Kyrgyzstan

The land of mountains touching the sky

Kyrgyzstan is our eastern neighbour, and 90% of it is mountains! It has Issyk-Kul — a huge lake among the mountains that never freezes, even in winter. In summer the Kyrgyz moved to high pastures and lived in yurts — the flag shows a tunduk, the top of a yurt. Their epic 'Manas' is the longest poem in the world, 500,000 lines! Part of the Fergana Valley lies in Kyrgyzstan.

Capital: Bishkek. Language: Kyrgyz, Russian.

Kyrgyzstan covers 199,951 km² with 7.1 million people; 94% of its land lies above 1,000 m (average 2,750 m) in the Tian Shan and Pamir-Alay; Jengish Chokusu (Peak Pobeda) is 7,439 m. Issyk-Kul, 6,236 km², is the world's 2nd largest mountain lake (at 1,607 m), slightly salty and never freezing. Arslanbob is the world's largest wild walnut forest. History: the Kyrgyz came from the Yenisei (9th–16th centuries); the Kokand Khanate, Russia (1876), independence in 1991; revolutions in 2005 and 2010. The 'Manas' epic (UNESCO) is recited from memory by manaschi. Economy: gold (Kumtor), hydropower, livestock, labour migration. The national game is kok-boru. The border with Uzbekistan runs 1,300 km, with enclaves in the Fergana Valley (Sokh).

Fun facts

• The 'Manas' epic has 500,000 lines — 20 times longer than the Iliad and Odyssey.
• Issyk-Kul sits at 1,600 m yet never freezes — its name means 'hot lake'.
• 94% of Kyrgyzstan's land is above 1 km.