Country Information
Republic of Kazakhstan
Қазақстан Республикасы
Qazaqstan Respwblïkası
Республика Казахстан
Respublika Kazakhstan
Population: 15.6 million , (UN, 2009) . Kazakhstan is ethnically and culturally diverse. Kazakhs are the largest group 63%. Kazakhstan has 131 nationalities The Russians comprising just over a quarter, and smaller minorities of Uzbeks, Koreans, Chechens and Tatar, others accounting for the rest.
Capital: Astana
Largest city: Almaty
Area: 2 717 300 km² (bigger than Western Europe) Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world by area , but it is only the 62nd country in population with less than 6 people per square kilometer. It is also the world's largest landlocked country.
Borders: with Russia the People's Republic of China and the Central Asian countries Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and has a coastline on the Caspian Sea.
Major Languages: Kazakh, Russian The Kazakh language is the state language, while Russian is also officially used as an "equal" language to Kazakh.
Major religion: Islam is the primary religion, Christianity
Form of government: Presidential Unitary republic with bi-cameral legislature. It is now considered to be the dominant state in Central Asia.
President: Nursultan Nazarbayev, leader for more than two decades. The president merged his Otan party with his daughter Dariga's party, Asar, in July 2006. The move created a vast ruling coalition and was seen as consolidating the president's power. Otan was subsequently renamed Nur-Otan in honour of Mr Nazarbayev.
Main exports: Oil, uranium, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery, chemicals, grain, wool, meat, coal.
Economy: Kazakhstan is seeking to diversify its economy away from the extractive industries although its hydrocarbon industry remains the dominant sector.
GNI per capita: US $6,140 (World Bank, 2008)
Monetary unit: 1 Kazakh tenge = 100 tiyn
Internet domain: .kz
International dialling code: +7
Source & further information:
BBC Country profile
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1298071.stm
on Wikepedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Kazakhstan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazakhstan |
