Kara-Suu

For the town in the Naryn Province of Kyrgyzstan, see Kara-Suu, Naryn.
Kara-Suu
Кара-Суу
Kara-Suu

Location in Kyrgyzstan

Coordinates: 40°42′N 72°53′E / 40.700°N 72.883°ECoordinates: 40°42′N 72°53′E / 40.700°N 72.883°E
Country Kyrgyzstan
Province Osh Province
Population (2009)
  Total 20,862

Kara-Suu (here meaning "Clear Water") is a town, river and valley in Osh Province, Kyrgyzstan, in the Fergana Valley. The town is 23km northeast of Osh and is the capital of Kara-Suu District.

The Kara-Suu valley is home to two towns with similar names. The first, at N 40.71 E 72.89, is divided by a Soviet-era border between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The Kyrgyz town is called Kara-Suu and is a major industrial and trade center, its Uzbek counterpart is called Qorasuv (or Il'ichovsk). After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Uzbek authorities destroyed the main bridge across the river, but cross-border trade continued via improvised ropeways that ferried goods and people across.

The Karasuu Bazaar in the Kyrgyz town of Kara-Suu is a highly important center of import of Chinese consumer goods into Southern Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, comparable with Dordoy Bazaar in Bishkek (which targets Northern Kyrgyzstan, Kazakh and Russian markets).[1]

Kara-Suu gained international prominence following the May 2005 unrest in Uzbekistan and massacre in nearby Andijan, after which refugees streamed across the border into Kyrgyzstan.

Demographics

The permanent population of Kara-Suu, according to the Population and Housing Census of 2009, was 20,862. The average age is 26.5 years old.

Historical populations in Kara-Suu
YearPop.±%
197016,168    
197918,586+15.0%
198918,914+1.8%
1999 19,143+1.2%
200920,862+9.0%
Note: enumerated de facto population; Source: [2]

References