Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked, mountainous country in Central Asia, sharing borders with China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and has since faced political instability and economic challenges. The country has a Turkic-speaking Muslim majority, with Russian being a major minority language. Its rugged terrain is dominated by the Tien Shan mountain range, and its economy relies on developing sectors like gold mining while facing a need for energy imports.