Talas (; ) is a

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

(''

oblast An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...

'') of

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 ...

. Its capital is Talas. It is bordered on the west and north by

Jambyl Region Jambyl or Zhambyl Region (; ), formerly known as Dzhambul Region () until 1991, is a region of Kazakhstan. Its administrative center is Taraz. The population of the region is 1,209,665; the city is 335,100. The region borders Kyrgyzstan, and is ...

of Kazakhstan, on the east by

Chüy Region Chüy is the northernmost Regions of Kyrgyzstan, region of Kyrgyzstan, surrounding the country's national capital of Bishkek. It is bounded on the north by Kazakhstan, and clockwise, Issyk-Kul Region, Naryn Region, Jalal-Abad Region, and Talas Re ...

, on the south by

Jalal-Abad Region Jalal-Abad (; ) is a region (''oblast, oblus'') of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is the city of the same name, Jalal-Abad. It is surrounded by (clockwise from the north) Talas Region, Chüy Region, Naryn Region, Osh Region, and Uzbekistan. Jalal-Abad ...

and on the southwest by a finger of

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 ...

. Its total area is . The resident population of the region was 270,994 as of January 2021. During the 8th-century, the

Battle of Talas The Battle of Talas (; ) was an armed confrontation between the Abbasid Caliphate along with the Tibetan Empire against the Tang dynasty in 751. In July of that year, the Tang and Abbasid armies clashed at the Talas River over control of the r ...

between the

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes ...

and the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

was fought here, which culminated in Abbasid victory that led to the Islamization of Central Asia and subsequent abandonment of

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

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 The Kyrgyz Ala-Too also known as Kyrgyz Alatau, Kyrgyz Range, and Alexander Range (until 1933) is a large range in the northern Tien-Shan. It stretches for a total length of 454 km from the west-end of Issyk-Kul to the town Taraz in Kazakhs ...

, which also forms the Chuy Region's southern border. At the eastern end, the

Talas Ala-Too Range The Talas Ala-Too range (; ) is range of the Tian Shan mountains forming the southern and eastern border of Talas Region of Kyrgyzstan. Its western end extends into Kazakhstan, and its south-western end joins the Pskem Mountains and Ugam Range o ...

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 Taraz ( ; also historically known as Talas) is a city and the administrative center of Jambyl Region in Kazakhstan, located on the Talas (river), Talas (Taraz) River in the south of the country near the border with Kyrgyzstan. It had a populatio ...

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: There are no cities of district significance or

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...

s in the region.

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. * 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

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). The region's estimated population for the beginning of 2021 was 270,994.

Ethnic composition

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

References

;Works cited * Laurence Mitchell, Kyrgyzstan, Bradt Travel Guides, 2008

External links

Flag and Coat of arms of Talas Province. Description.
{{Authority control Regions of Kyrgyzstan