Kyrgyz Republic

Kyrgyz Respublikasy

CAPITAL: Bishkek

FLAG: Red field with a yellow sun in the center; in the center of the sun is a red ring crossed by two sets of three lines, a stylized representation of the vent in a Kyrgyz yurt.

ANTHEM: Kyrgyz National Anthem.

MONETARY UNIT: The som was established in May 1993; som1 = $0.0228 (or $1 = som 43.85) as of May 2003.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: The metric system is in force.

HOLIDAYS: Constitution Day, 5 May; Independence Day, 31 August; National Day, 2 December.

TIME: 5 PM = noon GMT.

Location, Size, and Extent

Kyrgyzstan is located in southern Asia, between China and Kazakhstan. Comparatively, it is slightly smaller than the state of South Dakota with a total area of 198,500 sq km (76,641 sq mi). Kyrgyzstan shares boundaries with Kazakhstan on the N, China on the E, Tajikistan on the S, Uzbekistan on the W. The country's boundary length totals 3,878 km (2,410 mi), and its capital...