A Central Asian state bordering China, Kyrgyzstan became independent with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
It has some oil and gas and a developing gold mining sector, but relies on imports for most of its energy needs. Resentment at widespread poverty and ethnic divisions between north and south occasionally spill over into violence, and the country's first two post-Soviet presidents were swept from power by popular discontent.
In 2005, a popular revolt sparked by allegations of government interference in parliamentary elections and fuelled by poverty and corruption swept President Askar Akayev - who had led the country since independence - from power.
Kyrgyzstan's democratic credentials were regarded as relatively strong in the immediate post-Soviet era, but this reputation was lost when corruption and nepotism took hold during President Akayev's years in office. Parliamentary and presidential elections were flawed, opposition figures faced harassment and imprisonment, and opposition newspapers were closed.
His successor after the 2005 revolt, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, failed to restore full confidence in state institutions at home or abroad. His time in office was marred by political instability and an almost constant struggle with parliament over the constitutional balance of power.
Elections held under Mr Bakiyev were criticised as being undemocratic, and human rights groups expressed concern over the curtailing of civil liberties and attacks on the media.
Civil tensions again came to a head in April 2010, when Mr Bakiyev himself was toppled and an interim government was set up under the leadership of former Foreign Minister Roza Otunbayeva.
The Kyrgyz make up nearly 70% of the population, with Uzbeks accounting for about 15% and concentrated in the Ferghana Valley in the south. Russians have a significant presence in the north and in the capital, Bishkek.
There is tension between the Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities in the south over land and housing, and relations with Uzbekistan were strained following the flight of refugees into Kyrgyzstan after clashes in the Uzbek city Andijan in 2005.
There have been several serious outbreaks of Kyrgyz-Uzbek interethnic violence in the southern city of Osh, notably in 1990 - when hundreds were killed - and again in June 2010 following the overthrow of Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Osh had been a Bakiyev stronghold.
Most of the population of Kyrgyzstan is nominally Muslim, and there has been a growing interest in Islam among those seeking a new ethnic or national identity.
The government is worried about inroads by jihadist groups like Hizb-ut Tahrir, and there have been periodic outbreaks of fighting in the south.
Kyrgyzstan also features in the US-Russian rivalry for control of Central Asia, as both powers have military air bases in the country.
The US established an air base at the Manas international airport near Bishkek in late 2001 to support military operations in Afghanistan. President Bakiyev threatened to close it in October 2008 after agreeing to a Russian loan. He reversed the decision when the US agreed to more than triple its annual rent for the base.
Weeks later Kyrgyzstan tentatively agreed to allow Russia to open a second military base on its territory, apparently expanding Moscow's military reach to balance the US presence.
Full name: Kyrgyz Republic Population: 5.5 million (UN, 2010) Capital: Bishkek Area: 199,900 sq km (77,182 sq miles) Major languages: Kyrgyz, Russian Major religions: Islam, Christianity Life expectancy: 65 years (men), 73 years (women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 som = 100 tyiyns Main exports: Fruit, vegetables, gold, tobacco GNI per capita: US $870 (World Bank, 2009) Internet domain: .kg International dialling code: +996Caretaker president: Roza Otunbayeva
Roza Otunbayeva was chosen as leader of an opposition-dominated interim government which was formed after President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted in a popular uprising in April 2010.
Ms Otunbayeva is a veteran of Kyrgyz politicsWithin months of taking over she supervised a referendum in which 90% of voters backed a new constitution intended to reduce the powers of the presidency and transform the country into former Soviet Central Asia's first parliamentary democracy.
Days later, Mrs Otunbayeva was formally sworn in as caretaker president and the region's first post-Communist female leader, to prepare the country for new presidential elections scheduled for October 2011. She is barred from standing herself.
In November 2010, the first parliamentary elections under the new constitution produced a three-party coalition led by Ms Otunbayeva's Social Democratic Party. The largest party in parliament, the nationalist Ata Zhurt, went into opposition.
One of her early challenges was an outbreak of violence between ethnic Kyrgyz and minority ethnic Uzbek in the southern cities of Osh and Jalalabad in June 2010, in which hundreds died.
Ms Otunbayeva's predecessor, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, was deposed amid widespread anger over falling living standards and rampant corruption. In November 2010, Mr Bakiyev, who was given asylum in Belarus, was put on trial in absentia for the shooting of protesters by security forces during the uprising, along with several other former officials.
Mr Bakiyev won the presidency in 2005 after the "tulip revolution" that toppled his predecessor, President Askar Akayev.
Born in 1950, Ms Otunbayeva, several times served as Kyrgyz foreign minister following independence in 1992, but went into opposition to Mr Bakiyev in 2005. She became an MP for the opposition Social Democrats in 2007.
Prime Minister: Almazbek Atambayev
Mr Atambayev became prime minister for the second time in December 2010, when his Social Democratic Party formed a fragile coalition with the Republic and Ata-Zhurt parties following the October parliamentary elections.
The coalition is made up of supporters of former President Bakiyev in the nationalist Ata-Zhurt party with Bakiyev opponents like Mr Atambayev and Republic leader Omurbek Babanov.
Mr Atambayev left the opposition camp briefly to become President Bakiyev's prime minister in 2007, but soon fell out with him ahead of the December parliamentary elections and returned to opposition.
After the April 2010 ouster of President Bakiyev, Atambayev became deputy head of the provisional government with responsibility for the economy.
Television is the most-popular medium. There are two state-run networks and more than a dozen private stations. Russian networks are available terrestrially and have a significant audience.
Creating a public TV service was one of the first promises made by the new interim government in April 2010.
Money is tight for many Kyrgyz broadcasters, and the constraints can impact news coverage. Some stations cannot meet targets for original programming in the Kyrgyz language.
The media in Kyrgyzstan have traditionally enjoyed greater editorial freedom than their regional counterparts. But political tension, polarisation and disorder have undermined media freedom, Reporters Without Borders noted in 2010. Amid ethnic violence in June 2010, local TVs in the southern city of Osh were ordered closed.
There were 850,000 internet users by September 2009 (InternetWorldStats). The Kyrgyz blogsphere is lively - estimates suggest that there are more than 2,000 blogs. Some of them use local portals, including kloop.kg.
OpenNet Initiative, a web filtering watchdog, warns of a shift towards a more restrictive internet policy, and the threat posed by political instability. But it says access remains largely unfettered.
The press
Television
Kyrgyz National TV and Radio Broadcasting Corporation - state-run, two networks Piramida - private, Bishkek area Kyrgyz Public Educational TV (KOORT) - private Ecological Youth TV (EYTV) - private, Issyk-Kul Osh TV - private, Osh Independent Bishkek TV - private, Bishkek NTS - private, BishkekRadio
Kyrgyz National TV and Radio Broadcasting Corporation - state-run, operates Kyrgyz Radio 1 and 21 Vek (21st century) networks Ekho Bishkeka - private, Bishkek Almaz - private, Bishkek Europa Plus - private, Bishkek, Osh Russkoye Radio - private Auto Radio - privateNews agencies
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