World Atlas: Kazakhstan. On this page you can see the map, country flag and many detailed information about the people, history and economy of Kazakhstan.
Here you can find online selected information about the geography, inhabitants, government, economy and history of Kazakhstan. Included are selected statistics, an overview map and the detailed map of Kazakhstan. But let's start with the flag of Kazakhstan here:
Kazakhstan - Overview:
What you should know about Kazakhstan? Let's start with this: Ethnic Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated to the region by the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. Soviet policies reduced the number of ethnic Kazakhs in the 1930s and enabled non-ethnic Kazakhs to outnumber natives. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) further skewed the ethnic mixture. Non-Muslim ethnic minorities departed Kazakhstan in large numbers from the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s and a national program has repatriated about a million ethnic Kazakhs back to Kazakhstan. These trends have allowed Kazakhs to become the titular majority again. This dramatic demographic shift has also undermined the previous religious diversity and made the country more than 70% Muslim. Kazakhstan's economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states largely due to the country's vast natural resources. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity, expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets, diversifying the economy, enhancing Kazakhstan's economic competitiveness, and strengthening relations with neighboring states and foreign powers. Astana successfully hosted an internationally recognized exposition in 2017. The three-month Expo 2017, themed Future Energy, was the first such exhibition by a former Soviet country.
Geography of Kazakhstan
Where on the globe is Kazakhstan? The location of this country is Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural (Zhayyq) River in easternmost Europe. Total area of Kazakhstan is 2,724,900 sq km, of which 2,699,700 sq km is land. So this is very large country. How could we describe the terrain of the country? This way: vast flat steppe extending from the Volga in the west to the Altai Mountains in the east and from the plains of western Siberia in the north to oases and deserts of Central Asia in the south. The lowest point of Kazakhstan is Vpadina Kaundy -132 m, the highest point Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m. And the climate is continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid.
Inhabitants of Kazakhstan
Let's take a look how many people live in Kazakhstan. The number is: 18,556,698 (July 2017 est.). So this is not very populous country. Who lives here? Kazakh (Qazaq) 63.1%, Russian 23.7%, Uzbek 2.9%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Uighur 1.4%, Tatar 1.3%, German 1.1%, other 4.4% (2009 est.). What are the languages in Kazakhstan? Kazakh (official, Qazaq) 74% (understand spoken language), Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 94.4% (understand spoken language) (2009 est.). And the religions: Muslim 70.2%, Christian 26.2% (mainly Russian Orthodox), other 0.2%, atheist 2.8%, unspecified 0.5% (2009 est.). How old are the people in average? 30.6 years. We have to add that this number is the median - so one half of the people is older than this, one half is younger. And what is their life expectancy (at birth)? This: 71.1 years. Where the people live in Kazakhstan? Here: most of the country displays a low population density, particularly the interior; population clusters appear in urban agglomerations in the far northern and southern portions of the country. The major urban areas of Kazakhstan are: Almaty 1.523 million; Astana (capital) 759,000 (2015).
Government and Economy of Kazakhstan
The capital of Kazakhstan is Astana and the government type presidential republic. Let's take a look at the administrative divisions - 14 provinces (oblyslar, singular - oblys) and 2 cities (qalalar, singular - qala); Almaty (Taldyqorghan), Almaty, Aqmola (Kokshetau), Aqtobe, Astana, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan [West Kazakhstan] (Oral), Mangghystau (Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan [South Kazakhstan] (Shymkent), Pavlodar, Qaraghandy, Qostanay, Qyzylorda, Shyghys Qazaqstan [East Kazakhstan] (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan [North Kazakhstan] (Petropavl), Zhambyl (Taraz). Regarding the economy of Kazakhstan, important industrial products are oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, uranium, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials. Important agricultural products are grain (mostly spring wheat and barley), potatoes, vegetables, melons; livestock. The most important export commodities are oil and oil products, natural gas, ferrous metals, chemicals, machinery, grain, wool, meat, coal and the most important export partners are Italy 20.3%, China 11.5%, Russia 9.5%, Netherlands 8.9%, Switzerland 7.3%, France 4.9% (2016). The most important import commodities are machinery and equipment, metal products, foodstuffs and the most important import partners are Russia 36.2%, China 14.5%, Germany 5.7%, US 5.1% (2016). How rich is Kazakhstan and how rich are people in this country? The most important number here is GDP per capita (PPP): $26,100 (2017 est.). This means the living standards are good here. Let's add that this means Gross Domestic Product per person, which is recalculated with respect to the relative cost of local goods and services. And one more important number - population below poverty line: 2.7% (2015 est.).