Kyrgyz Republic - Travel Report

The Kyrgyz Republic (informally known as Kyrgyzstan ) is a newly independent nation in Central Asia undergoing profound political and economic change. Kyrgyz and Russian languages are official languages of the Kyrgyz Republic. . The predominant religion in the Kyrgyz Republic is Muslim, therefore a majority of the population observes traditional Muslim holidays and customs. The banking system is not well developed. At least one bank has begun to install automated teller machines but the reliability and security of using these ATMs remain untested. One or two hotels or banks may, on occasion, accept travelers checks or credit cards but fees can be quite high for travelers checks, as much as 20 percent. Hunting and trekking are popular sport for locals and tourists in the Kyrgyz Republic, however Americans citizens traveling to the Kyrgyz Republic should know that hunting in the Kyrgyz Republic without proper licenses is illegal. Foreign hunters who do not have official permission to hunt or take trophies out of the country may face criminal and civil charges. The Kyrgyz Republic is an earthquake-prone country. General information about natural disaster preparedness is available via the Internet from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at http://www.fema.gov.