Kazakhstan is roughly the size of Western Europe. Surrounded by Russia, China, Turkey and the Caucasus, Iran and Afghanistan, Kazakhstan is located in Central Asia and has been a crossroads of trade and different civilizations for centuries. Total area: 1,687,443 sq miles (2,729,900 sq km). Land area: 1,657,945 sq miles (2,669,800 sq km)

 

Total 7,459 miles (12,012 km (without the Caspian shoreline). The Republic of Kazakhstan shares its longest borders with Russia, 4,251 miles (6,846 km) and China, 951 miles (1,533 km), as well as with Uzbekistan 1,369 miles (2,203 km), Kyrgyzstan 653 miles (1,051 km), and Turkmenistan 235 miles (379 km). It also borders for 1,183 miles (1,894 km) on the Caspian Sea.

 

Independence:

Kazakhstan gained independence from the former Soviet Union on December 16, 1991. Republic Day is celebrated on October 25, 1990, i.e. the day when Kazakhstan passed its Declaration of Sovereignty.

 

President:

Nursultan Nazarbayev (re-elected for a 7-year term on December 4, 2005).

 

Parliament:

The Parliament consists of two houses, the Senate (upper house) and the Majilis (lower house). The Senate has 47 deputies, 40 indirectly elected by local legislators and seven appointed by the President. Senators serve six-year terms, with one-half of the Senate facing re-election every three years. Sixty-seven members of the Majilis are directly elected for five-year terms from single-member districts, with an additional ten members from political parties selected on the basis of proportional representation.

 

Capital:
Astana has been the official capital of Kazakhstan since December 10, 1997. It is located 1,300 km north of Almaty, Kazakhstan's commercial and cultural centre and its former capital, and has a population of over 653,000 people.

 

Population: 15.82 million people

 

Ethnic Composition:

Kazakhstan's ethnic composition is the driving force behind much of the country's political and cultural life. The principal ethnic groups include Kazakhs (53.4%), Russians (30%), Ukrainians (3.7%), Uzbeks and Tatars (2.5% each), Germans (2.4%), Byelorussians (0.7%), Azerbaijanis (0.5%) and others (4.3%). There are more than 120 ethnic groups living in Kazakhstan. The acquisition of independent statehood gave a stimulus to the development of the cultural and historic heritage of all ethnic groups living in the country. This diverse society is based on political stability and inter-ethnic harmony. Ethnic cultural centres have been established in all areas of Kazakhstan to support the ethnic identity of different nationalities. The Assembly of Peoples of Kazakhstan, a unique body in the post-Soviet area representing the interests of all ethnic groups living in Kazakhstan, was established to deal with inter-ethnic policy issues.

 

Kazakhstan's tradition of religious tolerance and diversity is part of its ancient history. Freedom of religion is one of the top priorities guaranteed by the Constitution. In practice, this has contributed to inter-ethnic and inter-religious harmony among the established faiths in Kazakhstan, from ethnic Kazakhs, who are predominantly Sunni Muslim (57%), to Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox Christians (40%), Roman Catholics, various Protestant denominations and Kazakhstan's long-standing Jewish community, as well as other faiths. In ten years, the number of religious groups has grown 350 percent to nearly 2,300 today - half of which are non-Muslim. These religious communities representing 46 faiths peacefully co-exist in the country.

Kazakh, spoken by over 52% of the population, is the state language. Russian, spoken by almost everyone, enjoys equal status under the Constitution and is a means of inter-ethnic communication in Kazakhstan. Twenty-three languages of Kazakhstan’s ethnic groups are taught at schools. Magazines and newspapers are published; TV and radio programmes are broadcast in 11 national languages.

 

Economic Progress:

GDP: 105.5 bln. USD

GDP per capita: 6730 USD

Real GDP Growth Rate: 6.6%

Foreign Direct Investments: over 90 bln. USD

Major Exports: oil, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery, chemicals, grain, wool, meat, coal

Major Imports: machinery and parts, industrial materials, oil and gas, vehicles.

Over the years of independence, Kazakhstan has implemented a series of broad-based reforms that have transformed it from a planned to a market economy. The result is a liberal economy with advanced market-based infrastructure, a stable national currency, the Tenge, and one of the most progressive financial and economic systems among the post-Soviet countries.

Kazakhstan undertook a process of de-monopolization, privatization, debt restructuring, price liberalization, customs reform and tax restructuring. It established a securities and exchange commission, liberalized trade, enacted laws on investment, set up a new government procurement process and reformed the banking and pension systems.

