 people live (36% of the population), while 240,000 people live at elevations above 2,000 m (approximately 5% of the population). The territory of mountainous states does not form an integrated whole (as it does on flatland), it is characterized by intermittency and fragmentation. These gaps in space create gaps in time, which means backwardness. And time is money, so it can be said that for Kyrgyzstan, space is money. Internal and external communication isolation is a factor of disintegration (also backward ness). The internal obstacles formed by the mountains are greater than the external, since toward the edges of the mountain systems they become low er in height. And indeed, it is more difficult to travel through TyeyeAshuu and Dolon than through Torugart or Santash. By the way, the TyeyeAshuu pass is located at 73 o 45' longitude and forms part of the “planet’s scar.” Due to its internal physical and geographical fragmentation, the dimensions of the republic’s administrative territorial units (regions and districts) are smaller than optimal, which makes their management less efficient. 

Whereas feudal fragmentation was a factor in lead ing to medieval Europe’s backwardness, present day Kyrgyzstan is held back by geographical frag mentation, and it was this that prevented it from creating a contemporary state in the 17th-19th centuries.