Travel the World - Week 45

Normally my Travel the World cards are posted on Tuesdays, but I have another blog post for tomorrow, so this week's Travel the World card is a day earlier.

This is the 45th week in my Travel the World personal challenge. Each week I am randomly choosing one country (there are 195 countries in the world) and doing a little research on that country. I then select one tidbit of information about the country as inspiration for the card I make.

This week's country is...

Kyrgyzstan

The official name of the country is the Kyrgyz Republic.

Kyrgyzstan is bordered on the east and southeast by China, on the north by Kazakhstan, on the west by Uzbekistan and on the south by Tajikistan.

The only country that is bordering Kyrgyzstan with a name not ending in -stan is China.

The name of Kyrgyzstan comes from a word in the Kyrgyz language meaning “we are forty”, thought to be a reference to the original 40 clans which unified to form the country.

Krygyzstan is one of the 45 landlocked countries in the world.

It is a relatively poor and has an economy based on agriculture. Its main agricultural products are tobacco, cotton, potatoes, vegetables, grapes, fruits, sheep, goats, cattle and wool.

Yurts still litter the steppes and just 36 per cent of the country’s resident live in an urban location. By comparison, 53 per cent of neighboring Kazakhs reside in towns or cities, 74 per cent of Russians, and 83 per cent of Britons.

Temperatures can top 40C in summer, in the low-lying Fergana Valley, but in the mountains they can fall to -30C in winter.

Osh, the country’s second largest city, is also one of the oldest in the region. Its vast and bustling market – still going strong – was a key trading point on the Silk Road, the overland route taken by caravans heading between Europe and Asia.

Kyrgyzstan’s walnut forests are among the world’s largest natural forests of this type.

Kyrgyzstan’s fourth-largest city, also on Issyk Kul, is a real gem, housing the impressive Russian Orthodox Holy Trinity Cathedral, a mosque, a zoo and a clutch of museums. The Jeti-Ögüz Rocks, an eye-catching rock formation, lie just to the west. 

There are 11 national parks in Kyrgyzstan.

To say that Kyrgyzstan is hilly is putting it mildly. It has more than 85 distinct mountain ranges. Over 90% of the country is dominated by massive, rugged mountain ranges.

The mountainous Tian Shan region covers 80 per cent of Kyrgyzstan and the country has even been described as the “Switzerland of Central Asia”. Its highest point is Jengish Chokusu, at 24,406 ft.

The Inylchek Glacier of Kyrgyzstan is one of the largest glaciers in the world.

Some of their favorite traditional foods include tea, horse meat and milk, which is consumed in this country far more than cow’s milk. These might be paid for with a three-som (three-dollar) coin; Kyrgyzstan is one of the few countries in the world to have this denomination.

Kyrgyzstan tourists can negotiate with any car on the road; they’re all potential taxis – if the price is right.

Issyk-Kul is an endorheic lake in the northern Tian Shan mountains in eastern Kyrgyzstan. It is the tenth largest lake in the world by volume (though not in surface area), and the second largest saline lake after the Caspian Sea. Issyk-Kul means “warm lake” in the Kyrgyz language; although it is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, it never freezes. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Kyrgyzstan.

There are just 29.5 residents for each square kilometre of land – making Kyrgyzstan one of the world’s least crowded countries.

Kyrgyzstan produced the longest poem in history: the Epic of Manas, which is perhaps the most famous part of Kyrgyz culture. Weighing in at a whopping 500,000 lines, this epic poem about the life of the warrior Manas is 20 times longer than The Odyssey. Most records date the piece to the 18th century, though the Kyrgyz people claim it is much older, an oral tale that was passed down until it was recorded in writing in the 1700s. The first complete version was published in 1920.

The national instrument of Kyrgyzstan is this fretless three-stringed device. Virtuosos apparently play it in a range of positions, including over the shoulder, between the knees and upside down. 

Proper nouns aren’t allowed in Scrabble. But it they were, Kyrgyzstan would score 30 points. Of all the countries made up of just one word, only Mozambique could top it.

The Burana Tower is a large minaret in the Chuy Valley in northern Kyrgyzstan. The tower, along with grave markers, some earthworks and the remnants of a castle and three mausoleums, is all that remains of the ancient city of Balasagun, which was established by the Karakhanids at the end of the 9th century.

I decided to let this Kyrgyzstan fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Kyrgyzstan’s railway network extends to just 259 miles (it must be all those mountains), making it one of the shortest in the world. Many countries don't have any railways at all, however.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Stampin' UP! Happiness Is a Journey stamped with Catherine Pooler Midnight Ink

Papers: Recollections Black and White and SU Marina Mist CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: Paper Studio Mini Brads and Ribbon from an unknown vendor