Kyrgyz culture
The name Kyrgyzstan means 'Land of the Nomads', and the country has been known by that name since gaining independence from what was the Soviet Union in 1991. Some Kyrgyz people lead a nomadic life, living in felt tents called yurts. In fact, the Kyrgyz flag (shown here) is a stylized representation of a Yurt "roof wheel" and cover held down by guy ropes. Discover more about Kyrgyz Yurt here.

The diet of nomads consists of meat and milk products, including butter, yoghurt, fermented mare's milk and dried curds. Find out more here.

The Kyrgyz keep horses, sheep, goats and camels. Find out more about their animals here.

Shamanism, buddhism and sufism; all have relevence to the religion of the Central Asian nomads. Click here for more information.

A map of Kyrgyzstan can be found here