The Kara-Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast, abbreviated as Kara-Kirghiz AO or KAO in the former region of Soviet Central Asia, was created on 14 October 1924 within the Russian SFSR from the predominantly Kyrgyz part of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. On 15 May 1925 it was renamed to the Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast. On 11 February 1926 it was reorganized into the Kirghiz ASSR (not to be confused with the other Kirghiz ASSR, the original name of the Kazakh ASSR). On 5 December 1936 it became the Kirghiz SSR, one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union.

Etymology

Kara-Kirghiz is a former name for the Kyrgyz people that literally means 'the black Kirghiz (Kyrgyz)', in reference to the colour of the tents the nomads used.