Kyzyl

Kyzyl (English) Кызыл (Russian) Кызыл (Tyvan)
-  City[1]  -
The "Center of Asia" monument in Kyzyl
Location of the Tuva Republic in Russia
Kyzyl Location of Kyzyl in the Tuva Republic
Coordinates: 51°43′N 94°27′E / 51.717°N 94.450°ECoordinates: 51°43′N 94°27′E / 51.717°N 94.450°E
Coat of arms
Administrative status (as of November 2007)
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Tyva Republic[1]
Administratively subordinated to	city under republic jurisdiction (urban okrug) of Kyzyl[1]
Capital of	Tuva Republic[1]
Administrative center of	city under republic jurisdiction (urban okrug) of Kyzyl[1]
Municipal status (as of October 2011)
Urban okrug	Kyzyl Urban Okrug[2]
Administrative center of	Kyzyl Urban Okrug[2]
Mayor	Vladislav Khovalyg
Statistics
Population (2010 Census)	109,918 inhabitants[3]
- Rank in 2010	146th
Time zone	KRAT (UTC+07:00)[4]
Founded	1914
City status since	1914
Previous names	Belotsarsk (until 1918), Khem-Beldyr (until 1926)
Postal code(s)[5]	667000–667005, 667007–667012, 667700, 667899, 667961, 667965, 667966, 667970, 667999
Dialing code(s)	+7 39422
Official website
Kyzyl on Wikimedia Commons

Kyzyl (Russian: Кызыл; IPA: [kɨˈzɨl]; Tuvan: Кызыл, Kьzьl/Kızıl, IPA: [kɯˈzɯl]) is the capital city of the Tuva Republic, Russia. The name of the city means "red" or "crimson" in Tuvan (as well as in many other Turkic languages). Population: 109,918 (2010 Census);^[3] 104,105 (2002 Census);^[6] 84,641 (1989 Census).^[7]

History

It was founded in 1914 as Belotsarsk (Белоца́рск, lit. White Tsar's (town)).^[8] In 1918, it was renamed Khem-Beldir (Хем-Белдир), and in 1926 it was given its present name. In September 2004, Kyzyl celebrated its 90th anniversary as a city.

Geography

Renowned obelisk "The Center of Asia" (2014)

Kyzyl claims to be located exactly in the geographical center of Asia. Whether these coordinates are in fact the center of Asia is disputed (e.g., Ürümqi in China makes a similar claim). However, there is a monument labelled "Center of Asia" in English, Russian, and Tuvan which asserts this claim. Tos-Bulak is the area of open fields and mineral springs which lies immediately south of Kyzyl.

Kyzyl is located where the Yenisei River meets the Maly Yenisey River to form the Verkhny Yenisey.^[9] Most development is south of the river and follows the curves of the river, with the highest development centered where the two headstreams of the Yenisei, the Bii-Khem (Russian: Большой Енисей), and the Kaa-Khem (Russian: Малый Енисей), meet. A monument was built in 1964 on the river bank to mark this.

Administrative and municipal status

Kyzyl is the capital of the republic.^[1] Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as the city under republic jurisdiction (urban okrug) of Kyzyl—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts (kozhuuns).^[1] As a municipal division, the city under republic jurisdiction (urban okrug) of Kyzyl is incorporated as Kyzyl Urban Okrug.^[2]

Industry

Manufacturing plants include brickyards, sawmills, furniture manufacturing, and food-processing plants.^[10]

Transportation

The city is served by the Kyzyl Airport.

There is a project of the Tuvan Railway with a railway terminal in Kyzyl. The construction must be finished in 2020.

Architecture

Buildings of cultural and political importance in Kyzyl include the Tuvan Parliament building, the National Theater, and a Khoomei center (officially, the International Scientific Center "Khoomei") dedicated to studying and teaching khoomei, Tuvan throatsinging.

