Manash (Subhaditya Edusoft): Kazakhstan: Birth Place of Apples : Country of Natural Beauty and Minerals.

Kazakhstan:

Sandwiched at the crossroads of Asia and Europe, Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country on the planet, and (at one time) was the second largest republic in the former Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.)

130 ethnic groups:

130 ethnic groups: Kazakh, Uzbek, Russian, Ukrainian, Donggan, German, Greek, Korean, Belarusian and Chechenian, to name just a few. They are now all making a joint effort to build their common homeland

As a part of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics, it developed into a regional nuclear power, and hundreds of said weapons were detonated (tested) within its borders in the mid-to-late 1900s.

After the collapse of the U,S.S.R., it gained independence in 1991, and subsequently negotiated with the U.S (a significant financial settlement) for the total disarmament of its nuclear arsenal.

Almost surrounded by China and the Russian Federation, its abundance of natural resources (especially oil and gas) have put this relatively new country on the front burner of international investors and multilateral corporations.

The Baikonur Cosmodrome the world's oldest and largest working space launch facility, (under Russian control) is located about 200 km to the east of the Aral Sea, on the north bank of the Syr Darya River.

Syr Darya River

Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers

Although a part of the Space Age, many significant internal problems must be solved in Kazakhstan if it is to make any serious economic progress; important ones include a decaying infrastructure (especially in the rural areas), an isolated geographical position with no direct access to an ocean, wavering relationships with China and Russia, and its easy-to-understand political resistance to change.

Kazakhstan's government is stable, and it seems only a matter of time before this massive land emerges aggressively onto the world's stage.

Facts and Figures

Population 15,185,000

Currency Tenge (KZT)

Religions Muslim (47%), Russian Orthodox 44%)

Relative Location Kazakhstan is in both the northern and eastern hemisphere Positioned in western Asia, the country is bordered by the Russian Federation, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

Land Statistics

Land Areas

(land) 1,030,815 sq miles (2,669,800 sq km)

(water) 18,340 sq miles (47,500 sq km)

(TOTAL) 1,049,155 sq miles (2,717,300 sq km)

Highest Point Kan Tangiri Shyngy - 22,949 ft. (6,995 m)

Highest Point Kan Tangiri Shyngy - 22,949 ft. (6,995 m)

Land Divisions 14 provinces and 3 cities; provinces include: Almaty Oblysy, Aqmola Oblysy (Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Mangghystau Oblysy (Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy, Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Petropavlovsk) and Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz). Cities include: Almaty Qalasy, Bayqongyr Qalasy and Astana Qalasy

Kazakhstan: 20 Cool Facts and Random Observations:

1. Kazahstan is the 9th largest country by size in the world. It’s a huge place with a very small population of only 16 million people.

2. It’s the largest landlocked country in the world, with Russian to its North, China to the West, Uzbekistan down South and the Caspian Sea on its Western Border.

The capital of Kazakhstan is Astana

3. The capital of Kazakhstan is Astana, in the central Northern region of the country. It’s a relatively new city with a fancy, over-the-top skyline!

4. Kazakhstan was part of the former USSR and has been independent since 1991. It is an authoritarian regime with the same man at the helm since that time. Opposition parties are squashed and freedom of the press is a foreign concept.

5. The country is a melting pot, in part because Stalin deported many different ethnicities here during his rule. There are more than 131 different ethnic groups living in Kazakhstan. Kazakhs are about 65% of the population, up from 40% in 1991.

Kazakhs Language Percentage in Kazakhstan

Jesus Friend of Children in Kazakh language

6. Russians have declined in numbers drastically since independence. Those that we spoke with said they feel less welcome and that it’s harder to get a job now (Kazakh language is a requirement for all government jobs and many others as well; it’s generally not spoken by Russians).

7. The Soviet Union suffered greatly in WWII, with losses nearing 30 millions (soldiers and civilians), the most of any country. There are monuments everywhere in memory of the lost ones.

Baikonur Cosmodome

8. Kazakhstan is home to the Baikonur Cosmodome, the world’s first and largest space launch facility. It is leased by the Russians until 2050.

The primary city is not Astana but Almaty

The Shabyt Palace of Art is the most remarkable part of the Kazakh National University of Arts

The presidential palace was designed to resemble the White House in Washington D.C.

The 100-meter-tall tower has been compared to a giant lollipop and is meant to evoke the local legend of the Tree of Life

9. The primary city is not Astana but Almaty, in the SE. It’s a scenic city of 1.5 million people with snow-capped mountains on the horizon, beautiful buildings and modern conveniences.

Almaty has a brand-new Metro System that opened in 2011

10. Almaty has a brand-new Metro System that opened in 2011. There are currently seven stations and they are all individually decorated and designed. Very fancy for a subway! It was about 50 cents per ride for adults (all destinations are the same price).

11. The women of Kazakhstan are often dress very stylishly and in high heels.

12. Virtually nothing is written in English and very few people speak the language. If you don’t speak Russian, at least come with a phrasebook to help you get around.

13. Often times pipes for water and gas are above ground! This makes it easier to repair them if needed.

Apples are reputedly to originate from Kazakhstan

Babushkas selling apples at the train station

14. Apples are reputedly to originate from Kazakhstan and there are still wild apple forests in the country. Almaty, whose old name 'Alma-Ata’ means 'father of apples’ in Kazakh, has claimed the honour of being birthplace of the apple for more than a hundred years.