The banking sector has flourished. The financial system has been a leader in innovation, including the emergence of successful private pension funds, the establishment of the National Oil Fund to preserve oil wealth for future generations and a budding mortgage-lending market.

Kazakhstan has a favorable investment climate. The country's economy has received more than 90 bln. USD of FDI - the highest per capita indicator in the former Eastern Bloc. First among CIS countries, Kazakhstan was granted "market economy status" by the EU in 2001 and by the USA in 2002.

Kazakhstan is important to world energy markets because of its significant oil and natural gas reserves. With sufficient export options, Kazakhstan can become one of the world's largest oil producers and exporters in the near future. The country also has the world's largest reserves of barite, lead, tungsten and uranium; the second largest reserves of chromites, silver and zinc; the third largest deposits of manganese; significant deposits of copper, gold and iron ore.

The country is experiencing dynamic growth in domestic production and development of up-to-date information technologies. The Kazakhstan Government's top priority is to further development and encourage more foreign direct investments into industry, agriculture, innovation and processing sectors. Kazakhstan's strategic aspiration is to become a modern, diversified economy with a high value-added and high-tech component, well integrated into the global economy.

 

Political stability, important geopolitical location, steady economic growth and predictable foreign policy make Kazakhstan a strategically important and desirable partner on the Eurasian continent.

 

Kazakhstan has established diplomatic relations with more than 120 countries and is a member of 64 international political and economic organizations; about 70 foreign diplomatic missions and offices of international organizations are accredited in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan was among the first countries in the world to unilaterally dismantle its nuclear arsenal (the fourth largest in the world) and close the second largest nuclear test site at Semipalatinsk - an unwanted legacy from the USSR. Today, Kazakhstan continues to set a model for the global community in its leadership on unilateral disarmament and non-proliferation.

Kazakhstan has constantly been making efforts to promote regional economic integration. Astana has taken practical measures through its cooperation within the CIS, the Eurasian Economic Association, the Central Asian Economic Association, as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Kazakhstan plays an important role in securing stability in the volatile region of Central Asia and beyond. It was Kazakhstan that initiated the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), which unites 17 Asian nations, including Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Russia and others, with the primary goal of establishing a comprehensive security system in Asia, a system that has never existed in the past. In June 2002, at the peak of Indo-Pakistani and Israel-Palestine tensions, the leaders of these countries met in Almaty for the first ever summit of CICA members.

Kazakhstan condemned the terrorist attacks against the U.S. on September 11 and has been a staunch supporter of the U.S.-led international coalition against global terrorism. The Republic provides free overflight rights and a major international airport for U.S. and coalition aircraft.

Kazakhstan strongly favours a comprehensive and continued international effort to bring lasting peace and economic and humanitarian rehabilitation to Afghanistan. It has joined the International Anti-terrorist Coalition and fully supported its operations in Afghanistan.

Kazakhstan believes that the UN should play an active and effective role in the political process and economic rehabilitation in Iraq in close cooperation with the Governing Council and Coalition Provisional Authority. Kazakhstan fully cooperates with the international community in this respect and has sent a fully equipped unit of 30 military engineers as part of the International Stabilization forces in Iraq.

 

Kazakhstan has a rich past. Its geographical and geopolitical position has played a vital role in promoting the country’s development. Located in the centre of Eurasia, Kazakhstan has long found itself at the crossroads of the world’s most ancient civilizations and trade routes. It has been a land of social, economic and cultural exchange between East and West, North and South, and between the major players in Eurasia. At different stages of its history, various states emerged and developed in the land which became today’s Kazakhstan. All contributed to Kazakh culture.

 

A thousand years before the Christian era, the nomadic Scythian- Saka civilization prospered on the Central Asian steppes. Many of their cultural monuments have survived to the present day. The most impressive are tools and objects of everyday life made in gold and bronze in the “wild animals style”, extracted from burial mounds in different regions of Kazakhstan. The royal tomb of the “Golden Warrior Prince” of the Saka civilization, found in the ancient town of Issyk close to Almaty, is famous for its integrity, beauty, elegance and craftsmanship. The motifs of this cultural treasure have become the basis of the modern Monument of Independence erected in Almaty in the 1990s.

 

In later centuries, the steppes were home to a powerful state formed by the Huns. Their empire greatly influenced the geopolitical map of that time. The Great Roman Empire in Europe eventually fell from the blows of Attila the Hun’s daring warriors.

