Kazakhstan - Country Information
Kazakhstan info
Uralsk Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country mostly located in Central Asia, with a relatively small portion in Eastern Europe. Kazakhstan is one of the six independent Turkic states and a member of the Turkic Council. The capital was moved in 1997 from Almaty (formerly Alma-Ata), Kazakhstan's largest city, to Astana. Kazakhstan has the 62nd largest population in the world - 16.2 million, with 131 ethnicities, including Kazakh, Russian, Uyghur, Ukrainian, Uzbek, and Tatar. Around 63% percent are Kazakhs. Kazakhstan allows freedom of religion, and many different beliefs are represented in the country. Islam is the religion of about one half of the population, and Christianity the faith of most of the remainder. The Kazakh language is the state language, while Russian is also officially used as an "equal" language (to Kazakh) in Kazakhstan's public institutions.
Kazakh nation took its routs from nomadic Turkic people grouped together in settlements and migrated seasonally to find pastures for their herds of sheep, horses, and goats. The tribes rarely united as a single nation under one great leader. In the 13th century the tribes fell under Mongol rule and were dominated by Tartar khanates until the area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century. The Kirgiz Autonomous Republic (later changed to the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic) was formed in 1920. Along with the other central Asian republics, Kazakhstan obtained its independence from the collapsing Soviet Union in 1991.
Modern Kazakhstan is officially a presidential republic but displays strong authoritarian characteristics. In 2007, Kazakhstan's parliament passed a law granting President Nursultan Nazarbayev lifetime powers and privileges, immunity from criminal prosecution, and influence over domestic and foreign policy. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Ministers and serves as Kazakhstan's head of government. Kazakhstan is also a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Independent States. It is an active participant in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Partnership for Peace program.
Kazakhstan has significant oil and natural gas reserves. Its major exports include the following products: oil, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery, chemicals, grain, wool, meat, coal. Kazakhstan continental climate and vast steppes favor to both livestock and grain production. Wheat, cotton, sugar beets, and tobacco are the main crops. The raising of cattle and sheep is also important, and Kazakhstan produces much wool and meat. The Baikonur Cosmodrome in central Kazakhstan was the Soviet space-operations center and is currently leased by Russia.
The Kazakhs have a highly developed culture based on their nomadic pastoral economy. Many rich and interesting traditions and customs of the Kazakh people have been forgotten throughout the past century and are now being reestablished in Kazakhstan. Some significant features of Kazakhs culture and traditions are Kazakhs traditional home - yurt, handicrafts and textiles, Kazakh music and musical instruments, national games and national cuisine.
Kazakhs yurt is a movable house usually beautifully decorated with hand-made felt and ornaments, wall carpets and multi-colored embroideries.
In the national cuisine, livestock meat can be cooked in a variety of ways and is usually served with a wide assortment of traditional bread products. Refreshments often include black tea and traditional milk-derived drinks such as ayran, shubat and kymyz. A traditional Kazakh dinner involves a multitude of appetisers on the table, followed by a soup and one or two main courses such as pilaf and beshbarmak. They also drink their national beverage, which consists of fermented mare's milk.
Kazakhs have historically been very passionate about horse-riding and have outstanding riding skills. National games are usually performed on horseback and include Kazaksha kures (Kazakh wrestling), baiga horse racing over 25, 50 or 100 km), kokpar (a sort of polo game played with a dead goat), kyz-kuu (catch the girl) and alty bakan (six-pole swing).
The Kazakhs love the art of wordplay and their akyns (poets), who improvise at public competitions (aitys) accompanied by Kazakh stringed musical instruments: the dombra or the kobyz.
Top Kazakhstan sights include Zenkov Cathedral (Svyato-Voznesensky Cathedral), built in 1904 entirely of wood, and without nails; Medeu & Shymbulaq resorts, popular skiing and ice-skating centers; Akimat House in Almaty; Tamgaly, a petroglyph site in the Semirechye that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
More about Kazakhstan at Wikipedia
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