KIRGHIZ, STEPPE OF THE, an extensive country of Western Asia, comprising the northern part of Independent Turkistan, and lying between N. Lat. 44. and 55., and E. Long. 53. and 82. It is bounded on the N. by Russian Siberia, E. by the Chinese Empire, S. by the khanates of Khokan, Bokhara, and Khiva, and W. by the Ural and the Caspian Sea.
The surface is not a mere flat plain, but is traversed by numerous mountain chains, particularly in the W. and N.W. There are a considerable number of rivers and lakes, many of the latter being salt. The extremes of heat and cold are very great; in summer the temperature often rises to 112° Fahr.; while in winter it is frequently many degrees below zero. The inhabitants are a nomadic race, almost solely occupied in the rearing of sheep, goats, horses, and
camels, which constitute their principal wealth. They relieve the monotony of their life by hunting, and not unfrequently by plundering caravans, or by attacking some neighbouring tribe. They are divided into the Great, Little, and Middle Hordes, which are again subdivided into numerous tribes, each having its own khan or chief. Pop. estimated at 2,260,000. See ASIA.