Talas Oblast

Talas Oblast (Kyrgyz: Талас областы) is a province (oblast) of the Kyrgyz Republic. Its capital is Talas. It is bordered on the west and north by Jambyl Province of Kazakhstan, on the east by Chui Province, on the south by Dzhalal-Abad Oblast and on the southwest by a finger of Uzbekistan. It is basically a U-shaped valley open to the west. The northern border is defined by the Kyrgyz Ala-Too, which also form the southern border of Chuy Oblast. At the eastern end, the Talas Ala-Too Range splits off and marks the southern border. The Talas River flows through the center of the valley. The main highway (A361) enters from the east over the Ötmök Pass (closed in winter) and goes down the valley to Taraz in Kazakhstan. Near the mouth of the valley at Kyzyl-Adyr, one road goes north toward Taraz and the other south over the Kara-Buura Pass to Dzhalal-Abad Oblast. Before independence most trade links were with Taraz. The historic Battle of Talas occurred here.

Basic Socio-Economic Indicators

 * Employed population: 95,300 (2008)
 * Registered Unemployed Population: 2,136 (2008)
 * Export: 14.6 million US dollars (2008)
 * Import: 193.3 million US dollars (2008)
 * Direct Foreign Investments: 30,4 million US dollars (in 2008)

Demographics
As of 2009, Talas Oblast contained 1 town, 1 urban-type settlement, and 90 villages. Its population, 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).

Ethnic composition
According to the 2009 Census, the ethnic composition of the Talas Oblast (de jure population) was:

Rayons of Talas Oblast
Talas Oblast is divided administratively into 4 districts: