Orientation Guide to Kyrgyzstan and the Kyrgyz Culture: Religion, Traditions, Family Life, Urban and Rural Populations, Geography, History, Economy, Society and Security
Description
Approximately 5.5 million people live in the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan, which is slightly smaller than the state of South Dakota. Kyrgyzstan is a land of stunning natural beauty, rugged mountains, deserts, and grassy steppes. The country s name, based on the Turkish language, may mean Land of Mountaineers: Kyr means mountain range and gyz is a plural suffix. Others claim that the name of Kyrgyzstan, a nation with a long and proud nomadic history, means Forty Tribes, derived from old Turkic kyrg, meaning 40, and yz, meaning tribes.
The Kyrgyz are the largest ethnic group in the country, making up 71% of the population. Most of these traditionally nomadic people now live settled lives, but some, particularly in the north, continue to herd their flocks. They live in yurts and move from pasture to pasture. Today there at least 30 tribes clustered into two regional groups: the Tagai in the north and the Ich Kilik in the south. The Kyrgyz are predominantly Sunni Muslim, but many shamanistic traditions from a nomadic past have been incorporated into their religion.
Besides ethnic Kyrgyz, the multiethnic nation is home to more than 100 nationalities. Ethnic tensions between the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, particularly in the south, have erupted into violent confrontations. Although the country is one of the most democratic of the Central Asia Republics, it faces an uncertain future. A weak economy, corruption, and its location in an insecure region present serious challenges, in addition to rising ethnic tensions.
This book, produced by Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC), provides comprehensive information about Kyrgyzstan and the Kyrgyz Culture. Chapter topics include religion, traditions, family life and differences in the lifestyles of urban and rural populations as well as detailed discussion of geography, history and their economy, form of government, society and security and much more.
92 pages; dozens of photos, illustrations and charts, many in full color.
This is a Print Replica that maintains the formatting and layout of the original edition and offers many of the advantages of standard Kindle books.
The Kyrgyz are the largest ethnic group in the country, making up 71% of the population. Most of these traditionally nomadic people now live settled lives, but some, particularly in the north, continue to herd their flocks. They live in yurts and move from pasture to pasture. Today there at least 30 tribes clustered into two regional groups: the Tagai in the north and the Ich Kilik in the south. The Kyrgyz are predominantly Sunni Muslim, but many shamanistic traditions from a nomadic past have been incorporated into their religion.
Besides ethnic Kyrgyz, the multiethnic nation is home to more than 100 nationalities. Ethnic tensions between the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, particularly in the south, have erupted into violent confrontations. Although the country is one of the most democratic of the Central Asia Republics, it faces an uncertain future. A weak economy, corruption, and its location in an insecure region present serious challenges, in addition to rising ethnic tensions.
This book, produced by Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC), provides comprehensive information about Kyrgyzstan and the Kyrgyz Culture. Chapter topics include religion, traditions, family life and differences in the lifestyles of urban and rural populations as well as detailed discussion of geography, history and their economy, form of government, society and security and much more.
92 pages; dozens of photos, illustrations and charts, many in full color.
This is a Print Replica that maintains the formatting and layout of the original edition and offers many of the advantages of standard Kindle books.
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