Bishkek is Kyrgyzstan’s capital and largest city. It was previously known as Pishpek or Frunze. Bishkek also serves as the administrative center of the Chuy Region. Although the city is located in the Chuy Region, it is not part of the territory. The town is a Kyrgyzstan region-level unit. It is also near the Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan border. It had 1,074,075 inhabitants in 2021.

Osh, the second-largest Kyrgyzstan city, is located in the Fergana valley in the south. It is often called the “capital” of the south. It is the largest city in the country and has been the administrative center for Osh Region since 1939. It had a 322,164-strong ethnically mixed population in 2021. This includes Uzbeks, Kyrgyzstan, Russians, Tajiks, Tajiks, and other minor ethnic groups. It is located approximately 5km from the Uzbekistan frontier.

Karakol, formerly Przhevalsk, is the fourth-largest Kyrgyzstan city. It’s located near the eastern tip, 150 km (93 mi), from the Kyrgyzstan-China frontier and 380 km (240 mi), from the capital Bishkek. It is the administrative capital of the Issyk-Kul Region. Its area is 44 square kilometers (17 sq mi), and its resident population was 84,351 in 2021 (including Pristan’-Przheval’sk). Tup is located to the north on the A363 highway, while Jeti-Oguz is situated to the southwest.

Balykchy, located at 1,900m elevation at the western end of Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan’s Lake Issyk-Kul, is a town. It covers 38 square kilometers (15 mi) and had 42,875 residents in 2021. It was a primary transport and industrial hub during the Soviet era. However, most of its economic base has been lost after the collapse and closure of almost all its industrial facilities.

Tokmok, a city located in northern Kyrgyzstan’s Chuy Valley, is east of Bishkek. It has a population estimated at 71,443 by 2021. It is located at 816 meters above sea level. It was the administrative center of the Chuy Region from 2003 to 2006. To the north lies the river Chu, which forms the border with Kazakhstan.

Tokmok was established in 1830 as a northern military post of the Khanate. It fell to the Russians, who demolished it thirty years later. Major-General Mikhail Chernyayev founded the modern city in 1864.