When To Go
As summers are ferociously hot and winters bitterly cold, spring (April to June) and autumn (September to October) are the best seasons to visit Kazakhstan. In April, the desert blooms briefly and the monotonous ochre landscapes explode in reds, oranges and yellows. Autumn is harvest time, when market tables heave with freshly picked fruit. If you do decide to battle the winter, be aware that many domestic flights are grounded and finding food can be a problem since lots of eateries close for the season.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Semey , Kazakhstan
Semey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Semey
Семей
Seal
Location in Kazakhstan
Coordinates: 50°26′0″N 80°16′0″E / 50.43333, 80.26667
Country The Republic of Kazakhstan
Province East Kazakhstan Province
Founded 1718
Incorporated (city) 1782
Government
- Mayor Meiramkhat Ainabekov
Area
- City 210 km² (81.1 sq mi)
Population (2006)
- City 298,100
Time zone BTT (UTC+6)
Postal code 071400
Area code(s) +7 7222
New bridge in Semey [1]
NASA satellite photo of SemeySemey (Kazakh: Семей; also transliterated as Semij or Semei, and known by its former name of Semipalatinsk (Семипалатинск)) is a city in Kazakhstan, in the northeastern province of East Kazakhstan, near the border with Siberia, around 1,000 km north of Almaty, and 700 km southeast of the Russian city of Omsk, along the Irtysh River.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Famous residents
3 Population
4 References
5 External links
[edit] History
The first settlement was in 1718 when the Russians built a fort beside the river Irtysh, near a ruined Buddhist monastery. The monastery's seven buildings lent the fort (and later the city) the name Semipalatinsk (Russian meaning Seven Chambered City). The fort suffered frequently from flooding caused by the snowmelt swelling the Irtysh, and in 1778 the fort was relocated 18 km upstream to less flood-prone ground. The small city grew around the fort, largely servicing the river trade between the nomadic peoples of Central Asia and the growing Russian Empire. The construction of the Turkestan-Siberia Railway added to the city's importance, making it a major point of transit between Central Asia and Siberia.
In 1949 a site on the steppe 150 km (100 miles) west of the city was chosen by the Soviet atomic bomb programme to be the location for its weapons testing. For decades, Kurchatov -- the secret city at the heart of the test range named for Igor Kurchatov, father of the soviet atomic bomb -- was home to many of the brightest stars of Soviet weapons science. The Soviet Union operated the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS) from the first explosion in 1949 until 1989; 456 nuclear tests, including 340 underground and 116 atmospheric tests, were conducted there.
Semey has suffered serious environmental and health effects from the time of its atomic prosperity: nuclear fallout from the atmospheric tests and uncontrolled exposure of the workers, most of whom lived in the city, have given Semey and neighboring villages high rates of cancer, childhood leukemia, impotence, and birth defects.[2]
Modern Semey is a bustling university town with a population nearing 300,000. Its proximity to the border, and the large expatriate scientific community attached to the university and the STS labs, gives Semey a more Russian character than other Kazakh cities.
The oblast (oblysy) of Semipalatinsk has been merged with the bigger East Kazakhstan Province whose capital city is Oskemen.
[edit] Famous residents
Abay Qunanbayuli, father of modern Kazakh poetry, received his Russian schooling at Semey.
Writer Fyodor Dostoevsky, whose exile included five years military service as a corporal in the Seventh Line Battalion at the Semipalatinsk garrison, beginning in 1854. Residents claim the details of particular descriptive passages in Dostoevsky's subsequent books, including his highly acclaimed The Brothers Karamazov, are recognizable as taken from his time in Semey.
Boxer Wladimir Klitschko, who was born there in 1976.
The city has a museum to commemorate Abay Qunanbayuli, and has both a museum of, and a street named after, Dostoevsky.
[edit] Population
1881 17,820
1897 26,353
1910 34,400
1926 56,100
1939 109,700
1959 149,800
1979 270,400
1989 317,100
1999 269,600
[edit] References
^ The New bridge in Semey on Wikimapia
^ "Inside the nuclear underworld: Deformity and fear", CNN, retrieved 2007-08-31
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Semipalatinsk)• Ten things you may not know about images on Wikipedia •Jump to: navigation, search
Semey
Семей
Seal
Location in Kazakhstan
Coordinates: 50°26′0″N 80°16′0″E / 50.43333, 80.26667
Country The Republic of Kazakhstan
Province East Kazakhstan Province
Founded 1718
Incorporated (city) 1782
Government
- Mayor Meiramkhat Ainabekov
Area
- City 210 km² (81.1 sq mi)
Population (2006)
- City 298,100
Time zone BTT (UTC+6)
Postal code 071400
Area code(s) +7 7222
New bridge in Semey [1]
NASA satellite photo of SemeySemey (Kazakh: Семей; also transliterated as Semij or Semei, and known by its former name of Semipalatinsk (Семипалатинск)) is a city in Kazakhstan, in the northeastern province of East Kazakhstan, near the border with Siberia, around 1,000 km north of Almaty, and 700 km southeast of the Russian city of Omsk, along the Irtysh River.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Famous residents
3 Population
4 References
5 External links
[edit] History
The first settlement was in 1718 when the Russians built a fort beside the river Irtysh, near a ruined Buddhist monastery. The monastery's seven buildings lent the fort (and later the city) the name Semipalatinsk (Russian meaning Seven Chambered City). The fort suffered frequently from flooding caused by the snowmelt swelling the Irtysh, and in 1778 the fort was relocated 18 km upstream to less flood-prone ground. The small city grew around the fort, largely servicing the river trade between the nomadic peoples of Central Asia and the growing Russian Empire. The construction of the Turkestan-Siberia Railway added to the city's importance, making it a major point of transit between Central Asia and Siberia.
