Kara-Balta, which translates as "Black Axe," is one of the youngest cities in the Kyrgyz Republic, comfortably located at the foot of the northern slope of Ala-Too, in the center of the western part of the Chui Valley, 62 km from the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic - the city of Bishkek, at an altitude of 700-750 meters above sea level, on the left bank of the Kara-Balta River in the Chu River basin.
In the 6th-7th centuries, the city was known as Nuzket and was an important trading center on the Great Silk Road. Agricultural settlements began to emerge in the Chui Valley as early as the 5th-8th centuries. After the invasion of Genghis Khan, nomadic tribes and herders lived here from the 14th to the 19th centuries. After the region was subordinated to the Kokand Khanate in the early 19th century, a fortification was built in the Chui Valley. In 1874, the Russian resettlement village of Kara-Balta was established. In the early 20th century, artels and craftsmen's workshops operated here, and trade was active. Over time, the city was also known as Kalininskoye and Mikoyan's name.
Kara-Balta is one of the largest transport hubs in the Chui region: it is crossed from west to east by the railway line Tashkent-Taraz-Bishkek-Balykchy and the highway Tashkent-Bishkek-Almaty, which have interstate significance. The Bishkek-Osh and Kara-Balta-Suusamyr-Minkush roads, which run along the right bank of the Kara-Balta River, are of great importance for the socio-economic development of the area. The city's hydrographic network is represented by the Kara-Balta River, which borders the city from the east for 7 kilometers and originates in the glaciers of the mountains at the confluence of the mountain streams Ablak, Kol, and Tuyuk. The total length of the river is 133 km, its basin area is 577 km², with an average water flow of 5.25 m³/sec, fed by snow and glaciers. In the area of the city, the bed of the Kara-Balta River is dry, as a watershed with drainage irrigation canals has been arranged at the upper zone where the river exits the mountain gorge, one of which runs through the city. The riverbed and floodplain are used for quarrying.
The city is immersed in greenery: majestic pines line the main street of the city – Turar Kozhomberdiev Street, two perennial parks, and forest plantations along all the highways. On the eve of the 30th anniversary of their city, the residents of Kara-Balta planted over 30,000 fruit and decorative trees.
