Kazakhstan

Republic of Kazakhstan Қазақстан Республикасы  (Kazakh) Qazaqstan Respublikasy Республика Казахстан  (Russian) Respublika Kazakhstan
Flag Emblem
Anthem: Менің Қазақстаным Menıñ Qazaqstanym "My Kazakhstan"
Location of  Kazakhstan  (green)
Capital	Astana 51°10′N 71°26′E
Largest city	Almaty
Official languages	Kazakh (national/state) Russian (official)
Common languages	Kazakh language Russian language
Official scripts	Cyrillic Latin
Ethnic groups (2018)	65.5% Kazakh 21.5% Russian 3.0% Uzbek 1.8% Ukrainian 1.4% Uyghur 1.2% Tatar 1.1% German 4.5% others
Religion	70.2% Muslims 26.3% Christians 3.5% others
Demonym(s)	Kazakhstani
Government	Unitary presidential constitutional republic
• President	Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
• Prime Minister	Oljas Bektenov
• Chairman of the Senate	Maulen Ashimbayev
• Chairman of the Mazhilis	Nurlan Nigmatulin
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Mazhilis
Formation
• Kazakh Khanate	1465
• Alash Autonomy	13 December 1917
• Kirghiz ASSR	26 August 1920
• Kazakh ASSR	19 June 1925
• Kazakh SSR	5 December 1936
• Declared Sovereignty	25 October 1990
• Reconstituted as the Republic of Kazakhstan	10 December 1991
• Declared Independence from the USSR	16 December 1991
• CIS Accession	21 December 1991
• Recognized	26 December 1991
• Admitted to the United Nations	2 March 1992
• Current constitution	30 August 1995
Area
• Total	2,724,900 km2 (1,052,100 sq mi) (9th)
• Water (%)	1.7
Population
• 2025 estimate	20,286,084 (61)
• Density	7/km2 (18.1/sq mi) (236th)
GDP (PPP)	2019 estimate
• Total	$534.271 billion (41st)
• Per capita	$28,514 (53rd)
GDP (nominal)	2019 estimate
• Total	$164.207 billion (54th)
• Per capita	$8,763 (71st)
Gini (2017)	27.5 low
HDI (2017)	0.800 very high · 58th
Currency	Tenge (₸) (KZT)
Time zone	UTC+5 / +6 (West / East)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+7-6xx, +7-7xx
ISO 3166 code	KZ
Internet TLD	.kz .қаз

Map of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is a landlocked country in the middle of Eurasia. Its official name is the Republic of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is the ninth biggest country in the world, and it is also the biggest landlocked country in the world. After the end of the Soviet Union, it replaced Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. The president of the country from 1991 through March 2019 was Nursultan Nazarbayev. Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. Almaty was the capital until 1998, when it moved to Astana.

The Kazakh language, which is a Turkic language, is the native language, but Russian has equal official status for all administrative and institutional purposes. Islam is the largest religion- about 70% of the population are Muslims, with Christianity practiced by 26%; Russia leases (rents) the land for the Baikonur Cosmodrome (site of Russian spacecraft launches) from Kazakhstan.

Origin of the name

The name of Kazakhstan comes from addition of "Kazakh" and "-stan", where "-stan" in Persian means "land of". So Kazakhstan means "land of Kazakhs".

There have been theories to explain the meaning of the word "Kazakh". The word possibly meant "homeless", "loner", "in exile", "free man", or "wanderer".

History

People who lived in Kazakhstan usually were nomads (people who do not live in one place all the time). Livestock was important for nomads, especially horses.

Kazakh Khanate

After the end of Golden Horde, Kerei and Janibek Khans created Kazakh Khanate in 15th century. It got most of the land Kazakhstan today has. In 17th century, Kazakh Khanate was divided into three jüz (clans). In 18th century, Russia defeated Kazakhs and got their land.

Russian Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan was important for Russia because it allowed it to get bigger to the south. Great Britain controlled India and feared that Russia was getting closer to its borders. This competition between Russia and Britain is called the "Great Game".

Main articles: Russian Civil War and Alash–Orda

Russian people were tired because of World War I. Two revolutions happened in Russia: February and October revolutions. This caused a civil war between Empire White Forces and Bolshevik Red Army. At the time, Kazakh elite (educated people) created Alash Autonomy. They aimed to control its land and people. However, Red Army beat White Army, and Soviet Union got Kazakh land before 1920.

Kazakh SSR

Main article: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

Kirghiz Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic was created in Soviet Russian Republic of the Soviet Union (USSR) . It was named Kirghiz because Russians called Kazakhs "Kirghiz" before 1925. In 1930s, Soviet Union put many of the Kazakh elite in prison. Because of collectivization, a famine started in Kazakhstan. The famine killed about 1.5 million people.

In 1936, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic was created. It means that Kazakhstan was not part of Russia anymore, but it was still in the Soviet Union.

Since 1949, Soviet Union tested its nuclear bombs in the test site near Semipalatinsk. At least 460 nuclear bombs were tested until 1989. During Soviet period, Baikonur Cosmodrome was built. In 1961 Vostok-1 with Yuri Gagarin (the first person to enter space) was launched from there.

In December 1986, the leader of Kazakh SSR Dinmukhamed Konayev was replaced by Gennady Kolbin, who was not from Kazakhstan. This caused "Jeltoqsan" protests in Almaty that started on December 16. People who joined these protests were usually young Kazakhs. The government killed and sent to prison many of the protesters.

Independence

With the dissolution of the USSR in 1990/1991, Kazakhstan became an independent country. The country declared its independence on 16 December 1991, exactly five years after the beginning of Jeltoqsan unrest. The first president of the independent country was Nursultan Nazarbayev. He had been president before independence. He resigned in March 2019. The second president was Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Tokayev renamed the capital from Astana to Nur-Sultan in the first month of his presidency. But in September 2022, the name of the country's capital was changed back to Astana.