In 1949 a site on the steppe 150 km (100 miles) west of the city was chosen by the Soviet atomic bomb programme to be the location for its weapons testing. For decades, Kurchatov -- the secret city at the heart of the test range named for Igor Kurchatov, father of the soviet atomic bomb -- was home to many of the brightest stars of Soviet weapons science. The Soviet Union operated the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS) from the first explosion in 1949 until 1989; 456 nuclear tests, including 340 underground and 116 atmospheric tests, were conducted there.
Semey has suffered serious environmental and health effects from the time of its atomic prosperity: nuclear fallout from the atmospheric tests and uncontrolled exposure of the workers, most of whom lived in the city, have given Semey and neighboring villages high rates of cancer, childhood leukemia, impotence, and birth defects.[2]
Modern Semey is a bustling university town with a population nearing 300,000. Its proximity to the border, and the large expatriate scientific community attached to the university and the STS labs, gives Semey a more Russian character than other Kazakh cities.
The oblast (oblysy) of Semipalatinsk has been merged with the bigger East Kazakhstan Province whose capital city is Oskemen.
[edit] Famous residents
Abay Qunanbayuli, father of modern Kazakh poetry, received his Russian schooling at Semey.
Writer Fyodor Dostoevsky, whose exile included five years military service as a corporal in the Seventh Line Battalion at the Semipalatinsk garrison, beginning in 1854. Residents claim the details of particular descriptive passages in Dostoevsky's subsequent books, including his highly acclaimed The Brothers Karamazov, are recognizable as taken from his time in Semey.
Boxer Wladimir Klitschko, who was born there in 1976.
The city has a museum to commemorate Abay Qunanbayuli, and has both a museum of, and a street named after, Dostoevsky.
[edit] Population
1881 17,820
1897 26,353
1910 34,400
1926 56,100
1939 109,700
1959 149,800
1979 270,400
1989 317,100
1999 269,600
[edit] References
^ The New bridge in Semey on Wikimapia
^ "Inside the nuclear underworld: Deformity and fear", CNN, retrieved 2007-08-31
Karaganda , Kazakhstan
Karaganda
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Have questions? Find out how to ask questions and get answers. •Jump to: navigation, search
Karaganda
Seal
Coordinates: 49°50′0″N 73°10′0″E / 49.83333, 73.16667
Government
- Mayor Islam Togaybayev
Area
- City 209.8 sq mi (543.28 km²)
Population (1 January 2006)
- City 446, 200
Time zone BTT (UTC+6)
Karaganda (Kazakh: Қарағанды Russian: Караганда) is the capital of Karagandy Province in Kazakhstan. It is located at 49°53′N, 73°10′E. It is the fourth most populous city in Kazakhstan, behind Almaty, Astana and Shymkent, with a population of 446,200 (as of 1 January 2006).[1] In the 1940s up to 70% of the city's inhabitants were ethnic Germans. Most of the ethnic Germans are descendants of Soviet Volga Germans who were collectively deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan on Stalin's order when Hitler invaded Poland. Until the 1950s many were interned in labor camps often only due to their heritage. The population of Karagandy fell by 14% from 1989-1999. One hundred thousand people have since emigrated to Germany.
The name "Karagandy" is derived from a "caragana" bushes (Caragana arborescens, Caragana frutex) which are abundant in the area. Karaganda is an industrial city, built to exploit nearby coal mines using the slave work of prisoners of labor camps. In the early 1990s, it was briefly considered as a candidate for the capital of the (then) recently independent Republic of Kazakhstan, but its bid was turned down in favor of Astana.
It is the birthplace of the late Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov. It is also the home city of Kazakh World War II hero Nurken Abdirov. A statue in Abdirov's honor is located in the center of the city.
The original site of Karaganda is now labeled on city maps as the "Old Town," but almost nothing remains on that site. In exploiting the rich coal deposits next door, the Soviets undermined the entire city, and the town had to be abandoned completely and moved several miles to the south.
Contents [hide]
1 Trivia
2 Further reading
3 See also
4 References
[edit] Trivia
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
Landsat composite satellite image of KaragandyKaraganda is often used as the punchline in a popular joke in the former Soviet Union. The city is fairly isolated in a vast area of uninhabited steppe, and is thought by many to be "the middle of nowhere". When used in the locative case, the final syllable rhymes with the Russian word for "where", as well as with a Russian obscenity used to answer to an unwanted question "Where?". Thus the exchange: "Where is it?" "In Karaganda!" — has a rhyming and silly sound, and its nuance could be approximated in American English as: "Where are you going?" "To Kalamazoo!" or "Timbuktu!" The joke is accentuated by the culturally well-known connection of the city to the GULAG concentration camps.
A local legend tells of founding of the city: Many years ago, a group of nomadic Kazakhs were breaking down their campsite, and throwing rocks on the fire to extinguish it. A boy threw a rock onto the fire, and it burst into flame. Thus were the coal deposits found, and the city was built nearby.
