About Kazakhstan

Emblem and Flag of Kazakhstan. Republic of Kazakhstan. Information on Kazakhstan. Kazakh language. Population of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan is a wealth of frosty mountain peaks, sparkling glaciers, softly rustling evergreen forests, huge rocky canyons bridged by colorful rainbows, emerald mountain lakes, wild rivers, poetic sunrises, and unique plant and animal life.

Kazakhstan is the birthplace of ancient Eurasian civilizations, the motherland of nomadic peoples, and an important part of the Great Silk Road (1,400km).

Kazakhstan is the motherland of the great philosopher and founder of sufism, Khodja Akhmed Yassawi, whose mausoleum and mosque survive in the ancient town of Turkestan. There are twenty-seven thousand ancient monuments throughout the nation: The Saks Burial Mounds (6th-3rd centuries B.C.), Golden Man of Issyk, and countless others.

The National Flag of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a piece of right-angled cloth of a sky-blue color with a picture of a golden sun with 32 rays in the center, sitting above a soaring steppe eagle. The flagstaff has a vertical line of national ornamentation. The picture of the sun, its rays, eagle and ornament are gold in color. The width/length ratio of the flag is 1:2.

The coat of arms of the Republic of Kazakhstan was adopted on June 4, 1992. The authors of the emblem are Zhandarbek Melibekov and Shota Ualikhanov. About 245 projects and 67 description designs of the future arms took part in the final competition.

The National Emblem of the Republic of Kazakhstan is an image of shanyrak, the upper dome-like portion of a yurt, against a sky blue background which irradiates (in the form of sun rays) uyks (supports) set off by wings of mythical horses. The circle shape of the Emblem is a symbol of life and eternity. The shanyrak symbolizes the well-being of family, peace and calm.

A design very similar to the Kazakh shangyraq is used in the flag of neighboring Kyrgyzstan; it is known as "tunduk" in Kyrgyz.

The colour version of the National Emblem of the Republic of Kazakhstan consists of two colours: gold and sky blue. The golden color corresponds to the light, clear future of the Kazakhstani people, and the blue sky colour is a symbol of the aspiration to peace, goodwill, friendship and unity with all peoples.

The name of the country in Kazakh, KA3AKCTAH, is in the lower part of the coat of arms.

Population: 15, 902, 000 (2009)

Capital: Astana

Major languages: Kazakh, Russian

Religions: Islam, Christianity

Monetary unit: Kazakhstan tenge

Internet Domain: .kz

The Republic of Kazakhstan is a presidential democracy; a secular, stable and social state whose highest values are its people and their lives, rights and freedoms.

The Republic of Kazakhstan lies directly between Europe and Asia, between 45° and 87° of East longitude, 40° and 55° of North latitude.

It stretches from the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea and the Volga plains to the mountainous Altai and from the foothills of the Tien Shan in the south and southeast to the West Siberian lowlands in the north. The size of the territory places Kazakhstan ninth in the world, after Russia, Canada, China, USA, Brazil, Australia, India and Argentina.

In the east, north and northwest, Kazakhstan borders with Russia (6,477km). In the south it borders with the states of Central Asia: Uzbekistan (2,300km), Kyrgyzstan (980km) and Turkmenistan (380km). In the southeast it borders with China (1,460km). The total extent of Kazakhstan's borders is nearly 12,200km, including 600 kilometers along the Caspian Sea in the west.

Kazakhstan lies in the center of the European and Asian continents, and is approximately equal distance from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. More than a quarter of the land consists of a portion of the gentle steppes that stretch from central Europe to Siberia. The rest of the republic reflects the beauty of forests, mountains, rivers, lakes and reservoirs. The natural landscape is enhanced by thousands of plant and animal varieties found from the northern forest steppes to the high southern mountains.

