Physical and geographic conditions of the city location  

      The city of Bishkek is situated in the north of Kyrgyzstan, in the central part of the Chu valley formed by the Kyrgyz range and the Chu-Ili mountains which are in the north-east. The average height of the Kyrgyz range, stretching latitudinally, is 4,000 m; certain peaks are 4,600 to 4,800 m high. The Chu-Ili mountains are not so high.

            The Chu valley - the left bank of the Chu river – is a plain sloping from the south-east to the north-west; the valley^, s bottom does not descend lower than 500 m on the territory of Kyrgyzstan; its area is about 6,400 sq km.

            The modern structure of the Chu depression was formed as a result of an aggregate of powerful tectonic factors, epeirogenic elevations, erosive and accumulative processes. In the latter, a great role was played by numerous rivers and mudflows running from the surrounding ranges. 

Relief            

The north-sloping plain where the city is situated is formed by the merged debris cones of the Alamedin and Ala Archa rivers flowing in the submeridian direction. The plain, s terrain is irregular because of their main and secondary flow channels and artificial irrigation networks. To the north, where the rivers debris cone ends, groundwater discharge takes place, here and there bogs are formed.

  The plain made of loess-like formations reaches the Chu river flood-lands, descending gradually. The river bed is pressed to the northern ledge of the Chu depression and is 20 and more km from Bishkek. 

Geology 

            The structure of the central part of the Chu valley where the city is situated is an asymmetric sublatitudinal megasyncline. The city boundary is confined within the southern part of the Chu syneclise, the Frunze flexure made by Palaeogene-Neogenene continental sediments occurring on the eroded surface of the palaeozoic foundation. According to geophysical data, palaeozoic rocks occur at a depth not more than 5 km and are represented mainly by gneisses, schist, limestones, effusive rocks. Rocks of the Palaeogene-Neogenene and Quaternary age occur on the eroded surface of the palaeozoic foundation. Quaternary sediments in the alluvial-proluvial genesis are represented by bolders, pebbles with gravel-sand filler, coarse- and fine-grained sand bands and units, as well as loamy and sand-loamy formations.

            The geological structure is very important for the evaluation of seismic effect. According to the seismic risk zoning, the city territory belongs to a 9-magnitude zone. 

Climate           

By its climatic conditions the area of Bishkek occupies the extreme southern position in the continental zone of the temperate latitudes climate. The number of sunny days in the year averages 322, or about 2,600 hours. The monthly sunshine time is the longest in July (332 hours) and the shortest in December (126 hours). The mean annual air temperature is 10.2^oC. The coldest month is January (-4.6^oC). The warmest month is July (24.5^oC). The lowest air temperature was recorded in December 1930 (-38^oC), and the highest air temperature was recorded in July 1983 (43^o C). 

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This page was last updated: 29.11.01