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Quick Facts (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica Online)
Official name: Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyz Respublikasy)
Form of government: Unitary multiparty republic with one legislative house (Supreme Council)
Capital: Bishkek
Independence: 31 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Area: 198,500 sq km
Population: 5,146,000 (2005 est.)
Nationality: Kyrgyzstani(s)
Ethnic Groups: Kyrgyz (two-thirds of the population), (most of the remainder) Uzbeks and Russians
Religions: Islam (mostly Sunni), (also) Christianity
Languages: Kyrgyz, Russian (both official)
 
Brief History (Source: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05)
Formerly known as the Kara [black] Kyrgyz to distinguish them from the Kazakhs (at one time called Kirghiz or Kyrgyz), the Kyrgyz migrated to Kyrgyzstan from the region of the upper Yenisei, where they had lived from the 7th to the 17th cent. The area came under the rule of the Kokand khanate in the 19th cent. and was gradually annexed by Russia between 1855 and 1876. The nomadic Kyrgyz resisted ...   » More
 

RELATED WEBSITES

Referential Sites

Kyrgyzstan (IU - Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center)

Kyrgyzstan (CIA World Factbook)

Flag of Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan Country Study (Library of Congress)

Kyrgyzstan Country Profile (BBC News)

Kyrgyzstan (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Kyrgyz

Kygyzstan Maps (UT - Perry Castenada Library Map Collection)

Official Sites

Kyrgyz Embassy in Washington, DC

Arts & Cultural Sites

The Kyrgyz Epic "Kojojash" (University of Washington)

The Kyrgyz Epic "Manas" (University of Washington)

Kyrgyz Music (kyrgyzmusic.com)

General Sites

Kyrgyzstan Newspapers and News Media Guide (anyznewslinks.com)

Kyrgyzstan Images (University of Washington)

Kyrgyzstan Pictures (orexca.com)

Insite Pages

*You may also find useful links on the Kyrgyz and Turkic Languages web pages on this website.

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