Kyrgyz Republic is a landlocked country situated in the north-east part of Central Asia. Its territory occupies about 20,000,000 hectares of land and stretches from west to east for about 970 kilometers and from north to south for about 400 kilometers. The total area is about 198,000 square kilometers. About 90 percent of the territory is under the mountain ranges of Tian Shan and Pamir Alai, the rest 10 percent is under the valleys and lowlands. In the north it borders Kazakhstan with the border line running along the dividing ridge of the Kyrgyz Range, Chui river and Zaili Ala-Tau. Eastern and part of the southern border with China runs over the apexes of the Kok Shaal-Tau. In the west the country borders Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and border runs over the top of the Pskem range and foothills surrounding one of the largest valleys in Central Asia - Ferghana valley. The Kyrgyz Republic has population of about 5 million people with 65% living in rural areas and the rest in urban areas. Over 40 percent of total population lives in absolute poverty. Poverty is higher in rural then in the urban areas, with the rural population accounting for 75% of the poor and for 80% of the extremely poor. Rural population, especially poor segments of it depends on natural resources and their sustainable use for subsistence and income.