 

Later, the Huns were replaced on the steppes by Turkic tribes. They founded several large states known as “kaganats” stretching from the Yellow Sea in the East to the Black Sea in the West.

These states were distinguished by a culture that was progressive for that time. They were based not only on a nomadic economy but also on an oasis urban culture with rich trade and handicraft traditions. During this time, cities and caravanserais were founded in the oases of Central Asia, the territory of South Kazakhstan and Central Asia. They stood along the famous trade route known as the Great Silk Road which connected Europe and China. Other trade routes were also important including the route along the Syr Dariya River to the Aral Sea and the South Urals as well the so called “Sable Road” from the South Western regions of Siberia through Central Kazakhstan and the Altai region. It was through trade on the “Sable Road” that the Middle East and Europe were supplied with expensive furs. Major cities and trade centres founded on these routes included Otrar (Farab), Taraz, Kulan, Yassy (Turkestan), Sauran and Balasagun.

 

The Great Silk Road not only stimulated the development of trade, it also became a conduit for progressive scientific and cultural ideas. For example, the great philosopher Al-Farabi (870-950) was greatly influenced by the culture of the trade routes. Born in the Farab district, Al-Farabi was dubbed in the East “the Second Teacher” after Aristotle for his profound researches in philosophy, astronomy, musical theory and mathematics. The outstanding scholar of Turkic philology, Mahmud Kashgari, lived here in the 11th century. He created the three-volume “Dictionary of Turkic Dialects” which summed up the Turkic folklore and literature heritages.

 

In the 11th Century, Yusup Balasaguni of the town of Balasagun, a famous poet and philosopher, wrote “Kutaglu Bilig” (“A Knowledge that Brings Happiness”) which is recognized as having played an important role in the development of modern social, political and ethical conceptions. The Sufi poet, Hodja Ahmet Yassaui, who lived in the 12th century, wrote a collection of poetic

Thoughts, “Divan-i-Khikmet” (“Book of Wisdom”). He is famous throughout the Muslim world.

 

Part of the cultural legacy of that period is the elegant urban architecture. Examples such as the mausoleums of Arystan Baba, of the great Sufi Hodja Akhmet Yassaui in Turkestan and Aisha Bibi in Taraz are among the best preserved. Apart from this, the most ancient nomads of the region invented the “yurt”, a dome-shaped easily dismantled and portable house made from wood and felt, ideal for their nomadic life and beliefs.

 

In 1221, the Mongolian tribes of Genghis Khan conquered Central Asia and added their culture and values to the increasingly complex society of the region.

 

By the second half of the 15th Century a process of consolidation had begun among the peoples of the Central Asian steppe. This process, derived from the various ethnic and cultural identities, was drawn together by a common world view and lifestyle. The first Kazakh khanates emerged at this time. By the first half of the 16th Century, the formation of a single Kazakh nation was completed. The word “Kazakh” in the old Turkic language meant “free” or “independent” which perfectly fits the character of the people who had long been yearning for their own independent state.

 

In the 17th and 18th Centuries the nomadic Jungar tribes directed by the Chinese Bogdykhans started a large scale war against the Kazakh khanate.

 

However, thanks to the courage of the “batyrs” (knights), the decisiveness of the Kazakh leader Ablai Khan, the diplomatic skills of the Kazakh ‘biys’ (sages) Tole Bi, Kazdausty Kazybek Bi, Aiteke Bi, and the self-sacrifice of the people, the Kazakhs escaped total subjugation and physical annihilation. The Kazakh khans were forced to seek the military protection of the Russian Empire, which eventually led to Kazakhstan’s loss of sovereignty in 1871.

 

For a time, the fate of Kazakhstan was tied to the European model of social development and the fate of the Russian State and its peoples.

 

After the 1917 revolution Soviet power was established in Kazakhstan. Kazakhs suffered greatly under Soviet control. Due to the forced collectivization in the 1930s, hunger caused the death of 1.5 million Kazakhs, which was more than 40 percent of the nation. Hundreds of thousands of Kazakhs fled to China and elsewhere. The brightest and the best of the nation were repressed and often shot dead. The regime’s last gasp was the brutal repression of the Kazakh people on December 16, 1986 as they took to the streets seeking justice. Many consider this the beginning of the end for the once mighty Soviet Union.

 

Kazakhstan proclaimed its independence on December 16, 1991, and Nursultan Nazarbayev was elected the first President of the country.