Independence Year : 1991
Population : 16223000
Life Expectancy : 63.2
Capital : 1864
GNP : 24375.00
GNP Old : 23383.00
Local Name : Qazaqstan
Government Form : Republic
Location : Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea in west.
Terrain : Extends east to west from the Caspian Sea to the Altay Mountains and north to south from the plains of Western Siberia to the oasis and desert of Central Asia.
Climate : Continental, cold winters and hot summers; arid and semi-arid
Ethnic Group : Kazakh 51.8%, Russian 31.4%, Ukrainian 4.4%, Tatar 1.7%, German 1.6%. There are over 100 other nationalities
Religions : Sunni Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
Official Website :
www.government.kz
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General Information - Kazakstan
Background
Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation.
The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936.
During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence has caused many of these newcomers to emigrate.
Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; and continuing to strengthen relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers.
(Source: CIA - The World Factbook)
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