Kyrgyzstan

Recent Kyrgyz and Chinese historians have determined that Kyrgyz history dates back to 201 BC when the earliest descendents lived in the northeastern part of present-day Mongolia. The Kyrgyz people settled the territory now known as the Kyrgyz Republic in the 15th and 16th centuries, and the southern territory was annexed to Russia in 1876. Soviet power was established in 1918, and in 1936 the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic became a full Union Republic of the USSR. Nationwide demonstrations in 2005 lead to the ouster of the president who had run the country since 1990, although endemic corruption still challenges the government today. Counterpart International's (Counterpart) program in Kyrgyzstan has provided needed renovations and reconstructions to hospitals, water distillation equipment and other facilities, as well as wheelchairs for the disabled.

Map and country information, The World Factbook 2009. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2009.