Kazakhstan has an extreme continental climate. It is characterized by irregular distribution of precipitation in its various regions. In certain years, spring arrives from south to north over a period of 1.5 - 2 months. When it is spring sowing time in the south, the northern area is still covered with snow and blizzards blow through frequently.

The land of Kazakhstan is rich in soils. The greater part of the forest-steppe zone is chernozem, which turns to dark-chestnut, light-chestnut and brown soils in the south. There are gray-soil lands in the deserts and semi-deserts, replaced by mountain soils in mountain zones. Crossing the territory of Kazakhstan from north to south you will encounter many different climatic zones, each with its own flora and fauna.

Kazakhstan is also rich in natural resources. In short, 99 of the 110 elements of the Mendeleev Periodic Table are found in the depths of Kazakhstan. For the present time, 60 elements are being extracted and utilized: chromium ore, tungsten borides, phosphorites, molybdenum, bauxites, asbestos, manganese, coal, oil, gas, titanium, magnesium, tin, uranium, gold and other non-ferrous metals and minerals.

Topography Kazakhstan is known for an extremely diverse topography: from high snowy mountains to steppes, semi-deserts and deserts. The lowest spot is the Karagie lowland (-132m) and the highest point is Khan-Tengri Peak (7,010m).

Flora and Fauna: Thousand rare species of plants and animals, including the turanga and black ash trees, brown bear, pink flamingo, snow leopard, and steppe antelope (Saigak). Many of these animals and plants are native to Kazakhstan. Thus far, 155 mammals, 480 bird species, some 150 different fish and more than 250 medicinal plants have been counted.

In 1991, Kazakhstan became independent. According to the Constution, the president is the Head of State and the Chief Executive. The highest legislative body is a two house Parliament.

Since April, 1990 the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan has been

The official language of Kazakhstan is Kazakh, a Turkic language. State organizations and local governmental bodies also use Russian. The government encourages citizens to study and speak several languages. Everybody has the right to use their native language and the right to choose their language for communication, study and work. This contributes to people of various ethnic origin and religions living and working peacefully in the country.

Diversity of religions; most prevalent are Islam and Christianity.

Religions in Kazakhstan

Facts about Kazakhstan By tradition, Kazakhs are Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi school. The Kazakhs adopted Islam gradually, with complete conversion only in the early 19 century.

The Slavic peoples of Kazakhstan are traditionally Orthodox Christians, and the Russian Orthodox Church is the largest Christian denomination in the republic.

There are few countries in the world today with such a variety of ethnic and religious groups as Kazakhstan.

The number of religious associations has increased by approximately 3 times in just the last ten years.

There are currently 2,299 religious organizations in the country, representing 46 denominations.

The Republic's various Islamic organizations (mosques, schools, colleges, newspapers, foundations and centers) number more than one thousand.

In Kazakhstan there are also more than 200 Orthodox organizations (churches, monasteries, seminaries, etc.) and a total of approximately one thousand Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and other religious associations.

Religious traditions are undergoing an active renaissance in Kazakhstan. New mosques, cathedrals, prayer houses and synagogues are under construction.

In addition to traditional faiths, there are many branches of various religions of the world.

Almost 60 percent of Kazakhstan is urbanized, the highest level of urbanization among the republics in Central Asia. Almaty, the southern capital, is the largest city with more than 1.5 million residents. It is followed in size by Astana (500,000), Karagandy (436,000), Shymkent (360,000), Taraz (330,000), Oskemen (311,000) and Pavlodar (300,000).

Since 1997 Astana.

Almaty was the capital until 1996. These days, Almaty is a major tourist, social, cultural, economic and financial center.

6 hours ahead of GMT (Almaty, Astana). Time difference with New Delhi is half an hour behind.

January 1,2 - New Year

March 8 - International Womens' Day

March 22 - Nauryz Meyramy

May 1 - Kazakhstan National Unity Day

May 9 - Victory Day

June 10 - Day of the Capital

August 30 - Constitution Day

December 16 - Independence Day