Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country in Central Asia. It lies along the Silk Road, an ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean. The Tian Shan mountains, which encircle this caravan route and dominate much of the country, are home to snow leopards, lynx, and mountain sheep. In the south of the country stands the city of Osh, whose history stretches back more than a thousand years. It is renowned for its vast bazaar, where merchants once halted along the legendary Silk Road.

Kyrgyzstan is a Central Asian nation, located in the western and central reaches of the Tian Shan mountain system and the Pamir-Alai range.

The capital—Bishkek—is the most populous city in the republic, with a permanent population of 1,053,900 as of early 2020. Osh ranks as the country's second-largest city by population.

Kyrgyzstan is a secular, unitary presidential republic.

The official languages are Kyrgyz and Russian.

The monetary unit is the Kyrgyzstani som.

The country covers an area of 199,951 km².

The population is approximately 6 million inhabitants (2015 estimate).