Issyk-Kul[a] is one of theregions of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital isKarakol. It is surrounded byAlmaty Region,Kazakhstan to the north,Chüy Region to the west,Naryn Region to the southwest, andXinjiang,China to the southeast. It takes its name from LakeIssyk-Kul, the world's second-largest high altitude lake.[1] Its total area is 43,735 km2 (16,886 sq mi).[2] The resident population of the region was 501,933 as of January 2021.[3] The region has a sizeableRussian (8.0% in 2009) minority.[2]
The north is dominated by the eye-shapedIssyk-Kul lake, surrounded by the ridges of theTian Shan mountain system: theKyungey Ala-Too mountains to the north and theTerskey Alatau to the south (the 'sunny' and 'shady' Alatau, respectively). To the south are mountains and 'jailoos' (mountain meadows used for summer grazing). The highest peaks of theTian Shan mountains, includingKhan Tengri, are located in the easternmost part of the region.
Most of the population of the region lives around the lake, in particular in the cities ofBalykchy near the lake's western end, andKarakol near its eastern end.
The official population estimate for January 2021 was 501,933.[3] In 2009 28.7% of the population lived in the region's cities and urban-type settlements, and 71.3% in the rural areas.[2]
This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(December 2021)
The region, which resembles the Alps or Colorado, would be a major tourist destination were it not for its remoteness and underdeveloped infrastructure. Currently, it is visited mostly by locals who use the Soviet-era establishments around the lake and the more adventurous sort of international tourist.
(Mountaineering reports and maps. Although the site is in English, with some web browsers you may need to set "Character Encoding" to "Cyrillic" in the "View" menu of your browser in order to get better display of the main page).
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