A survey of Kyrgyz Republic
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-09-21 15:22

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao starts a three-day visit to Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday to attend the third prime ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The following is a brief introduction of the country.

The Kyrgyz Republic is located in Central Asia with an area of 197,230 square km, of which 94 percent are mountains. It has a population of 4.9 million and agriculture predominates its economy.

Kyrgyzstan is a multi-national country with more than 52 percent of its people Kyrgyz, 18 percent Russian and 12.9 percent Uzbek.

The Kyrgyz people are one of the nomadic Turkic peoples who have roamed Central Asia over the centuries.

After seven decades of Soviet rule, Kyrgyzstan became independent in August 1991. It has been the most progressive country in Central Asia, having carried out market reforms and adopted democratic principles.

Neighboring China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan is a remote and mysterious land of remarkable beauty and until a decade ago was strictly off limits to foreigners. The country threw its doors open to tourists in 1991 and has been welcoming visitors with traditional Central Asian hospitality.

In ancient times, Kyrgyzstan occupied an important position on the Silk Road, particularly the town of Osh, Kyrgyzstan's second largest and oldest city, which is celebrating its 3,000th anniversary.

The ancestors of the present-day Kyrgyz people had probably lived in southern Siberia until the 10th century. The Russians invaded the country in the late 19th century and the land later became part of the Soviet Union.

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