Date of independence, or formation date: 1991
Date when current borders were established: 1991
National day: Aug 31
Vehicle country identifying code: KS
Time zone (hours plus or minus from GMT): +6
International telephone dialling code: +996
Internet country identifying code: .kg

Kyrgyzstan is a small and very mountainous state in central Asia. It is one of the least urbanized of the former Soviet republics (the rural population is growing faster than that in the towns) and was among the last to develop its own cultural nationalism. Its increasingly autocratic government tries to steer between Kyrgyz nationalist pressures and ensuring that the Russian minority is not alienated, since it tends to possess the skills necessary to run a market-based economy.

From "The Financial Times World Desk Reference" © Dorling Kindersley 2004