Kyrgyzstan


Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан; Russian: Киргизия, variously transliterated, also Kirgizia or Kirghizia) (IPA pronunciation: ), officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a country in Central Asia. Landlocked and mountainous, it borders Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and the People's Republic of China to the southeast. Kyrgyzstan means the "Land of Forty Tribes". According to July 2005 estimates, the population was 5,264,000 with the majority (76.1 percent) being Muslims.