Kyrgyzstan
/ˌkɪəgɪˈstɑːn/- a mountainous country in central Asia, on the north-western border of China; population 5,431,700 (est. 2009); official language, Kyrgyz; capital, Bishkek.
The region was annexed by Russia in 1864, and became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union. On the break-up of the USSR in 1991 Kyrgyzstan became an independent republic within the Commonwealth of Independent States.