Karaganda suffered the most severe electromagnetic pulse effects ever observed in history, when its electrical power plant was set on fire by currents induced in a 1,000 km long shallow buried power cable by Soviet Test ‘184’ on 22 October 1962. The test was part of ‘Operation K’ (ABM System A proof tests), and consisted of a 300-kt nuclear explosion at 290-km altitude over Zhezkazgan. Prompt gamma ray-produced EMP induced a current of 2,500 amps measured by spark gaps in a 570-km stretch of overhead telephone line to Zharyq, blowing all the protective fuses. The late-time MHD-EMP was of low enough frequency to enable it to penetrate the 90 cm into the ground, overloading a shallow buried lead and steel tape-protected 1,000-km long power cable between Aqmola and Almaty, firing circuit breakers and setting the Karaganda power plant on fire [1].
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Have questions? Find out how to ask questions and get answers. •Jump to: navigation, search
Karaganda
Seal
Coordinates: 49°50′0″N 73°10′0″E / 49.83333, 73.16667
Government
- Mayor Islam Togaybayev
Area
- City 209.8 sq mi (543.28 km²)
Population (1 January 2006)
- City 446, 200
Time zone BTT (UTC+6)
Karaganda (Kazakh: Қарағанды Russian: Караганда) is the capital of Karagandy Province in Kazakhstan. It is located at 49°53′N, 73°10′E. It is the fourth most populous city in Kazakhstan, behind Almaty, Astana and Shymkent, with a population of 446,200 (as of 1 January 2006).[1] In the 1940s up to 70% of the city's inhabitants were ethnic Germans. Most of the ethnic Germans are descendants of Soviet Volga Germans who were collectively deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan on Stalin's order when Hitler invaded Poland. Until the 1950s many were interned in labor camps often only due to their heritage. The population of Karagandy fell by 14% from 1989-1999. One hundred thousand people have since emigrated to Germany.
The name "Karagandy" is derived from a "caragana" bushes (Caragana arborescens, Caragana frutex) which are abundant in the area. Karaganda is an industrial city, built to exploit nearby coal mines using the slave work of prisoners of labor camps. In the early 1990s, it was briefly considered as a candidate for the capital of the (then) recently independent Republic of Kazakhstan, but its bid was turned down in favor of Astana.
It is the birthplace of the late Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov. It is also the home city of Kazakh World War II hero Nurken Abdirov. A statue in Abdirov's honor is located in the center of the city.
The original site of Karaganda is now labeled on city maps as the "Old Town," but almost nothing remains on that site. In exploiting the rich coal deposits next door, the Soviets undermined the entire city, and the town had to be abandoned completely and moved several miles to the south.
Contents [hide]
1 Trivia
2 Further reading
3 See also
4 References
[edit] Trivia
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
Landsat composite satellite image of KaragandyKaraganda is often used as the punchline in a popular joke in the former Soviet Union. The city is fairly isolated in a vast area of uninhabited steppe, and is thought by many to be "the middle of nowhere". When used in the locative case, the final syllable rhymes with the Russian word for "where", as well as with a Russian obscenity used to answer to an unwanted question "Where?". Thus the exchange: "Where is it?" "In Karaganda!" — has a rhyming and silly sound, and its nuance could be approximated in American English as: "Where are you going?" "To Kalamazoo!" or "Timbuktu!" The joke is accentuated by the culturally well-known connection of the city to the GULAG concentration camps.
A local legend tells of founding of the city: Many years ago, a group of nomadic Kazakhs were breaking down their campsite, and throwing rocks on the fire to extinguish it. A boy threw a rock onto the fire, and it burst into flame. Thus were the coal deposits found, and the city was built nearby.
Karaganda suffered the most severe electromagnetic pulse effects ever observed in history, when its electrical power plant was set on fire by currents induced in a 1,000 km long shallow buried power cable by Soviet Test ‘184’ on 22 October 1962. The test was part of ‘Operation K’ (ABM System A proof tests), and consisted of a 300-kt nuclear explosion at 290-km altitude over Zhezkazgan. Prompt gamma ray-produced EMP induced a current of 2,500 amps measured by spark gaps in a 570-km stretch of overhead telephone line to Zharyq, blowing all the protective fuses. The late-time MHD-EMP was of low enough frequency to enable it to penetrate the 90 cm into the ground, overloading a shallow buried lead and steel tape-protected 1,000-km long power cable between Aqmola and Almaty, firing circuit breakers and setting the Karaganda power plant on fire [1].
Lake Balkhash , Kazakhstan
Lake Balkhash
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Lake Balqash
From space, April 1991
Location Kazakhstan
Coordinates 46°32′27″N, 74°52′44″ECoordinates: 46°32′27″N, 74°52′44″E
Lake type Endorheic
Saline
Primary sources Ili, Karatal, Aksu, Lepsi, Byan, Kapal, Koksu rivers
Primary outflows evaporation
Catchment area 413,000 km²
Basin countries Kazakhstan 85%
China 15%
Max length 605 km
Max width East 74 km
West 19 km
Surface area 16,996 km²
Average depth 5.8 m
Max depth 25.6 m
Water volume 106 km³
Shore length1 2,385 km
Surface elevation 341.4 m
Frozen November to March
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.
