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Kyrgyzstan

The Kyrgyz Republic is situated on the north-eastern part of Central Asia and in the center of Eurasia. The total area of the Republic is 187.5 thousand km² (the area of the Republic after boundary delimitation with the People’s Republic of China has been determined according to the map ‘Kyrgyz Republic’ - scale 1:500 000, (Bishkek: Goskartografia, 2004). The territory of the Republic is 900 km from West to East and 450 km from North to South. The Kyrgyz Republic is bordered by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Uzbek Republic. It has delimited boundaries with the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Kazakhstan; the boundary delimitation with the Republic of Tajikistan and the Uzbek Republic has not been completed. The Kyrgyz Republic is located at the juncture of two mountain systems (the Tien Shan and the Pamirs). The highest point of the Republic is Victory Peak (7,439 m), the lowest area is a transboundary crossing of the Naryn river at 480 m above sea level. The average elevation of the territory of the Republic is 2,630 m above sea level. About 93 percent of its territory lies at an elevation higher than 1,000 m; 85 percent lies higher that 1,500 m and about 42 percent lies higher that 3,000 m above sea level. (The Kyrgyz Republic's second national communication to the UNFCCC, 4 June 2009). Few economies face initial conditions as challenging as the Kyrgyzstan, with its small population (just over five million) and status as one of the least accessible locations in the world. Its isolation is a significant barrier to international trade and transport, which is further hampered by inadequate physical infrastructure and protectionist policies in neighboring countries. The country’s economy relies on the sale of hydropower and gold, and only about seven per cent of the country’s land is arable (World Bank, 2010).