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Kazakhstan is a large country in Central Asia, with borders shared with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Its capital is Astana, and it has a population of over 15 million people. The country celebrates its independence from the Soviet Union, achieved in 1991. Kazakhstan’s resources include fossil fuels, minerals, and metals, and its major industries are closely related. The Kazakh diet includes lamb, horse and beef meat, and some foods are associated with religious festivals.
Kazakhstan is a country in Central Asia. It is south of Russia, with which it shares most of its borders, as well as west of China and north of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Furthermore, it is located along the Aral Sea and the Caspian Sea, which is also part of its western border. Its lowest point is 433 feet below sea level (-132m) in a depression, and its highest point is Khan Tangiri Shyngy 22,946.19 feet (6994m), a mountain on the border shared with Kyrgyzstan.
The capital of Kazakhstan is Astana. Its area is 1,049,155.4 square miles (2,717,300 sq km), making it the ninth largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada, the United States, China, Brazil, Australia, India and Argentina. The country is divided into 14 provinces and is the site of the Kara Kum Desert which is the fourth largest desert in the world.
Known as the Republic of Kazakhstan, the country was once called the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, when it was a member of the USSR. The local name is Qazaqstan Respublikasy. It celebrates its independence from the Soviet Union, achieved on December 16, 1991, as Independence Day.
The July 2008 population of Kazakhstan was estimated at 15,340,533 people. The population is mainly Kazakh, with a large percentage of Russians, but also Ukrainians, Uzbeks, Germans, Tatars, Uyghurs and other ethnicities. The state language is Kazakh, but Russian is both the official language and the designated language for “inter-ethnic communication”. While a large percentage of the population speaks Kazakh, most also speak Russian.
The overall literacy rate in Kazakhstan is 99.5%, with a difference of half a percentage point between the literacy of men and women. There are two main religious affiliations: Muslim and Russian Orthodox, with a much smaller number of Protestants, and a few others. It is estimated that over half of the population is employed, with half of the workforce dedicated to the service sector, about a third to agriculture and about a fifth to industry.
Kazakhstan’s resources include fossil fuels, minerals, and metals, and its major industries are closely related. Minerals include manganese, phosphates and sulfur, while metals include copper, iron ore, lead, titanium and zinc, as well as gold and silver. In addition, there is the production of agricultural machinery, engines and building materials.
The Kazakh diet includes lamb, horse and beef meat. Dishes include basturma, sautéed and marinated lamb; kuyrdak or kuirdak, dish made from offal; and plov, a rice pilaf with nuts, fruit and ground lamb. Some foods are associated with religious festivals, such as Baursaki, a type of deep-fried donut, with the festival closing Ramadan.
