Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyz: Кыргыз Республикасы, Russian: Кыргызская Республика) is a former Soviet republic located in South-Central Asia. The country is known for its incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions. Landlocked and mountainous, it borders Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the southeast. What would become modern Kyrgyzstan was annexed by Russia in 1876 and became an independent country with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It has the most liberal tourist visa policy in Central Asia and one of the more progressive post-Soviet governments in the region.