Lake Balqash (Kazakh: Балқаш Көлі Balķaš Kôli, also Balkhash from the Russian Озеро Балхаш Ozero Balhaš) is a lake in southeastern Kazakhstan, the second largest in Central Asia after the Aral Sea. It is a closed basin that is part of the endorheic basin that includes the Caspian and Aral seas.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Characteristics
3 Economic development
4 Environmental and political problems
5 External links
6 References
[edit] History
From as early as 103 BC up until the 8th century, the Balkhash polity was known to the Chinese as Pu-Ku/Bu-Ku. From the 8th century the land to the south of the lake, between it and the Tian Shan mountains, was known as "Seven Rivers" (Jetisu in Turkic, Semirechye in Russian). It was a land where the nomadic Turks and Mongols of the steppe mingled cultures with the settled peoples of Central Asia.[1] During China's Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), the lake formed the northwestern-most boundary of the Empire. However, in 1864, the lake and its neighbouring area was ceded to Imperial Russia through what Chinese histories call an unequal treaty, the Sino-Russian Treaty on the Northwestern Boundary. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the lake became part of Kazakhstan.
[edit] Characteristics
Lake Balkhash: NASA image, taken 18 April 2000 by SeaWiFSThe lake currently covers 16,996 km² (6,562 sq mi), but, like the Aral Sea, it is shrinking because of the diversion of water from the rivers that feed it.[2] The lake has a mean depth of 5.8 m, and a maximum of 25.6 m. The western half of the lake is fresh water, while the eastern half is saline.[3] The mean depth of the eastern part is 1.7 times that of the western. Approximately 1,600 km to the northeast lies Lake Baikal, the largest lake on Earth by volume.
The Balkhash inland basin drains into Lake Balkhash via seven rivers; chief among these is the Ili River, which brings the majority of the riparian inflow, others such as the Karatal provide both surface and subsurface flow. The Ili is fed from precipitation (largely vernal snowmelt) from the mountains of China's Xinjiang region. The Balkhash basin is itself endorheic – there is no outflow – and Balkhash suffers from the same problems as other endorheic lakes.
[edit] Economic development
The waters of the Ili River and of Lake Balkhash are of vital economic importance to Kazakhstan. The Ili is dammed for hydroelectric power at Kaptchagayskoye, and the river waters are heavily diverted for agricultural irrigation and for industrial purposes. Balkhash itself serves as a vital fishery.
[edit] Environmental and political problems
As the population and degree of industrialisation in western China increase, and with traditionally poor political relations between Kazakhstan and the People's Republic, it is likely that conflict over the fate of the limited waters of the Ili will intensify. Similar international disputes over water use in the arid region led to the desiccation of the Aral Sea, and Balkhash appears to be following a similar path.[4]
The water pollution of Balkhash is intensified as urbanisation and industrialisation in the area grow rapidly. Extinctions of species in the lake due to its decreasing area, as well as overfishing activities, are cause for alarm among conservationist organisations worldwide.[5]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Balkhash)• Have questions? Find out how to ask questions and get answers. •Jump to: navigation, search
Lake Balqash
From space, April 1991
Location Kazakhstan
Coordinates 46°32′27″N, 74°52′44″ECoordinates: 46°32′27″N, 74°52′44″E
Lake type Endorheic
Saline
Primary sources Ili, Karatal, Aksu, Lepsi, Byan, Kapal, Koksu rivers
Primary outflows evaporation
Catchment area 413,000 km²
Basin countries Kazakhstan 85%
China 15%
Max length 605 km
Max width East 74 km
West 19 km
Surface area 16,996 km²
Average depth 5.8 m
Max depth 25.6 m
Water volume 106 km³
Shore length1 2,385 km
Surface elevation 341.4 m
Frozen November to March
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.
Lake Balqash (Kazakh: Балқаш Көлі Balķaš Kôli, also Balkhash from the Russian Озеро Балхаш Ozero Balhaš) is a lake in southeastern Kazakhstan, the second largest in Central Asia after the Aral Sea. It is a closed basin that is part of the endorheic basin that includes the Caspian and Aral seas.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Characteristics
3 Economic development
4 Environmental and political problems
5 External links
6 References
[edit] History
From as early as 103 BC up until the 8th century, the Balkhash polity was known to the Chinese as Pu-Ku/Bu-Ku. From the 8th century the land to the south of the lake, between it and the Tian Shan mountains, was known as "Seven Rivers" (Jetisu in Turkic, Semirechye in Russian). It was a land where the nomadic Turks and Mongols of the steppe mingled cultures with the settled peoples of Central Asia.[1] During China's Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), the lake formed the northwestern-most boundary of the Empire. However, in 1864, the lake and its neighbouring area was ceded to Imperial Russia through what Chinese histories call an unequal treaty, the Sino-Russian Treaty on the Northwestern Boundary. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the lake became part of Kazakhstan.
[edit] Characteristics
Lake Balkhash: NASA image, taken 18 April 2000 by SeaWiFSThe lake currently covers 16,996 km² (6,562 sq mi), but, like the Aral Sea, it is shrinking because of the diversion of water from the rivers that feed it.[2] The lake has a mean depth of 5.8 m, and a maximum of 25.6 m. The western half of the lake is fresh water, while the eastern half is saline.[3] The mean depth of the eastern part is 1.7 times that of the western. Approximately 1,600 km to the northeast lies Lake Baikal, the largest lake on Earth by volume.
The Balkhash inland basin drains into Lake Balkhash via seven rivers; chief among these is the Ili River, which brings the majority of the riparian inflow, others such as the Karatal provide both surface and subsurface flow. The Ili is fed from precipitation (largely vernal snowmelt) from the mountains of China's Xinjiang region. The Balkhash basin is itself endorheic – there is no outflow – and Balkhash suffers from the same problems as other endorheic lakes.
