Nature
Nature
The nature of Kyrgyzstan is very stunning and diverse. 93% of the country's territory is protected by mountains all over the ground. The lowest valley makes 400 metres above sea level. The Tien-Shan or Celestial Mountains as translated from Chinese is a mountainous system made of 80 powerful ranges. Three world-prominent peaks are found in Kyrgyzstan. They are called Pobeda (7439m), Lenin (7134m), and the mythological white marble pyramid of Khan-Tengri.
In Kyrgyzstan there are around 2000 lakes totally.
Issyk-Kul Lake is the second biggest alpine lake in the world after Lake Titicaca which is in South America. The lake is located at the elevation of 1610m above sea level, 170 km. long, 70 km. wide, with a maximum depth of 695m.
Son-Kul Lake is the second biggest mountain lake in Kyrgyzstan at the height of 3016m above sea level, with a maximum depth of 15m.
Chatyr-Kul Lake is at height 3530m above sea level, with a supreme depth of 16m.
The principal rivers are the followings: the Naryn, Kara-Darya, Sary-Djaz, Chatkal, Chuy, Kekemeren and Isfairam-Sai.
Kyrgyzstan has many glaciers - there are more than 800 and they make up more than 4% of the land area of the country. The unsettled glacier is 60km-long anā is called Inylchek Glacier.
The flora in Kyrgyzstan is rich and diverse, which can claim with the largest walnut forests in the world (the walnut is indigenous), different fruit forests, unique in their beauty and medicinal belongings, large tracts of Tien-Shan spruce trees, Semenov fir, perennial juniper, pistachio and almond, sea buckthorn, barberry, blackcurrants, honeysuckle, wild rose, and a wide variety of mushrooms and different medicinal herbs.
The fauna in Kyrgyzstan has a big diversity of 80 species of mammals, over 300 species of birds and about 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. You have a good opportunity to see various animals: from the very tiny rodents and birds till biggest mountain inhabitants - carrion-crows, and foothill goat. Here, remote high elevation places of High Mountain lives snow leopard which is a nationwide symbol for the country.
Rare species of animals of the country are the wild ram, bison, mountain ibex, roe deer, bear, lynx and snow leopard were registered in The Red Book.