Click to see a larger map

Kyrgyzstan is a small and very mountainous state in central Asia. It is one of the least urbanized of the former Soviet republics (the rural population is growing faster than that in the towns) and was among the last to develop its own cultural nationalism. Increasing Kyrgyz nationalist pressure since independence in 1991 threatens to alienate the Russian minority, mostly based in the capital Bishkek, whose skills are needed to run a market-based economy.