Following a somewhat unexpected revolution after the parliamentary elections in March 2005 and President Akayev's resignation on April 4, 2005, opposition leaders formed a coalition and a new government was formed under President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and Prime Minister Feliks Kulov.

Political stability appears to be elusive, however, as various groups and factions allegedly linked to organized crime are jockeying for power. Three of the 75 members of Parliament elected in March 2005 have been assassinated since then; all three are reputed to have been directly involved in illegal business.

Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordering Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The mountainous region of the Tian Shan covers the majority of the nation, with the remainder made up of its valleys and basins. Issyk-Kul in the north-western Tian Shan is the largest lake in Kyrgyzstan and the second largest mountain lake in the world after Titicaca. The highest peaks are in the Kakshaal-Too range, forming the Chinese border. Pik Pobedy (Victory Peak), at 24,400 ft (7,439 m), is the highest point and is considered by geologists (though not mountaineers) to be the northernmost 7,000 m peak in the world. Heavy snowfall in winter leads to heavy spring floods which often cause serious damage downstream. The runoff from the mountains is also utilized, however, for substantial generation of hydro-electricity.

The climate varies regionally. The south-western Fergana Valley is Subtropical Climate and extremely hot in summer, with temperatures reaching 40°C (104°F.) The northern foothills are Temperate Climate and the Tian Shan varies from dry Continental Climate to Polar Climate, depending on elevation. In the coldest areas temperatures are sub-zero for around 40 days in winter, and even some desert areas experience constant snowfall in this period.

Kyrgyzstan has significant deposits of rare metals including gold and also some coal, petroleum and natural gas. Less than 8% of the land is cultivated, and this is concentrated in the northern lowlands and the fringes of the Fergana Valley.

Bishkek in the north is the capital and largest city, with approximately 900,000 inhabitants in 2005. The second city is the ancient town of Osh, located in the Fergana Valley near the border with Uzbekistan. The principal river is the Naryn River, flowing west through the Fergana Valley into Uzbekistan, where it meets another of Kyrgyzstan's major rivers, the Kara Darya and forms the Syr Darya which eventually flows into the Aral Sea -- although the massive extraction of water for irrigating Uzbekistan's cotton fields now causes the river to dry up long before rwacvhing the Aral Sea. The Chui river also briefly flows through Kyrgyzstan before entering Kazakhstan.