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Coordinates: 42°0′N 78°0′E / 42°N 78°E / 42; 78
Issyk Kul Province (Kyrgyz: Ысык-Көл областы) is a province (oblast) of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Karakol. It is surrounded by Almaty Province, Kazakhstan( north), Chui Province (west), Naryn Province (southwest) and Xinjiang, China (southeast).
The north is dominated by the eye-shaped Lake Issyk Kul, with the Kungey Alatau mountains to the north and the Terskey Alatau to the south ('sunny' and 'shady' Alatau). To the south is mountains and 'jailoos' (mountain meadows used for summer grazing). The far east contains the highest Tian Shan mountains with Khan Tengri. Most of the population is around the lake, with Balykchy in the west and Karakol in the east. The railroad from the north ends at Balykchy. The main highway (A365) from Bishkek passes through Balykchy and into Naryn Province on its way to the Torugart Pass into China. Highway A363 circles the lake and A362 runs east from the lake into Kazakhstan.
The province, which resembles the Alps or Colorado, would be a major tourist destination were it not for its remoteness, underdeveloped infrastructure, and growing conflict between Kyrgyz nationalists and independence factions, which in December 2008 flared up again, killing 39 civilians. Currently, it is visited mostly by locals who use the soviet-era establishments around the lake and the more adventurous sort of international tourist.
[edit] Districts of Issyk Kul
Issyk Kul is divided administratively into 5 districts: [1]:
[edit] References
- Laurence Mitchell, Kyrgyzstan, Bradt Travel Guides, 2008
[edit] External links