15. Corruption is an unfortunate way of life here and all the drivers who helped us out complained about the police. By the way it’s better to pay them off than get ticketed.

16. About 0.5% of the population are of Korean descent. Many women of all ethnicities set up market stands selling Korean salads and pickled vegetables. We loved making a lunch from these delicious offerings and the spicy carrots were amazing!

17. Most of the country is extremely flat and barren. This is the famous “steppe” (semi-arid and generally without trees, this area is extremely hot in summer and very cold in winter).

Sports In Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan consistently performs in Olympic competitions. It is especially successful in boxing. This has brought some attention to the Central Asian nation, and increased world awareness of its athletes. Kazakhstan's city of Almaty submitted twice bid for the Winter Olympics: In 2014 and again for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Astana and Almaty hosted 2011 Asian Winter Games

Boxer of Kazakhstan

WeightLifter of Kazakhstan

FootBall Team

Forest and Wildlife of Kazakhstan

The steppes of Eastern Kazakhstan in Altyn Emeil National Park

The Kazakh Steppe or Kirghiz Steppe ecoregion, of the Palearctic Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Biome, is a vast region of open grassland in northern Kazakhstan and adjacent portions of Russia, extending to the east of the Pontic steppe and to the west of the Emin Valley steppe, with which it forms part of the Eurasian steppe.

The saiga's distinctive face

Siberian roe deer

Russian tortoise

Mongolian gerbil

Animals that can be found in the steppes of Kazakhstan include the Saiga Antelope, Siberian Roe Deer, wolves, foxes, badgers, Mongolian gerbils and steppe tortoises.

Kazakhstan food and national meals

kazakhstan-people-national-food-kumis

First of all the guest of Kazakhstan family regaled with kumiss (the drink based on mare milk), shubat or airan, next meal was tea with milk or cream, baursaks, raisins, irimshik, kurt. Then the guest was tasting horse-flesh or mutton snacks - kazi, shuzhuk, zhal, zhaya, sur-et, karta, kabirga. Wheat flour cookies were very common too

kazakhstan-people-national-food-kazi-karta-shuzhuk

kazakhstan-people-national-food-kuirdak

kazakhstan-people-national-food-palau

kazakhstan-people-national-food-besbarmak-meat

18. The country is nominally Muslim, but there are few outward signs of this. Mosques are not frequently seen or heard. The many years of Soviet rule, when religion was downplayed, have diluted its importance in the country as a whole.

Hazrat Sultan” – the largest mosque in Kazakhstan

19. The tourist industry is very much in its infancy in Kazakhstan. There are few to no knick-knacks to buy, no Kazakhstan t-shirts and, sadly, not a postcard to be seen! We had a very authentic, unusual experience!

Cinemas in Kazakhstan range from draughty Soviet survivals to modern multiplex complexes. The market of cinemas is mainly divided between the KinoPark Multiplex Cinemas, StarCinema, Arman and smaller players. Kazakhstan's new cinemas are usually located in shopping malls and entertainment centers. Ticket prices are lower than those in Western Europe and North America. In 2012, IMAX Corp.

opened those two cinemas in Kazakhstan, as the result of the deal signed with KinoPark Multiplex Cinemas in 2010.Films originally made in English are almost invariably dubbed, not subtitled, but there is a little shown in English

Industry in Kazakhstan:

Wheat Industry

Kazakhstan ranks second only to Russia among the countries of the CIS in its quantity of mineral production.

Natural Minerals

It is endowed with large reserves of a wide range of metallic ores, industrial minerals, and fuels, and its metallurgical sector is a major producer of a large number of metals from domestic and imported raw materials. In 2005, its metal mining sector produced bauxite, chromite, copper, iron, lead, manganese, and zinc ores, and its metallurgical sector produced such metals as beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, copper, ferroalloys, lead, magnesium, rhenium, steel, titanium, and zinc. The country produced significant amounts of other nonferrous and industrial mineral products, such as alumina, arsenic, barite, gold, molybdenum, phosphate rock, and tungsten. The country was a large producer of mineral fuels, including coal, natural gas, oil, and uranium.

Oil and Natural Gas Industry of Kazakhstan

Mines of Kazakhstan

The country’s economy is heavily dependent on the production of minerals. Output from Kazakhstan’s mineral and natural resources sector for 2004 accounted for 74.1% of the value of industrial production, of which 43.1% came from the oil and gas condensate extraction. In 2004, the mineral extraction sector accounted for 32% of the GDP, employed 191,000 employees, and accounted for 33.1% of capital investment and 64.5% of direct foreign investment, of which 63.5% was in the oil sector Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan has been perceived globally as a supplier of mineral commodities, which include oil, nonferrous metals, and uranium. Kazakhstan has been developing a rich mineral resource endowment. Intensive raw materials production and exports have helped the economy to overcome economic crises and ensured high rates of economic growth during the past 3 years. Kazakhstan is mineral and resource-rich (oil, gas, commodities) and has a huge amount of potential.

The politics of Kazakhstan takes place in the framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Kazakhstan is head of state and nominates the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament.