2. Country overview:
Population: 5,431,747
Capital: Bishkek
Population living in urbanized
areas: 36%
Percent of population living
below poverty line: 40%
Literacy rate: 98.7%
Life Expectancy: 69.43 years
Population Growth Rate:
1.396%
3. •Kyrgyzstan is 90% mountainous with 94% of land being over 1000m
above sea level.
•The highest point is Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) at 7,439 m.
•The mountains are home to many basins, peaks and glaciers.
•The country measures 199,951 sq km
•It is landlocked by 4 different countries – China, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan’s terrain
5. In a similar way to the cuisine of
Kyrgyzstan, the traditional dress also
reflects the strong sense of tradition
stemming from the lifestyle of the
population. It also reflects the type of
weather that is experienced within the
country. The clothes are thick and
warm due to the dramatic changes in
temperature that occur between night
and day. Even in the summer the night
time temperatures can fall very low in
the mountains. People wear sleeveless
felt waistcoats to add an extra layer of
warmth that can be removed
depending on the temperature. The
clothes were also designed to suit the
nomadic lifestyle of the Kyrgyz people.
They do not hinder movement ,
allowing comfort whilst travelling and
tending to livestock.
Traditional dress:
6. Traditionally, as represented through their
culture, the people of Kyrgyzstan were nomadic.
They moved around according to the seasons and
in search of grazing land for live stock. This all
began to change when the Soviet union created
several land reform acts in the 1920’s. This meant
that people began to settle down, moving into
Soviet style apartment blocks or building their
own homes. After the independence of Tajikistan
in 1991 government funding was cut dramatically
meaning that people could not finish building or
renovating their homes.
The new laws change the lifestyle of many Krygyz
people dramatically. The Soviet union provided
some citizens with a small plot of land for
subsistence farming – in return the citizens had to
work on large state run farms. The sparse
agricultural land in Tajikistan was divided up into
state farms. These were carefully monitored and
set targets for productivity.
The history of land use:
7. Traditional Housing in Kyrgyzstan:
This is a yurt or tunduk . They were used by the Nomadic people of
Kyrgyzstan. They are easily movable like a tent or temporary home so
provided the perfect accommodation for traditional Kyrgyz people who
moved around in search of grazing land for their livestock.
8.
9. The current housing
need :
These pictures illustrate some of the
current living conditions found outside
of the main cities in Kyrgyzstan. People
move to urban areas in search of jobs
and build unsafe, temporary homes on
the edge of the city.
These houses have no access to
running or sanitary water, sewerage
systems or heating. Almost 70% of the
population live in substandard homes
like these or are homeless. There are
often several generations of one
family crowded into such one or two
roomed houses.
10.
11. Finding a solution:
Habitat for Humanity Kyrgyzstan was
founded in 1999 and to date has
improved the living conditions of
more than 2,500 families. The main
programs included:
• Renovation and refurbishment of
apartment blocks
• Assisting families in the completion
of half built homes
• Building sustainable housing such
as Cane Reed houses.
Habitat for humanity is a non-profit
organization that aims to eliminate
poverty housing by creating simple,
decent, affordable homes by making
housing a matter of conscience and
action.
Imanaliev Niyazbek and his family after they
helped build their Cane Reed house.
Editor's Notes
The capital of Kyrgyzstan – Bishkek, is located to north of the country. It has a population of 846,500 . The literacy rate is fairly high, with the majority of the population being literate. The population growth rate is fairly high indicating that the population is continuing to grow.
Population of Bishkek statistics from the UK, Foreign and Commonwealth office: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/asia-oceania/kyrgyzstan?profile=today (accessed 5/10/10)
All other Statistics from CIA world factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kg.html (accessed 5/10/10)
Tien Shan mountain range completely covers Kyrgyzstan, 98% of the land is over 100m above sea level. The peak is Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) at 7,439m, the lowest point of the country is Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) at 132 m above sea level. The country is 199,951 sq km which is just smaller than South Dakota in the USA. The dramatic terrain of Kyrgyzstan has had a strong influence on its history and still helps shape the culture, lifestyles and traditions of the Kyrgyz people today.
Map and statics are from CIA world factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kg.html (accessed 5/10/10)
Food is a very important part of the Kyrgyzstan culture and history. The country was a part of the ‘Silk road; or Silk route that went across Europe, Asia, Africa and India. It was an important merchant route that allowed for the exchange of merchants products and culture from across the continents. Kyrgyzstan's cuisine reflects a mix of European, Russian and Chinese influences. There are two divides in the cultural dishes, the food of the nomadic people relied heavily on meat and dairy products whereas the food that came up from the south (Iran, India and China) involves a mix of exotic herbs and spices. Most of the dishes found in Kyrgyzstan reflect the dominance of Islam in the country by being made with Halal meat.
This is the top of a yurt showing where the cross that is represented on the Kyrgyzstan flag comes from.
These informal settlements were built with no regard for health and safety. Furthermore they are unsuitable for the Kyrgyzstan climate due to poor insulation and a lack of any heating systems. During winter time people use highly unsafe furnaces to heat up their accommodation. This is exceptionally dangerous as there are so many settlements tightly packed together against fire safety regulations that if a fire were to break out the impact would be catastrophic. Burning wood and coal to heat a house is highly ineffective, it does not heat rooms up properly, it causes deforestation and depletes coal reserves and there is a serious risk of fatalities caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. The current consumption level of fossil fuels in Kyrgyzstan far outweighs the rate of production resulting in a dependence upon imports.
Many families are forced to pay exceptionally high rent for properties like the one pictured here. This particular ‘house’ is situated in a twenty-four hour car park, it used to be a garage but the Niyazbek family have had to turn it in to a small two-roomed apartment. There are stories like this all across Kyrgyzstan, the problem stems from high rent prices, a lack of housing and a lack of government funding to help maintain properties. In settlements similar to this it is not uncommon for rent and heating bills to consumes most of the families monthly income, leaving little pr no money for other neccessities such as food or clothing.