• 
  Kyzyl Theatre and prayer wheel
• 
  Monument "Khaan and Kadyn are hunting" near to the monument "The Center of Asia"
• 
  Shaman dancing near Kyzyl

Education

• School No. 1 (Kyzyl) – first school in the city.^[11]
• Tyvan State University – is the only university in Tyva.

Climate

The climate of Kyzyl is an extreme continental semi-arid (Köppen climate classification BSk), with average highs around 25 °C or 77 °F in the summer and −20 °C or −4 °F in the winter and only 218 millimetres or 8.58 inches of precipitation annually. Located far from any moderating bodies of water and at a relatively high latitude, temperatures can be extreme, though less so than the Sakha Republic. Nevertheless, the temperature has never risen above freezing from 22 November to 3 March, inclusive. Temperature swings can be rapid. The transitional seasons of spring and autumn are short: only April and October average close to the annual mean of −1.2 °C or 29.8 °F.

Climate data for Kyzyl
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	−5.8 (21.6)	−0.1 (31.8)	19.6 (67.3)	30.6 (87.1)	35.6 (96.1)	39.1 (102.4)	40.7 (105.3)	38.3 (100.9)	33.0 (91.4)	23.0 (73.4)	13.0 (55.4)	−1.8 (28.8)	40.7 (105.3)
Average high °C (°F)	−23.5 (−10.3)	−16.1 (3)	−2.8 (27)	12.4 (54.3)	20.9 (69.6)	25.8 (78.4)	27.6 (81.7)	24.9 (76.8)	18.0 (64.4)	8.3 (46.9)	−7.8 (18)	−20.5 (−4.9)	5.6 (42.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−28.7 (−19.7)	−23.5 (−10.3)	−10.2 (13.6)	4.7 (40.5)	12.8 (55)	18.2 (64.8)	20.5 (68.9)	17.6 (63.7)	10.4 (50.7)	1.2 (34.2)	−12.9 (8.8)	−24.9 (−12.8)	−1.2 (29.8)
Average low °C (°F)	−33.0 (−27.4)	−29.4 (−20.9)	−16.7 (1.9)	−2.0 (28.4)	5.1 (41.2)	11.2 (52.2)	14.2 (57.6)	11.3 (52.3)	4.2 (39.6)	−4.3 (24.3)	−17.2 (1)	−29.0 (−20.2)	−7.1 (19.2)
Record low °C (°F)	−52.6 (−62.7)	−54.0 (−65.2)	−45.2 (−49.4)	−27.3 (−17.1)	−10.7 (12.7)	−1.8 (28.8)	2.8 (37)	−0.7 (30.7)	−10.1 (13.8)	−20.5 (−4.9)	−46.1 (−51)	−52.6 (−62.7)	−54.0 (−65.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	8.7 (0.343)	4.5 (0.177)	3.1 (0.122)	5.1 (0.201)	13.4 (0.528)	34.6 (1.362)	48.5 (1.909)	43.5 (1.713)	24.7 (0.972)	8.8 (0.346)	11.6 (0.457)	11.4 (0.449)	217.9 (8.579)
Average rainy days	0	0	0	6	11	15	16	15	12	6	1	0	82
Average snowy days	21	17	9	3	1	0	0	0	0.2	4	16	23	94
Average relative humidity (%)	79	78	74	48	43	50	58	62	63	67	81	81	65
Mean monthly sunshine hours	81.8	127.8	213.1	247.8	288.2	295.9	287.5	274.7	228.1	167.4	83.9	57.3	2,353.4
Source #1: Pogoda.ru.net[12]
Source #2: Weatherbase (precipitation and sun data)[13]

Kyzyl
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     9     −24 −33     4     −16 −30     3     −3 −17     5     10 −2     14     21 5     45     26 11     47     28 14     44     25 11     22     18 4     8     8 −4     10     −8 −17     12     −21 −29 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source: World Meteorological Organization
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.4     −11 −27     0.2     3 −22     0.1     27 1     0.2     50 28     0.6     70 40     1.8     79 52     1.9     82 58     1.7     77 51     0.9     64 39     0.3     46 25     0.4     18 1     0.5     −6 −20 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

In popular culture and trivia

In the late 1980s, Kyzyl was visited by Ralph Leighton, who had made it a quest to reach Tuva with his friend, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman. Though Feynman died before they reached Tuva, the journey is chronicled in the book Tuva or Bust!

