27 Facts About Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia.

Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. 

Its capital and largest city is Bishkek. 

It has a mountainous terrain.

Its major languages are Kyrgyz, Uzbek and Russian.

Arab invaders conquered what is now Kyrgyzstan in the 8th century and introduced Islam. Kyrgyzstan is still primarily a Muslim country, with approximately 90% of its population being Sunni Muslims.

Kyrgyzstan is located on the historic Silk Road, an ancient trading route that connected China with Europe and the Middle East. One of the country's three UNESCO World Heritage Sites is a Silk Road site.

Kyrgyzstan became a part of Russia in 1876, then the USSR, before gaining complete independence after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

The country became a constituent republic of the USSR in 1936, known as the Kirgiz Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR).

Kyrgyz is thought to derive from the word kyrk (40), which refers to Manas' 40 clans.

Kyrgyzstan's flag is predominantly red, and it is based on the Soviet Red Banner of the USSR. It is derived, however, from the flag carried by the national hero, Manas the Noble. The flag features a yellow sun with 40 rays in the centre, representing the 40 clans of Manas. There is also a sun with two crossed sets of three lines as an emblem. This represents a yurt, a traditional Kyrgyz home.

The Epic of Manas, a Kyrgyz epic poem, is 20 times longer than Homer's Odyssey. The poem is about the Kyrgyz people's formation. Manas statues can be found in almost every city in Kyrgyzstan.

UNESCO has even inscribed the poem on its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Manas, inscribed as part of a trilogy of poems, is part of "the historical memory of the Kyrgyz people and survives thanks to a community of epic tellers," according to UNESCO.

Kyrgyzstan would be worth 30 points if Scrabble allowed place names (proper nouns are not allowed) (along with Kazakhstan). Only Mozambique outperforms the other one-word countries (34).

Kyrgyzstan is a country with a low population density. There are only 33 people per square kilometre of land.

It makes up for its lack of people with natural beauty. There are nearly 2,000 lakes in the country.

It is also very mountainous, with 94% of the country being 1,000 metres above sea level, with an average elevation of 2,750 metres.

Bread is considered holy in Kyrgyzstan and should never be wasted, thrown away, or placed on the table upside down.

Kyrgyzstan's national drink is fermented mare's (horse) milk, known as Kymys.

Kyrgyzstan has the world's largest walnut forest. Workers in the small town of Arslanbob spend months at a time in the forest harvesting walnuts.

The Kyrgyz som is the country's currency. Surprisingly, one of the coins in circulation has a denomination of three: the three som coin.

The nomadic livestock-herding lifestyle is central to Kyrgyz culture.

Yurts (boz-uy in Kyrgyz) are traditional shepherd shelters that are still widely used in Kyrgyzstan. Kiyiz (multilayered felt) stretched around a kerege forms the circular tent-like homes (collapsible wooden frame).

The first three World Nomad Games were created and hosted by Kyrgyzstan. The games, dubbed the "Olympics for Nomads," were created to honour and preserve nomadic civilization's culture.

Horses are very symbolic of Kyrgyzstan's nomadic culture. So much so that horse games, primarily played by men, are held in Kyrgyzstan during the summer.

Finally, one of the most fascinating Kyrgyzstan facts is that eagle hunting is still practised. Kyrgyzstan's eagle hunting tradition is thought to date back hundreds of years, possibly to the 12th and 13th centuries.

Kyrgyzstan has the world's second-highest average elevation at 2,988 metres.