[edit] Economic development
The waters of the Ili River and of Lake Balkhash are of vital economic importance to Kazakhstan. The Ili is dammed for hydroelectric power at Kaptchagayskoye, and the river waters are heavily diverted for agricultural irrigation and for industrial purposes. Balkhash itself serves as a vital fishery.
[edit] Environmental and political problems
As the population and degree of industrialisation in western China increase, and with traditionally poor political relations between Kazakhstan and the People's Republic, it is likely that conflict over the fate of the limited waters of the Ili will intensify. Similar international disputes over water use in the arid region led to the desiccation of the Aral Sea, and Balkhash appears to be following a similar path.[4]
The water pollution of Balkhash is intensified as urbanisation and industrialisation in the area grow rapidly. Extinctions of species in the lake due to its decreasing area, as well as overfishing activities, are cause for alarm among conservationist organisations worldwide.[5]
Almaty , Kazakhstan
Almaty
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Alma Ata)• Ten things you may not know about Wikipedia •Jump to: navigation, search
Almaty
Алматы
Flag
Seal
Location in Kazakhstan
Coordinates: 43°16′39″N 76°53′45″E / 43.2775, 76.89583
Country The Republic of Kazakhstan
Province Almaty Province
First settled X-IX B.C.
Founded 1854
Incorporated (city) 1867
Government
- Mayor Imangali Tasmagambetov
Area
- City 324.8 km² (125.4 sq mi)
Elevation 500 - 1,700 m (1,640 - 5,577 ft)
Population (2005)
- City 1,226,300
- Density 3,776/km² (9,779.8/sq mi)
Time zone BTT (UTC+6)
Postal code 050000 - 050063
Area code(s) +7 727 [1]
Website: http://www.almaty.kz
Almaty (Kazakh: Алматы; formerly known as Alma-Ata, also Verniy, (Верный)) is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of 1,226,000 (as of 1 August 2005) [2], which represents 8% of the population of the country (unofficial sources claim 2,500,900 and 13% correspondingly [3]). It was the capital of Kazakhstan (and its predecessor, the Kazakh SSR) from 1929 to 1998. Despite losing its status as the capital, Almaty remains the major commercial center of Kazakhstan.
Contents [hide]
1 Name
2 Demographics
3 History
3.1 Prehistoric Almaty
3.2 Middle Ages
3.3 XV - XVIII centuries
3.4 Foundation of Verniy
3.5 20th century Almaty
3.5.1 Almaty from the Revolution of 1917 to World War II
3.5.2 Almaty in World War II
3.5.3 Almaty from 1945 to 2000
4 21st century Almaty
5 Universities of Almaty
6 Olympic aspirations
7 See also
8 External links
8.1 Olympic-related
8.2 Travel-related
8.3 References
[edit] Name
The name "Almaty" means "rich with apple"; the older Soviet-era Russian version of its name, Alma-Ata, originates from a mistake (literally means "Grandfather-apple"). In the surrounding region, there is a great genetic diversity among the wild apples; the region is in fact in the ancestral home of the apple, and the wild Malus sieversii, now considered to be a likely candidate for the ancestor of the modern domestic apple, originates from the area around Almaty. Coincidentaly, the world's largest apple is also located in Almaty. [citation needed]
[edit] Demographics
Ethnic groups (2003):
Kazakh 43.6 %
Russian 40.2 %
Uyghur 5.7 %
Tatar 2.1 %
Korean 1.8 %
Ukrainian 1.7 %
German 0.7 %
[edit] History
[edit] Prehistoric Almaty
During X-IX B.C. in the Bronze Age the first farmers and cattle-breeders established settlements on the territory of Almaty.
During the Saka’s period (from VII B.C. to the beginning of the Common Era), Almaty was chosen for residence by Saka tribes and later uisun tribes. The evidences of these times are numerous burial tumuli and ancient settlements, especially giant burial mounds of Saka tsars. The most famous archaeological finds are the Golden man from the Issyk Kurgan, Zhalauly treasure, Kargaly diadem, Zhetysu arts bronze (boilers, lamps and alters). During the period of Saka and uisun governance, Almaty became the early education center. [4]
Silver dirham coin minted in Almatu in 684 A.D.
[edit] Middle Ages
The next stage of Almaty evolution is attributed to the Middle Ages (VIII – X) and characterized by the city culture development, transfer to the settled way of living, farming and handicraft development, emerging a number of towns and cities on the territory of Zhetysu.
In X – XIV centuries, settlements situated on the territory of the, so called, Big Almaty, became the part of trade routes of the Silk Road. At that time, Almaty turned out one of the trade, craft and agricultural centers on the Silk Road and possessed a mint. The city was first mentioned as Almatu in old books in the XIII century.
[edit] XV - XVIII centuries
In XV - XVIII centuries, the city was on the way to degradation as trade activities were condensing on this part of the Silk Road. Notwithstanding, this period was saturated with very important political events that had significant impact on the history of Almaty and Kazakhstan as a whole. It was a period of crucial ethnic and political transformations. The Kazakh state and nation were founded here, close to Almaty.
These lands also witnessed the tragic developments related to the Dzungar intervention and rigorous efforts of the Kazakh to protect their land and preserve independence. In 1730 the Kazakh defeated the Dzungar in the Anyrakay mountains, 70 km to north-west from Almaty. It was a critical moment of the Patriotic War between Kazakhs and Dzungars.
