Asiana21

THE KYRGYZSTAN IMBROGLIO

Sultan M Hali

Pakistan Observer, June 19, 2010

Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordering Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The mountainous region of the Tian Shan covers over 80% of the country; Kyrgyzstan is occasionally referred to as “the Switzerland of Central Asia”, as a result, with the remainder made up of valleys and basins. Bishkek in the north is the capital and largest city, with approximately 900,000 inhabitants. The second city is the ancient town of Osh, located in the Fergana Valley near the border with Uzbekistan, which is the location of the current rioting. The nation’s largest ethnic group is the Kyrgyz, a Turkic people, who comprise 69% of the population. Other ethnic groups include Russians (9.0%) concentrated in the north and Uzbeks (14.5%) living in the south. Small but noticeable minorities include Tartars (1.9%), Uyghurs (1.1%), Tajiks (1.1%), Kazakhs (0.7%), and Ukrainians (0.5%), and other smaller ethnic minorities (1.7%). The population of Kyrgyzstan is 80% Muslim, 17% Russian Orthodox and 3% other. During Soviet times, state atheism was encouraged. Today, however, Kyrgyzstan is a secular state, although Islam has exerted a growing influence in politics.

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