- Kara-Balta
Infobox Settlement
official_name = Kara-Balta
native_name =
imagesize =
image_caption =
image_
map_caption =
pushpin_
pushpin_label_position =bottom
pushpin_mapsize = 300
pushpin_map_caption =Location in Kyrgyzstan
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name =
subdivision_name1 =Chuy Province
subdivision_type2 =
subdivision_name2 =
established_title =
established_date =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
area_magnitude =
area_total_sq_mi =
area_total_km2 =
area_land_sq_mi =
area_land_km2 =
area_urban_sq_mi =
area_urban_km2 =
area_metro_km2 =
area_metro_sq_mi =
population_as_of=
population_footnotes =
population_total = 43,531 (estimated currently at 70,000)
population_urban =
population_metro =
population_density_sq_mi =
population_density_km2 =
timezone =
utc_offset =
timezone_DST =
utc_offset_DST =
latd=42|latm=50|lats=|latNS=N
longd=73|longm=51|longs=|longEW=E
elevation_footnotes=
elevation_m =
elevation_ft =
postal_code_type =
postal_code =
area_code =
website =
footnotes =Kara-Balta is a city and municipality on the
Chu River , inChuy Province ,Kyrgyzstan . It was founded in 1825 under the Koland Khanate, and received city status in 1975 under the Soviets. Its city population was officially 43,531 in a 2001 census. The municipality had a population of 54,200 according to the Soviet 1989 census, and is now estimated at over 70,000.Kara-Balta is located on the northern slopes of the
Kyrgyz Mountains , in the western part of Chuy Province, 62 km west of the capital ofBishkek . It has a temperate climate. The terrain is flat, with a slight slope downwards from the south to the north.The Chuy Valley has been settled since the Fifth Century, but after the invasion by
Genghis Khan the area was inhabited mostly by nomads and pastoralists. However, the settlement became a town and flourished under theKhanate of Kokand .Economy
The major industry in Kara-Balta was the processing plant of the mining combine, Kara-Balta Ore Mining Combine (KBMP), the largest in Central Asia. During Soviet times, it processed uranium ore from deposits in Kyrgyzstan and
Kazakhstan . After independence, the mines in Kyrgyzstan closed quickly; however KBMP continued to process uranium concentrate from Kazakhstan until 2005 when this activity wad stopped due to the lack of raw material. The massive uraniumtailings remain a problem. KBMP still processes gold andmolybdenum ores.In February 2007 the Russian Renova Group won a tender to purchase the Kyrgyz government's 72.28 percent stakein the Kara-Balta uranium-production facility.
References
::"This article is based in part on material from the Russian Wikipedia".
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.