Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"Kyrgyzstan’s topography and political geography are reminiscent of the Caucasus. The agricultural economy is generally weak, consisting of pastoralism in the highlands and farming in the valleys. Mapped in yellow in Figure 5-18, Kyrgyzstan lies intertwined with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to the point of having exclaves and enclaves along their common borders. Ethnic Kyrgyz constitute about 75 percent of the population of 6 million. More than three-fourths of the people profess allegiance to Islam, and Wahhabism, an orthodox form of Sunni Islam, has achieved a strong foothold here as well; the town of Osh is often referred to as the Central Asian headquarters of this movement. In 2010, ethnic rioting erupted in Osh between the Kyrgyz majority and the Uzbek minority, killing hundreds and putting the country in danger of breaking apart. Tens of thousands of Uzbeks, who make up roughly 14 percent of the total population and form a prosperous merchant class, fled their homes." [Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts, 17th Edition, p. 226]