[edit] Foundation of Verniy
The Central Mosque of AlmatyOn 4 February 1854 the new history of the city started from strengthening the Russian piedmont Fort Verniy nearby the Zailiysky Alatau mountain range between Bolshaya and Malaya Almatinka rivers. The construction of the Verniy Fort was almost finished by autumn 1854. It was a fenced pentagon and one of its sides was built along the Malaya Almatinka. Later, wood fence was replaced with the wall of brick with embrasures. Main facilities were erected around the big square for training and parading. [5]
In 1855 the first displaced Kazakh appeared in Verniy. Since 1856, Verniy started accepting Russian peasants. They founded the Bolshaya Almatinskaya Stanitsa (Cossack village) nearby the fortification. The inflow of migrants was increasing and led to construction of the Malaya Almatinskaya Stanitsa and Tatarskaya (Tashkentskaya) sloboda. It was the place of settlement for Tatar mechants and craftsmen.
In 1867 the Verniy Fort was transformed into the town and called Almatinsk. However, the population did not like the new name of the town and soon the town was re-named as Verniy.
According to the First City Plan, the city parameters were 2 km on the south along Almatinka river, and 3 km on the west. The new city area was divided into residential parts, and the latter – into districts. Three categories of the city buildings were distinguished. Buildings of the first and second categories were two-storied or, at least, one-storied constructions with the high semi-basement. Buildings of categories I and II were erected around and in the center of the city, others – on the outskirts.
On 28 May 1887 at 4 a.m. the earthquake almost totally destroyed Verniy in 11-12 minutes. Brick buildings were mostly damaged. The earthquake deteriorated the image of the city. As a result, people were inclined to build up one-storied construction made of wood or adobe.
[edit] 20th century Almaty
[edit] Almaty from the Revolution of 1917 to World War II
Zenkov Cathedral, a 19th-century Russian Orthodox cathedral located in Panfilov Park, is the second tallest wooden building in the world.[6]In 1921, the joint solemn sitting was summoned for the participation of the representative of government regional and sub-regional institutions, professional trades, the Muslim people to make a decision to assign a new name to Verniy – Alma-Ata.
In 1926, the Council of Labour and Defence approved the construction of the Turkestan-Siberia Railway railway that was a crucial element of the republic reconstruction, specifically on the east and southeast of the republic. The Turkestan-Siberia Railway construction was also a decisive economic aspect that foreordained the destiny of Alma-Ata as a capital of Kazakh ASSR. In 1930 the construction of the highway and railway to the Alma-Ata station was completed.
On 2 March 1927, It was the initiative of the Central Executive Committee of the Kazakh Republic to transfer the capital from Kyzyl-Orda to Alma-Ata. The VI Kazakhstani Congress approved this initiative [7].
On 29 April 1927, it was officially decided on the sitting of the RSFSR Committee to transfer the capital of the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic from Kyzyl-Orda to Alma-Ata.
Besides, the Alma-Ata airport was opened in 1930 and people from the capital of Kazakhstan could fly now from Alma-Ata to Moscow. Alma-Ata became the air gate to Kazakhstan. Transformation of the small town into the capital of the Republic was supplied by the large-scaled construction of new administrative and government facilities and housing.
Given the transfer of the capital of Kazakhstan to Alma-Ata , in 1936 the Architecture and Planning Bureau elaborated the General Plan aimed at re-creating Alma-Ata as the new cultural and comfortable capital of Kazakhstan. The Plan was based on the existing rectangular system of districts that would further be strengthened and reconstructed.
[edit] Almaty in World War II
During the World War II the city territory was changed to a large extent. To organize the home front and concentrate industrial and material resources, the residential stock was compressed to arrange accommodation for 26,000 persons evacuated. Alma-Ata hosted over 30 industrial facilities from the front areas, 8 evacuated hospitals, 15 institutes, universities and technical schools, around 20 cultural institutions, etc. Motion picture production companies from Leningrad, Kiev and Moscow were also evacuated to Alma-Ata.
Owing to self-denying labour, over 52,000 Alma-Ata residents were awarded. 48 residents were granted with the title of the Soviet Union Hero. Three rifle divisions were raised in Alma-Ata , including the well-known 8th Panfilov’s division, along with 2 rifle battalions and 3 aviation regiments that were raised on the basis of the air club of Alma-Ata.
[edit] Almaty from 1945 to 2000
Downtown Almaty as seen from Kok TobeFrom 1966 to 1971, 1,400,000 square meters of public and cooperative housing were put into operation. Annually, around 300,000 square meters of dwellings were under construction. It was the period of constructing earthquake-proof multi-storied buildings. Construction unification and type-design practice diversified architectural forms. At that time were constructed lots of schools, hospitals, cultural and entertainment facilities, including the Lenin’s Palace , Kazakhstan Hotel, sport complex “Medeo”, etc.
Since 1981, the underground construction project has been developed.
On 16 December 1986 Jeltoksan riot took place in response to General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev's dismissal of Dinmukhamed Kunayev.
In 1993 the government made a decision to rename Alma-Ata. The new name of the city is Almaty.
In 1997 the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev approved the Decree to transfer the capital from Almaty to Astana.[8]
On 1 July 1998 was passed the Law concerning the special status of Almaty as a scientific, cultural, historical, financial and industrial center.
[edit] 21st century Almaty
The new 2030 General Plan of Almaty was developed in 1998 and aims at forming ecologically safe, secure and socially comfortable living conditions. The main objective is to promote Almaty’s image as a city-garden. One of the components of the General Plan is to continue multi-storied and individual construction, reorganize industrial territories, improve transport infrastructure and launch underground subways.
