Talas Region

Talas Region

Талас облусу (Kyrgyz)
Таласская область (Russian)
Talas Region Талас облусу (Kyrgyz); Таласская область (Russian);
Region
	Landscape in Talas Region
	Flag Coat of arms
	Map of Kyrgyzstan, location of Talas Province highlighted
	Coordinates: 42°30′N 72°30′E / 42.500°N 72.500°E
Country	Kyrgyzstan
Capital	Talas
Government
• Gubernator	Nurlan Dardanov
Area
• Total	13,406 km2 (5,176 sq mi)
Population (2023-01-01)
• Total	273,509
• Density	20/km2 (53/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+6 (KGT)
ISO 3166 code	KG-T
Districts	4
Cities	1
Villages	90

Talas Region (Kyrgyz: Талас облусу, romanized: Talas oblusu; Russian: Таласская область, romanized: Talasskaya oblast) is a region (oblast) of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Talas.^[3] It is bordered on the west and north by Jambyl Region of Kazakhstan, on the east by Chüy Region, on the south by Jalal-Abad Region and on the southwest by a finger of Uzbekistan. Its total area is 13,406 km² (5,176 sq mi).^[4] The resident population of the region was 270,994 as of January 2021.^[2]

During the 8th-century, the Battle of Talas between the Abbasid Caliphate and the Tang dynasty was fought here, which culminated in Abbasid victory that led to the Islamization of Central Asia and subsequent abandonment of Buddhism in the region.

Geography

The Talas Region is a U-shaped valley open to the west. The northern border is defined by the Kyrgyz Ala-Too, which also forms the Chuy Region's southern border. At the eastern end, the Talas Ala-Too Range splits off and marks the southern border. The river Talas flows through the center of the valley. The main highway (A361) enters from the east over the Ötmök Pass (Can become impassible during winter due to weather) and goes down the valley to Taraz in Kazakhstan. Near the valley's mouth at Kyzyl-Adyr, one road goes north toward Taraz and the other south over the Kara-Buura Pass to Jalal-Abad Province. Before independence most trade links were with Taraz.

Divisions

The Talas Region is divided administratively into one city of regional significance (Talas), and four districts:^[3]

District	Seat	Map
Bakay-Ata District	Bakay-Ata
Kara-Buura District	Kyzyl-Adyr
Manas District	Pokrovka
Talas District	Manas

There are no cities of district significance or urban-type settlements in the region.^[3]

Basic Socio-Economic Indicators

The economically active population of Talas Region in 2009 was 98,815, of which 93,499 employed and 5,316 (5.4%) unemployed.^[4]

Export: 14.6 million US dollars (2008)^[5]
Import: 193.3 million US dollars (2008)^[5]
Direct Foreign Investments: 30,4 million US dollars (in 2008)^[6]

Demographics

The population of Talas Region, according to the Population and Housing Census of 2009, amounted to 219.6 thousand (enumerated de facto population) or 226.8 thousand (de jure population).^[4] The region's estimated population for the beginning of 2021 was 270,994.^[2]

Historical populations in Talas Region
Year	Pop.	±%
1970	140,747	—
1979	163,492	+16.2%
1989	192,509	+17.7%
1999	199,872	+3.8%
2009	226,779	+13.5%
2021	270,994	+19.5%
Note: resident population; Sources:^[4]^[2]

Ethnic composition

According to the 2009 Census, the ethnic composition of the Talas Region (de jure population) was:^[4]

Ethnic group	Population	Proportion of Talas Province population
Kyrgyz	208,399	91.9%
Kurds	5,547	2.5%
Russians	4,356	1.9%
Kazakhs	3,049	1.3%
Uzbeks	1,779	0.8%
Turks	1,547	0.7%
Ukrainians	500	0.2%
Germans	384	0.2%
Tatars	299	0.1%
other groups	919	0.4%