Kara-Suu () is a town in

Osh Region Osh is a Regions of Kyrgyzstan, region of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Osh, which is not part of the region. It is bounded (clockwise) by Jalal-Abad Region, Naryn Region, China (Xinjiang), Tajikistan (Districts under Central Government Jurisdiction ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

, in the

Fergana Valley The Fergana Valley (also commonly spelled the Ferghana Valley) in Central Asia crosses eastern Uzbekistan, southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan. Encompassing three former Republics of the Soviet Union, Soviet republics, the valley is e ...

. The town is 23 km northeast of

Osh Osh is a city in Kyrgyzstan. Osh or OSH may also refer to: * Osh (food), in Tajik and Uzbek cuisines * Osh (singer) (born 1995), English singer and rapper * OSH, the IATA code for Wittman Regional Airport near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States ...

and is the capital of

Kara-Suu District Kara-Suu () is a district of Osh Region in south-western Kyrgyzstan. Its area is , and its resident population was 448,608 in 2021. The administrative seat lies at the city Kara-Suu. Population The district has a sizeable Uzbek minority (38.5% in ...

. Its population was 26,609 in 2021. It is a major industrial and trade center, on the border with

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

. On the other side of the border is the town

Qorasuv Qorasuv (also ''Korasuv'', ''Karasu''; ) is a city in Qoʻrgʻontepa District of Andijan Region in eastern Uzbekistan, about 50 km from the district capital of Andijan. The town's name means "black water" in Uzbek (''qora'' - black, ''suv' ...

History

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, in 1942, the Artillery Training Centre of the Polish

Anders' Army Anders' Army was the informal yet common name of the Polish Armed Forces in the East in the 1941–42 period, in recognition of its commander Władysław Anders. The army was created in the Soviet Union but, in March 1942, based on an understand ...

was based in Kara-Suu. Polish soldiers trained there before fighting

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. 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. Kara-Suu gained international prominence following the

May 2005 unrest in Uzbekistan On 13 May 2005, protests erupted in Andijan, Uzbekistan. At one point, troops from the Uzbek State Security Service (Uzbekistan), National Security Service (SNB) fired into a crowd of protesters. Estimates of those killed on 13 May range from 187 ...

and massacre in nearby

Andijan Andijan ( ), also spelt Andijon () and formerly romanized as Andizhan ( ), is a city in Uzbekistan. It is the administrative, economic, and cultural center of Andijan Region. Andijan is a district-level city with an area of . Andijan is the most ...

, after which

refugees A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

streamed across the border into Kyrgyzstan.

Climate

Economy

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 Dordoy Bazaar (; ) is a large wholesale and retail market in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The largest bazaar in Kyrgyzstan, it is one of Asia's greatest public marketplaces, comparable to Bangkok's Chatuchak Weekend Market or Tehran's Grand Bazaar.

Bishkek Bishkek, formerly known as Pishpek (until 1926), and then Frunze (1926–1991), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the Kazakhstan ...

(which targets Northern Kyrgyzstan, Kazakh and Russian markets).Sebastien Peyrouse
Economic Aspects of China-Central Asia Rapprochment
. Central Asia - Caucasus Institute, Silk Road Studies Program. 2007. p.18.

Demographics

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

Sports

* Abdygany Radzhapov Central Stadium

References

Populated places in Osh Region Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan border crossings {{Osh-geo-stub