Osh region of Kyrgyzstan. Cities and districts, the population of Osh region

Back in the 50s of the last century, archeologists found evidence that people on the territory that is now known as the Osh region lived 3000 years ago. The Kirghiz, who came from the Yenisei, live here only 500 years. It was on the slopes of the sacred Sulaiman-Too Mountain , which in 2009 became a World Heritage Site, settlements dating back to the Bronze Age were found .

The area of the region often changed

There is a mountain near the village of Osh, which is in the south of Kyrgyzstan. Osh is considered one of the oldest cities in Central Asia and is the second largest in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. In 1939 on November 21 it became the administrative center of the same area. In 1959, the Jalal-Abad territorial unit was annexed to it, and the greatly expanded Osh region occupied the entire south-western part of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic. During its existence in the USSR, the territory of this administrative unit has been changing all the time. In its current form, the area of 29.2 thousand square kilometers occupies the south of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Mountain area

In the southeast, the region borders on China. The northeastern part of it lies on the Fergana Range (spurs of the Tien Shan). From the south and west, it is surrounded by the Turkestan, Altai, and Zaaltai ranges, which are related to the Pamir-Altai Mountains. Mount Suleiman-Too, towering directly above the city and at the foot of which for centuries the believers built mosques and minarets, is a pilgrimage site for Muslims. And in the cave of the mountain there is a museum.

Water resources of the region

The river network consists of 900 permanent and temporary rivers and rivulets, the total length of which is 7 thousand km. From the Ferghana and Alai Ridge to the Fergana Valley they carry their waters Kara-Darya (Tar) and Iasi, Gulcha, Ak-Burra and Kyrgyz-Ata. The Kyzyl-Suu River is a tributary of the river. Vakhsh (Tajikistan). The most full-flowing watercourse of the region is the Kara-Darya. There are also underground waters of the valleys of Aulie-Atin and Kurshab, Akbuura and Osh, Tuya-Muyun and Madin. They are used for irrigation and domestic and drinking needs. Mountain Lake Kulun (4.6 sq. Km.) Is the largest of the 100 existing on this territory. Of the artificial reservoirs, the largest is the Papan reservoir (7 thousand square kilometers). In the Osh region there are about 1.5 thousand glaciers. The area occupied by them is 1546.3 square meters. Km. In the area of many waterfalls, it is known about more than 20 mineral and thermal springs.

Favorable geographical location

Osh region, located at the junction of the fertile Fergana and Alai valleys, is the main granary of the republic. Once upon a time there was the Great Silk Road. The terrain was crossed by its trade routes. Such an advantageous geographic location in many senses provided the region the role of the locomotive of the economy of independent Kyrgyzstan.

Population of the region

The population of the Osh region, the largest in the country by this indicator, is equal to a quarter of the population of the whole country, and comprises 1,229.6 thousand people, of which 53% are able-bodied. Historically, many peoples moving along the Silk Road settled on these fertile lands, and therefore now this administrative-territorial unit is the most multinational. In Osh region there are 80 nationalities and nationalities.

Cities and districts

The structure of the region includes the following number of settlements - 3 cities, 2 townships, 469 villages. Administratively, the region is divided into seven districts - Alai and Aravan, Kara-Kulja and Kara-Suu, Nookat, Uzgen and Chon-Alai. The cities of the Osh region - Uzgen, Kara Suu (the city of the satellite Osh) and Naukat (Nookat) are populated areas of regional subordination. Sary-Tash and Naiman belong to the urban-type settlements.

Osh city

The administrative center of the Osh region is a city of republican subordination. Live in it more than 240 thousand people. This is the second largest city in Bishkek after the settlement of the republic is rightfully called the "Southern capital". The city is famous for its ancient mosques and the sacred mountain of Sulaiman-Too. The industry is represented by the cotton and manufacturing industries. The Uzbeks live in this settlement more than the Kirghiz, the third most numerous are Russians. The city was notorious in 1990, as a result of a conflict between Uzbeks and Kirghiz, which was called the Osh slaughter. Major riots in 2010 consolidated this status.

