The 5 million people of Kyrgyzstan are in general friendly and open.
Kyrgyzstani citizens (i.e., those people born or living in Kyrgyzstan) are composed primarily of Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Russian ethnicities. Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan tend to be located in the southern part of Kyrgyzstan near the Ferghana valley, while Russians mainly inhabit urban areas of the country.
Since independence in 1991, much of Kyrgyzstan's Russian population has emigrated, and the proportions of ethnic Kyrgyz in the general population and in positions of power have increased.
About three quarters of the people self-identify as Muslim, with most of the rest as Russian Orthodox.
