Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

According to abbreviationfinder, Bishkek is the capital and most populated city of Kyrgyzstan, it is also the administrative center of the Chuy province within which it is geographically located, but curiously it is not part of said province. It is located in the valley of the Chu River, in the course of the Alaarcha and Alamedín rivers, at the foot of the Kyrgyz Mountains, a few kilometers from Kazakhstan. Its altitude is 800 m. above sea level. It has a population of 906,000 residents according to the 2009 census.

Between 1926 and 1991 in honor of the revolutionary leader and general of the Red Army, Mikhail Frunze, who was born in the city. the city took its name.

The city is also known as Bishkek and its name is believed to derive from a Kyrgyz word related to the fermentation of mare’s milk, which is the country’s national drink.

History

The first settlements that were established in the area where the city is located date from the Neolithic.

In the 10th century the civilizations that were established in the territory were defeated by the Mongol hordes that invaded the entire region.

At the end of the 18th century the region was invaded and conquered by the Uzbek from Kokand, who established a fortress there in 1825.

In 1862 the fortress was razed by the troops of Tsarist Russia and they later built a new fortress next to the ruins of the previous one.

In 1878, in the place occupied by the old fortress, the Russian colonists founded a city which they called Pispek, which quickly prospered, becoming an important administrative center in the region and the most important of the district in which it was located. In 1924, due to the progress obtained and its geographical location, the city was designated the capital of the oblast.

In 1925 the city was elevated to the highest rank of capital of the newly created Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

In 1928 the Soviet government changed its name to Frunze, in honor of the revolutionary leader and general of the Red Army Mikhail Vasilievic Frunze, who was originally from this city, where he was born in 1885.

In 1936 it became the capital of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic, within the former Soviet Union.

During World War II, Bishkek became one of the main industrial centers of the entire country.

In June 1990, after several riots in the south of the country, a state of emergency was declared as they threatened to dangerously spread to the city.

In 1991 with the independence of the Kyrgyz Republic, the city regained the name of Bishkek and was declared the capital of the country.

Geography

Bishkek is located in the valley of the Chu River, in the course of the Alaarcha and Alamedín rivers, at the foot of the Kyrgyz Mountains, in the extreme north of the Kyrgyz Mountains, in the western part of the Tian Shan mountain range. The city lies at an altitude of 800 m. above sea level.

Its relief is wavy typical of the steppes of Kazakhstan.

North of the city runs the river Chu and is named after the administrative district surrounding Bishkek. Several of the tributaries of this river also flow through the city, such as the Ala Artscha and the Alamedin.

Climate

Due to its location south of the continental climate of temperate latitudes, the city has a very harsh and extreme climate with very few hours of sunlight in winter where it can be below 126 hours.

The average air temperature is 10.2 ° C. The coldest month is January with an average of -4.7 ° C and the warmest is July with an average of 24.5 ° C. The monthly average relative humidity is 44% in June and July and 74% in March, the annual average is 60%.

Population

Most of the country’s residents are native to the country and in 1999 52.1% of the population was from Kyrgyzstan, 33.2% was from Russia, and 2.8% from other European origins; At present, these percentages have varied and Russians and Europeans represent only less than 30% of the population, which is why the downward trend has been maintained since the 70s when most of the population was of Russian origin, a decrease that is it increased after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. See population of Kyrgyzstan.

Economy

The economy of the city is supported by industrial development and its main factories are dedicated to the production of machinery for construction and the metallurgical industry, although there are also others dedicated to the production of preserves and food products.

In Bishkek you will find one of the largest markets in the entire country, the Dordoy Bazaar.

Architecture

Biskek is a developed city with a grid shape that despite its modernization still preserves its Soviet appearance in its architecture, with the buildings and gardens built during that time that still prevail over the new constructions. An example of this are the famous and typical Soviet buildings Khrushchevkas. Much of the city streets are lined with trees that reduce the heat on hot summer days. One fifth of the city’s surface is occupied by green areas.

Education

The city has a teaching system that covers all educational levels from primary to university education, it is located an important university in the country and is the headquarters of the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences and the Polytechnic Institute of Agriculture.

Educational institutions found in Bishkek:

• Kyrgyz International University.
• American University of Central Asia.
• Bishkek University of Humanities.
• Kyrgyz State Medical Academy.
• Ataturk-Alatoo International University.
• Kirgiz Technical University.
• National University of the Kyrgyz State.
• Arab University of the Kyrgyz State.
• Slavic University of Kyrgyz
• Kyrgyz-Russian State University.
• Kyrgyz-Turkish MANAS University.
• Kyrgyz Uzbek University.

Places of interest

Ala-Artscha National Park, is only 45 minutes drive from Bishkek about 40 km south of the city in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. This park offers good hiking trails and a stunning landscape of alpine mountains.