[edit] Universities of Almaty
Almaty Institute of Power Engineering and Telecommunications
Kazakh-British Technical University
Kazakh National Technical University (KazNTU)
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazUU)
Suleyman Demirel University (SDU)
Kimep (Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research)
Kazakh-American University (KAU)
Kazakh Academy of Sciences
Almaty State University (named after Abay)
Turan University
for further details: List of universities in Kazakhstan
[edit] Olympic aspirations
Almaty was an official candidate to host the XXII Olympic Winter Games [9], but was eliminated from consideration after it failed to be included in the "short list" of candidate cities. Almaty have won its bid to host the 2011 Winter Asian Games.
[edit] See also
Almaty International Airport
Jeltoqsan - Kazakh nationwide revolt of 1986
Primary health care. For information on the 1978 WHO-UNICEF Alma Ata Declaration
Names of Asian cities in different languages
Medeo - speed skating rink
Shymbulak - ski resort
Kazakhstan International School
FC Kairat Almaty
[edit] External links
City of Almaty Official website (in Kazakh, English, and Russian)
[edit] Olympic-related
Almaty 2022 -- Insights on future Olympic games
Homepage of the Almaty 2014 Olympic bid
[edit] Travel-related
Landsat satellite photo of AlmatyWikimedia Commons has media related to:
AlmatyAlmaty travel guide from Wikitravel
Timeout Almaty - Entertainment Guide
Almaty Mayor's Office -
Almaty Airport
Almaty Guide
Almaty Project of TU Berlin
Almaty Fashion Week
Nightlife Almaty
Almaty Expat Site
Almaty Development - Projects and Construction
Almaty or Bust!
Alatau IT CIty
Satellite picture by Google Maps
Culture Crash in Kazakhstan
Up, Up and Away: New Towers, and Ambitions to Match - The New York Times
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! - The New York Times Travel
Almatylink
Maps and aerial photos for 43°16′39″N 76°53′45″E / 43.2775, 76.8958Coordinates: 43°16′39″N 76°53′45″E / 43.2775, 76.8958
Maps from MapQuest, Multimap and Yahoo! Maps
Satellite images and maps from Google Maps and Live Search
Other mapping from GlobalGuide and WikiMapia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Alma Ata)• Ten things you may not know about Wikipedia •Jump to: navigation, search
Almaty
Алматы
Flag
Seal
Location in Kazakhstan
Coordinates: 43°16′39″N 76°53′45″E / 43.2775, 76.89583
Country The Republic of Kazakhstan
Province Almaty Province
First settled X-IX B.C.
Founded 1854
Incorporated (city) 1867
Government
- Mayor Imangali Tasmagambetov
Area
- City 324.8 km² (125.4 sq mi)
Elevation 500 - 1,700 m (1,640 - 5,577 ft)
Population (2005)
- City 1,226,300
- Density 3,776/km² (9,779.8/sq mi)
Time zone BTT (UTC+6)
Postal code 050000 - 050063
Area code(s) +7 727 [1]
Website: http://www.almaty.kz
Almaty (Kazakh: Алматы; formerly known as Alma-Ata, also Verniy, (Верный)) is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of 1,226,000 (as of 1 August 2005) [2], which represents 8% of the population of the country (unofficial sources claim 2,500,900 and 13% correspondingly [3]). It was the capital of Kazakhstan (and its predecessor, the Kazakh SSR) from 1929 to 1998. Despite losing its status as the capital, Almaty remains the major commercial center of Kazakhstan.
Contents [hide]
1 Name
2 Demographics
3 History
3.1 Prehistoric Almaty
3.2 Middle Ages
3.3 XV - XVIII centuries
3.4 Foundation of Verniy
3.5 20th century Almaty
3.5.1 Almaty from the Revolution of 1917 to World War II
3.5.2 Almaty in World War II
3.5.3 Almaty from 1945 to 2000
4 21st century Almaty
5 Universities of Almaty
6 Olympic aspirations
7 See also
8 External links
8.1 Olympic-related
8.2 Travel-related
8.3 References
[edit] Name
The name "Almaty" means "rich with apple"; the older Soviet-era Russian version of its name, Alma-Ata, originates from a mistake (literally means "Grandfather-apple"). In the surrounding region, there is a great genetic diversity among the wild apples; the region is in fact in the ancestral home of the apple, and the wild Malus sieversii, now considered to be a likely candidate for the ancestor of the modern domestic apple, originates from the area around Almaty. Coincidentaly, the world's largest apple is also located in Almaty. [citation needed]
[edit] Demographics
Ethnic groups (2003):
Kazakh 43.6 %
Russian 40.2 %
Uyghur 5.7 %
Tatar 2.1 %
Korean 1.8 %
Ukrainian 1.7 %
German 0.7 %
[edit] History
[edit] Prehistoric Almaty
During X-IX B.C. in the Bronze Age the first farmers and cattle-breeders established settlements on the territory of Almaty.
During the Saka’s period (from VII B.C. to the beginning of the Common Era), Almaty was chosen for residence by Saka tribes and later uisun tribes. The evidences of these times are numerous burial tumuli and ancient settlements, especially giant burial mounds of Saka tsars. The most famous archaeological finds are the Golden man from the Issyk Kurgan, Zhalauly treasure, Kargaly diadem, Zhetysu arts bronze (boilers, lamps and alters). During the period of Saka and uisun governance, Almaty became the early education center. [4]
Silver dirham coin minted in Almatu in 684 A.D.