Two other cities in the region

The city of Uzgen, located 53 km from Osh, is famous for the architectural complex of the 11th-12th centuries, which includes the Uzgen tower with a height of 27.5 meters and a group of mausoleums. The inter-regional highway Bishkek-Osh-Kara-Suu-Urumqi (China) passes through the city of Kara-Suu. The railway Jalal-Abad - Kara-Suu - Andijan passes through it. These ways connect the CIS countries, East Asia and Europe together. There is nothing surprising in that this city is the largest, one of the most important in the southern region of Central Asia, the Kara-Suu market, which, in fact, is a trans-shipment base for Chinese goods.

Deposits of minerals

Where Osh region is located, there are all conditions for the successful development of agriculture, so this region is an agrarian one. But industry is also developing here, especially mining, energy, transport and tourism. Osh region, located at an altitude of 500 m above sea level, is rich in minerals. In large quantities, there are mineral resources such as gold, silver, ores of mercury, antimony, copper, tungsten, molybdenum, tin, lead and zinc. There are many deposits of cutting and ornamental stones, such as jasper, onyx, amethyst and many others. Everywhere the region is rich in building materials - marble, limestone, shell rock.

Alai and Chon-Alai districts

The Osh region, whose areas are characterized by socio-economic differences, seeks to develop them, according to the greatest benefit for everyone. Thus, the main branch of the economy in the Chon-Alai district, along the mountain river Kyzyl-Suu, is cattle breeding and sheep breeding. The village of Daarut-Kurgan is a district center. The area occupied is 4860 square meters. Km, or 16.6% of the area. The district is divided into three districts (ayyla): Jekendi, Chon-Alai and Kashka-Suu. Of the 25 thousand people, 99.9% are Kyrgyz. The region was formed in 1992 by separation from the Alai district, centered on the village of Gulcha. The area occupied by this administrative unit is equal to 7582 square meters. Km. Lives here 72 thousand people. Its territory is divided into 13 ayil (districts), there are 60 settlements on it. The district is located in the Alay and Gulchin valleys. The main industry is livestock. The village of Nura of this became widely known after the 8-point earthquake of 2008, which killed 75 people.

Another one

The high-altitude region of the Kara-Kulchinsky region with the administrative center of the same name is located at the junction of the Fergana and Alai ranges. The main economic sectors are traditional livestock and fodder crops. The district is divided into 12 aiyl okrugs. On its territory in 5712 square meters. Km there are 88 thousand inhabitants.

Industrial area of the region

The multinational city of regional subordination Nookat, located at an altitude of 1,802 meters above sea level, is the administrative center of the eponymous district located in the Nookat Basin. The population of the Osh region in this region is represented by Kirghiz, Uzbeks, Hemshils, Turks, Russians and Tatars. There are other nationalities. This area is industrial. Here, food and wood processing, coal and light industry are developing. The population is slightly less than 240 thousand inhabitants. The district is divided into 16 rural districts. In the town of Naiman, along with the above industries, ecological tourism is developed .

Broken into two parts

The Aravan region consists of two parts (western and eastern), separated by the Nookat district. The administrative center is the village of Aravan. The administrative-territorial unit itself is a densely populated agricultural valley inhabited by Kyrgyz, Azerbaijanis, Tajiks and Tatars, the total number of which exceeds 106,000.

Kara-Suut and Uzgen districts

Uzgen district with an area of 3.4 thousand square meters. Km. And the population of almost 230 thousand people is also agricultural and multinational. It is divided into 19 rural districts and the city of Uzgen, which is an administrative center.

The last of the seven, the Kara-Suut district is the most populous. It has about 350 thousand people. Its territory stretches from north to south. The region in the regional economy has a small weight, but is famous for its, as noted above, the largest wholesale market.

Promising in terms of tourism area

Osh region (photos of the most beautiful places you could see above) is now focused on the development of tourism. There are many noteworthy attractions. One can not help noting the caves of Il-Ustun, which according to legend were discovered by Alexander the Great. He, chopping his way with a sword, went out to the grotto with beautiful petrified trees.