Kyrgyzstan
is mountainous. Located among the northern branch of the Himalayan range (the
Tien Shan mountains), Kyrgyzstan's highest point is above 24,000 ft at the
summit of Pik Pobedi on the eastern border with China.
Kyrgyzstan's neighbors to the north (Kazakhstan) and west (Uzbekistan) are relatively flat, while Kyrgyzstan's southern neighbor (Tajikistan) has an equally folded landscape.
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital
city, lies in the northern part of the country within Chui oblast (province).
Other northern oblasts are Talas, Issyk-Kul, and Naryn.
Kyrgyzstan's south is composed of Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Batken oblasts, which compose part of the Ferghana valley. This populous and agriculturally significant valley is shared with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Kyrgyzstan is relatively small, with about the same area as a medium-sized U.S. state such as Missouri, and a population of about 5 million people.
The largest cities are Bishkek in the north and Osh in the south, with one main highway connecting them that twist among and through the mountains that separate the two parts of the country.
