Kara-Balta is a ceety an municipality on the Chu River, in Chuy Province, Kyrgyzstan, the caipital o Jaiyl Destrict. It wis foondit in 1825 unner the Kokand Khanate, an receivit ceety status in 1975 unner the Soviets. Its ceety population wis offeecially 43,531 in a 2001 census. The municipality haed a population o 54,200 accordin tae the Soviet 1989 census, an is nou estimatit at ower 70,000.