of Jalal-Abad Region in 2009 was 440,804, of which 401,328 employed and 39,476 (9.0%) unemployed. Export: 87.1 million US dollars (2008) Import: 111.5 million US dollars (2008) Direct Foreign Investments (2008): 16.8 million US dollars Economy Wheat, fruit, vegetables, maize, nuts, tobacco, and silk-worm cocoons are grown in the region. The region also has a few textile plants and hydroelectric stations. Minerals, natural gas, coal, metals, and oil can be found here, notably around the town of Kochkor-Ata, which is home to small scale oil industry. Most of the extraction of minerals, natural gas, coal, metals, and oil of the Soviet era has ceased. A pearl of the region is the Sary-Chelek Nature Reserve with Lake Sary-Chelek, surrounded by wild fruit orchards and snow-covered peaks. A few Soviet-era resorts offer mineral water treatment programs for people with various chronic diseases. A number of companies have succeeded in trading bottled mineral water around the country and abroad. Except for the small fringes of the Fergana Valley, Jalal-Abad Region is a land of mountains. There are unlimited trekking possibilities in the area, but the lack of infrastructure, except at Arslanbob, poses problems to visitors; a biodiversity conservation program supported by the government and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is working to protect these natural resources and promote soft tourism. Demographics The population of Jalal-Abad Region, according to the Population and Housing Census of 2009, amounted to 930,630 (enumerated de facto population) or 1,009,889 (de jure population). The official population estimate for the beginning of 2021 was 1,260,617. Ethnic composition According to the 2009 Census, the ethnic composition of Jalal-Abad Region (de jure population) was: References Regions of Kyrgyzstan World Heritage Tentative List