The Aral Sea, which is a lake despite its name, had begun drying up in the 1960s. This was because water coming into the sea was being diverted. It is now only about 10% as large as it was before then. The sea became a few smaller lakes. The government of Kazakhstan and the World Bank tried to save one of these lakes, the North Aral Sea, by building a dam in 2005. By 2013, the water level had risen, salinity had dropped, and enough fish were there again to make fishing possible.

Geography

Kazakhstan is a transcontinental country mostly in Asia with a small western part across the Ural River in Europe. It has borders with the Russian Federation in the north and west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the southwest, and China in the far east. The northern border is mostly with Siberia, Russia, so Russia has the longest border with Kazakhstan. Basically, Kazakhstan runs from the Caspian Sea in the west to the mainly Muslim Chinese autonomous region of Xinjiang. Kazakhstan has no ocean shoreline, but borders the Caspian Sea, which boats use to get to neighboring countries. The Caspian Sea is an Endorheic basin without connections to any ocean.

Natural resources

Kazakhstan has plenty of petroleum, natural gas, and mining. It attracted over $40 billion in foreign investment since 1993 and accounts for some 57% of the nation's industrial output. According to some estimates, Kazakhstan has the second largest uranium, chromium, lead, and zinc reserves, the third largest manganese reserves, the fifth largest copper reserves, and ranks in the top ten for coal, iron, and gold. It is also an exporter of diamonds. Kazakhstan has the 11th largest proven reserves of both petroleum and natural gas.

Regions

Kazakhstan is divided into 17 regions. They are divided into districts.

Almaty and Astana cities have the status of State importance and are not in any region. Baikonur city has a special status because it is leased to Russia for Baikonur cosmodrome until 2050.

Each province is headed by an Akim (provincial governor) appointed by the president. Municipal Akims are appointed by province Akims. The Government of Kazakhstan moved its capital from Almaty to Astana on December 10, 1997.

Coat of arms	Full English name	Type	Capital	Full Kazakh name	Full Russian name
	Abai Region	region	Semey	Абай облысы Abai oblysy	Абайская область Abaiskaya Oblast′
	Akmola Region	region	Kokshetau	Ақмола облысы Aqmola oblysy	Акмолинская область Akmolinskaya Oblast′
	Aktobe Region	region	Aktobe	Ақтөбе облысы Aqtöbe oblysy	Актюбинская область Aktyubinskaya Oblast′
	Almaty	city		Алматы қаласы Almaty qalasy	город Алматы gorod Almaty
	Almaty Region	region	Qonaev	Алматы облысы Almaty oblysy	Алматинская область Almatinskaya Oblast′
	Astana	city		Астана қаласы Astana qalasy	город Астана gorod Astana
	Atyrau Region	Atyrau	Атырау облысы Atyrau oblysy	Атырауская область Atyrauskaya Oblast′	UTC+05:00
	Baikonur	city		Байқоңыр қаласы Baiqoñyr qalasy	город Байконур gorod Baykonur
	East Kazakhstan Region	region	Oskemen	Шығыс Қазақстан облысы Şyğys Qazaqstan oblysy	Восточно-Казахстанская область Vostochno-Kazakhstanskaya Oblast′
	Jambyl Region	region	Taraz	Жамбыл облысы Jambyl oblysy	Жамбылская область Zhambylskaya Oblast′
	Jetisu Region	region	Taldykorgan	Жетісу облысы Jetısu oblysy	Жетысуская область Zhetysuskaya Oblast′
	Karaganda Region	region	Karaganda	Қарағанды облысы Qarağandy oblysy	Карагандинская область Karagandinskaya Oblast′
	Kostanay Region	region	Kostanay	Қостанай облысы Qostanai oblysy	Костанайская область Kostanayskaya Oblast′
	Kyzylorda Region	region	Kyzylorda	Қызылорда облысы Qyzylorda oblysy	Кызылординская область Kyzylordinskaya Oblast′
	Mangystau Region	region	Aktau	Маңғыстау облысы Mañğystau oblysy	Мангыстауская область Mangystauskaya Oblast′
	North Kazakhstan Region	region	Petropavl	Солтүстік Қазақстан облысы Soltüstık Qazaqstan oblysy	Северо-Казахстанская область Severo-Kazakhstanskaya Oblast′
	Pavlodar Region	region	Pavlodar	Павлодар облысы Pavlodar oblysy	Павлодарская область Pavlodarskaya Oblast′
	Shymkent	city		Шымкент қаласы Şymkent qalasy	город Шымкент gorod Shymkent
	Turkistan Region (formerly South Kazakhstan)	region	Turkistan	Түркістан облысы Türkıstan oblysy	Туркестанская область Turkestanskaya Oblast′
	Ulytau Region	region	Jezkazgan	Ұлытау облысы Ūlytau oblysy	Улытауская область Ulytauskaya Oblast′
	West Kazakhstan Region	region	Oral	Батыс Қазақстан облысы Batys Qazaqstan oblysy	Западно-Казахстанская область Zapadno-Kazakhstanskaya Oblast′

Population

The population of Kazakhstan is 20,268,084 (according to 2025 estimate). It takes the 65th place in the List of countries by population. Average density is one of the lowest on earth with almost 7.44 people/km² (List of countries by population density).

Related pages

• Kazakhstan at the Olympics
• Kazakhstan national football team
• List of rivers of Kazakhstan

References

Notes

Other websites

• Official Website of Kazakh Parliament, in Қазақша, Русский, and English Archived 2011-02-25 at the Wayback Machine