The film Genghis Blues chronicles the pilgrimage of a blind blues performer, Paul Pena, who learned Tuvan throat singing by listening to his shortwave radio, to compete in the Tuvan throat singing competition.

Kyzyl is a City-State in the turn-based strategy game Civilization V.

Sister cities

• Honolulu, Hawaii, United States^[14]
• Rivne, Ukraine
• Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil (both cities are claimed to be located in the exact center of their respective continents)

References

Notes

1. Resolution #1648 ZP-1
2. Law #268 VKh-1
3. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). "Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1" [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года (2010 All-Russia Population Census) (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
4. Правительство Российской Федерации. Федеральный закон №107-ФЗ от 3 июня 2011 г. «Об исчислении времени», в ред. Федерального закона №271-ФЗ от 03 июля 2016 г. «О внесении изменений в Федеральный закон "Об исчислении времени"». Вступил в силу по истечении шестидесяти дней после дня официального опубликования (6 августа 2011 г.). Опубликован: "Российская газета", №120, 6 июня 2011 г. (Government of the Russian Federation. Federal Law #107-FZ of June 31, 2011 On Calculating Time, as amended by the Federal Law #271-FZ of July 03, 2016 On Amending Federal Law "On Calculating Time". Effective as of after sixty days following the day of the official publication.).
5. Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (Russian)
6. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек" [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian). Retrieved August 9, 2014.
7. Demoscope Weekly (1989). "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров" [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
8. "Kyzyl city, Russia info, features, photos". russiatrek.org. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
9. "Kyzyl". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
10. "Kyzyl". Bartleby.com. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
11. Первой школе Кызыла - 95 лет
12. "Weather and Climate – The Climate of Kyzyl" (in Russian). Weather and Climate (Погода и климат). Retrieved January 26, 2013.
13. "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Kyzyl, Russia". Weatherbase. Retrieved November 20, 2012.

Sources

• Законодательная палата Великого Хурала Республики Тыва. Постановление №1648 ЗП-1 от 21 декабря 2005 г. «Об утверждении реестра административно-территориального деления Республики Тыва», в ред. Постановления №455 ЗП-2 от 21 ноября 2007 г «О внесении изменения в реестр административно-территориального деления Республики Тыва». Вступил в силу 21 декабря 2005 г. Опубликован: "Тувинская правда", №2, 12 января 2006 г. (Legislative Chamber of the Great Khural of the Tyva Republic. Resolution #1648 ZP-1 of December 21, 2005 On Establishing the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Division of the Tyva Republic, as amended by the Resolution #455 ZP-2 of November 21, 2007 On Amending the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Division of the Tyva Republic. Effective as of December 21, 2005.).
• Великий Хурал (парламент) Республики Тыва. Закон №268 ВХ-1 от 24 декабря 2010 г. «О статусе муниципальных образований Республики Тыва», в ред. Закона №837 ВХ-1 от 10 октября 2011 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Республики Тыва "О статусе муниципальных образований Республики Тыва"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Тувинская правда", №178 (без приложений), 31 декабря 2010 г. (Great Khural (Parliament) of the Tyva Republic. Law #268 VKh-1 of December 24, 2010 On the Status of the Municipal Formations of the Tyva Republic, as amended by the Law #837 VKh-1 of October 10, 2011 On Amending the Law of the Tyva Republic "On the Status of the Municipal Formations of the Tyva Republic". Effective as of the official publication date.).