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Kyrgyzstan is one of the former Soviet Republics in Central Asia. In 1991 the Republic became independent.
The history of Kyrgyzstan has its roots in the remote past. The Kyrgyz are one of the most ancient nationalities in the world. The first written references to the Kyrgyz people were found in Chinese chronicles in 201 B.C. They were almost the sole inhabitants of Southern Siberia and Central Asia. Because there was written Kyrgyz language until the late 19th century, the only records were in Chinese, Iranian, Turkish and Arabian chronicles.
One of the versions of the meaning of the word "Kyrgyz" is "Forty Girls". The legend states that a long, long time ago there lived a Padusha who had an only daughter. To stop his daughter from feeling lonely, the Padusha gave her forty personal girl-servants and built a Palace just for them, a long way from the city. One day as the girls were walking near a lake they saw some foam in the water and decided to go swimming. Some time later it was discovered that all the girls were pregnant and the indignant father ordered them to be taken to the distant mountains and left there. The Kyrgyz people are the descendants of these girls.
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54% Kyrgyz, 23% Russian, 23% other nationalities (German, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Korean, Tartar, Uigur, Uzbek, Tajik, Dungan)
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Kyrgyz - official, Russian - widely used
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