Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country in the world by area, but its deserts make it only the 57th country in population. Kazakhstan's population is 14,841,900 (2001).

Қазақстан Республикасы
Qazaqstan Respūblīkasy
Республика Казахстан
Respublika Kazakhstan

Official languages	Kazakh, Russian
Official script	Cyrillic
Capital	Astana
Largest City	Almaty
President	Nursultan Nazarbayev
Prime minister	Daniyal Akhmetov
Area  - Total  -	Ranked 9th 2,717,300 km²
Population  - Total (2001)   Density	Ranked 57th 14,841,900 5.5/km²
Independence - Declared -	From the Soviet Union, December 16, 1991
Currency	Tenge
Time zone	UTC +4 to +6
National anthem	Anthem of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Internet TLD	.KZ
Calling Code	7

Table of contents

1 History 2 Politics 3 Oblystar 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 Miscellaneous topics 8.1 Environmental issues 8.2 Cosmodrome 8.3 Trivia 9 External links

History

Kazakhstan, once colonised by Czarist Russia, was absorbed into the Soviet Union following the Russian Revolution of 1917, led at that time by V.I. Lenin. During Stalin time Kazakhstan is known for its Steplag correctional facility and for hosting deported Chechens. Later Kazakhstan became a place for several ambitious successful Soviet projects: Semipalatinsk nuclear laboratories and testing site, Baikonur space facility, and fallowing of virgin lands.

Kazakhstan proclaimed its independence in the early 1990s, immediately following the breakdown of the U.S.S.R. The current President of Kazakhstan is Nursultan Nazarbayev.

In 1997 the capital of Kazakhstan moved from the southern city of Almaty to Akmolinsk (Akmola), later renamed to Astana, a city closer to the geographic center of the country.

Politics

Although Kazakhstan is considered to have made greater progress in the field of democratic reforms, compared to the other Central Asian countries, the situation is far from perfect and international and non-governmental human rights organizations often point to frequent violations of human rights by state officials. The most famous recent case is the trial of opposition journalist Sergei Duvanov.

Kazakhstan is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Oblystar

Kazakhstan is divided into 14 oblystar (singular - oblysy) and 3 cities (qala, singular - qalasy)*:

Almaty, Almaty*, Aqmola (Astana), Aqtobe, Astana*, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan (Oral), Bayqongyr*, Mangghystau (Aqtau; formerly Shevchenko), Ongtustik Qazaqstan (Shymkent), Pavlodar, Qaraghandy, Qostanay, Qyzylorda, Shyghys Qazaqstan (Oskemen; formerly Ust'-Kamenogorsk), Soltustik Qazaqstan (Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl (Taraz; formerly Dzhambul)

note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses); in 1995 the Governments of Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the Bayqongyr (Baykonur) space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (formerly Leninsk).

Geography

Main article:

• Cities of Kazakhstan
• Rivers and lakes include:
  • Irtysh River
  • Ishim River
  • Lake Balkhash
  • Lake Zaysan

Demographics

• Kazakh
• Kazakh origin

• Abai Kunanbaev
• Music of Kazakhstan

• Communications in Kazakhstan
• Transportation in Kazakhstan
• Military of Kazakhstan
• Foreign relations of Kazakhstan
• Communism
• List of Kazakh historical figures
• Kypchakia

In part because of the country's enormous deserts, the Soviet government used Kazakhstan as its nuclear testing site, and this, along with near-absent pollution controls, has contributed to an alarmingly high rate of disease in many rural areas. Kazakhstan has identified two major ecological disasters within its borders-- the shrinking of the Aral Sea and radioactive contamination at the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing facility. The Central Asian Regional Environmental Center is located in Kazakhstan, which fosters regional cooperation on environmental issues.

Cosmodrome

Kazakhstan possesses the Soviet equivalent to the United States' Cape Canaveral, where they have launched their version of the space shuttle and the well-known space station Mir. Russia currently leases approximately 6,000 km² of territory enclosing the Baikonur Cosmodrome space launch site in south central Kazakhstan.

Trivia

Kazakhstan appears in the movies Air Force One (with Harrison Ford), The World is Not Enough (James Bond), and Rollerball (with Jean Reno).

External links

• http://www.president.kz
• http://www.kz
• http://www.centralasiannews.com
• http://www.centralasiatravel.com

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