Asia

Flag of Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan is a small, mountainous Central Asian country where more than 90% of the territory lies above 1,500 metres in elevation. It is known for its spectacular alpine scenery, nomadic heritage, and one of the world's longest epic poems — the Manas — which runs to approximately 500,000 lines and is still recited by professional storytellers. Kyrgyzstan hosts the World Nomad Games, a biennial celebration of traditional nomadic sports and culture from across Central Asia.

CapitalBishkek
RegionAsia
Current flag since2023
Main coloursRed, Yellow
Populationabout 6.7 million
Areaabout 200,000 km²
GeographyLandlocked
Flags in history3

Population and area are rounded.

What the flag of Kyrgyzstan means

The red field is said to come from the banner of the epic hero Manas. The yellow sun has 40 rays for the 40 tribes Manas united, and at its centre is the tunduk, the wooden crown of a yurt, a symbol of home, family and the universe. The flag was adopted in 1992, and in 2023 the rays were straightened and the tunduk redrawn.

More about the flag

In 2023 President Sadyr Japarov proposed redrawing the flag, saying that the wavy rays made the sun look like a sunflower; parliament approved straight rays and a redrawn tunduk in December 2023. Kyrgyzstan became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. The epic of Manas, the source of the flag's 40 rays, is one of the longest poems in the world.

How to recognise it

Red with a yellow sun containing a stylised yurt top-opening design.

Did you know?

Kyrgyzstan is home to one of the world's largest walnut forests.

Flag history of Kyrgyzstan

Every flag that has flown over Kyrgyzstan, from today back through time.

2023–present

Flag of Kyrgyzstan

A 2023 redesign straightened the sun's previously wavy rays, which lawmakers argued resembled a sunflower — culturally associated with servility. The sun has 40 rays for the 40 Kyrgyz tribes.

1992–2023

Original sun flag

Adopted in 1992, a red field with a yellow 40-ray sun bearing a stylized "tunduk" — the crown of a traditional yurt — at its center.

1952–1991

Kirghiz SSR

A red flag with a central blue-white-blue stripe set, which remained the flag of newly independent Kyrgyzstan until 1992.

Related historical states

Empires, kingdoms and republics that once covered part of Kyrgyzstan.

1922–1991

Soviet Union

The gold hammer and sickle beneath a red star stood for the worker-peasant alliance. The exact shade and proportions were fixed by Soviet law in 1955.