Kyrgyzstan doesn’t usually make the news in the Western Hemisphere, but when it does, it’s most usually, and unfortunately, due to political unrest. Political instability is Kyrgyzstan isn’t unheard of, but some tumultuous moments in the nation’s recent history don’t tell the whole story of this ancient and primarily peaceful land.
— OVERVIEW: The recorded history of Kyrgystan stretches back thousands of years, to a time when Kyrgyz nomads roamed vast Central Asian lands and Kyrgyz warriors conquered and were conquered by people like the Mongols, the Uigur and, in the 20th century, the Soviets . . .
— MUSIC: Much of today’s Kyrgyz musicis still traditional folk, a proud expression of ancient nomadic Kyrgyz life . . .
— LANGUAGE: Since independence from the USSR Kyrgyzstan has become officially bilingual, choosing to keep Russian as a national language alongside Kyrgyz . . .
— WHEN YOU GO THERE: LonelyPlanet.com praises the hospitality of Kyrgyzstan’s people as well as the country’s mountain landscapes . . .