[edit] Middle Ages
The next stage of Almaty evolution is attributed to the Middle Ages (VIII – X) and characterized by the city culture development, transfer to the settled way of living, farming and handicraft development, emerging a number of towns and cities on the territory of Zhetysu.
In X – XIV centuries, settlements situated on the territory of the, so called, Big Almaty, became the part of trade routes of the Silk Road. At that time, Almaty turned out one of the trade, craft and agricultural centers on the Silk Road and possessed a mint. The city was first mentioned as Almatu in old books in the XIII century.
[edit] XV - XVIII centuries
In XV - XVIII centuries, the city was on the way to degradation as trade activities were condensing on this part of the Silk Road. Notwithstanding, this period was saturated with very important political events that had significant impact on the history of Almaty and Kazakhstan as a whole. It was a period of crucial ethnic and political transformations. The Kazakh state and nation were founded here, close to Almaty.
These lands also witnessed the tragic developments related to the Dzungar intervention and rigorous efforts of the Kazakh to protect their land and preserve independence. In 1730 the Kazakh defeated the Dzungar in the Anyrakay mountains, 70 km to north-west from Almaty. It was a critical moment of the Patriotic War between Kazakhs and Dzungars.
[edit] Foundation of Verniy
The Central Mosque of AlmatyOn 4 February 1854 the new history of the city started from strengthening the Russian piedmont Fort Verniy nearby the Zailiysky Alatau mountain range between Bolshaya and Malaya Almatinka rivers. The construction of the Verniy Fort was almost finished by autumn 1854. It was a fenced pentagon and one of its sides was built along the Malaya Almatinka. Later, wood fence was replaced with the wall of brick with embrasures. Main facilities were erected around the big square for training and parading. [5]
In 1855 the first displaced Kazakh appeared in Verniy. Since 1856, Verniy started accepting Russian peasants. They founded the Bolshaya Almatinskaya Stanitsa (Cossack village) nearby the fortification. The inflow of migrants was increasing and led to construction of the Malaya Almatinskaya Stanitsa and Tatarskaya (Tashkentskaya) sloboda. It was the place of settlement for Tatar mechants and craftsmen.
In 1867 the Verniy Fort was transformed into the town and called Almatinsk. However, the population did not like the new name of the town and soon the town was re-named as Verniy.
According to the First City Plan, the city parameters were 2 km on the south along Almatinka river, and 3 km on the west. The new city area was divided into residential parts, and the latter – into districts. Three categories of the city buildings were distinguished. Buildings of the first and second categories were two-storied or, at least, one-storied constructions with the high semi-basement. Buildings of categories I and II were erected around and in the center of the city, others – on the outskirts.
On 28 May 1887 at 4 a.m. the earthquake almost totally destroyed Verniy in 11-12 minutes. Brick buildings were mostly damaged. The earthquake deteriorated the image of the city. As a result, people were inclined to build up one-storied construction made of wood or adobe.
[edit] 20th century Almaty
[edit] Almaty from the Revolution of 1917 to World War II
Zenkov Cathedral, a 19th-century Russian Orthodox cathedral located in Panfilov Park, is the second tallest wooden building in the world.[6]In 1921, the joint solemn sitting was summoned for the participation of the representative of government regional and sub-regional institutions, professional trades, the Muslim people to make a decision to assign a new name to Verniy – Alma-Ata.
In 1926, the Council of Labour and Defence approved the construction of the Turkestan-Siberia Railway railway that was a crucial element of the republic reconstruction, specifically on the east and southeast of the republic. The Turkestan-Siberia Railway construction was also a decisive economic aspect that foreordained the destiny of Alma-Ata as a capital of Kazakh ASSR. In 1930 the construction of the highway and railway to the Alma-Ata station was completed.
On 2 March 1927, It was the initiative of the Central Executive Committee of the Kazakh Republic to transfer the capital from Kyzyl-Orda to Alma-Ata. The VI Kazakhstani Congress approved this initiative [7].
On 29 April 1927, it was officially decided on the sitting of the RSFSR Committee to transfer the capital of the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic from Kyzyl-Orda to Alma-Ata.
Besides, the Alma-Ata airport was opened in 1930 and people from the capital of Kazakhstan could fly now from Alma-Ata to Moscow. Alma-Ata became the air gate to Kazakhstan. Transformation of the small town into the capital of the Republic was supplied by the large-scaled construction of new administrative and government facilities and housing.
Given the transfer of the capital of Kazakhstan to Alma-Ata , in 1936 the Architecture and Planning Bureau elaborated the General Plan aimed at re-creating Alma-Ata as the new cultural and comfortable capital of Kazakhstan. The Plan was based on the existing rectangular system of districts that would further be strengthened and reconstructed.
[edit] Almaty in World War II
During the World War II the city territory was changed to a large extent. To organize the home front and concentrate industrial and material resources, the residential stock was compressed to arrange accommodation for 26,000 persons evacuated. Alma-Ata hosted over 30 industrial facilities from the front areas, 8 evacuated hospitals, 15 institutes, universities and technical schools, around 20 cultural institutions, etc. Motion picture production companies from Leningrad, Kiev and Moscow were also evacuated to Alma-Ata.
Owing to self-denying labour, over 52,000 Alma-Ata residents were awarded. 48 residents were granted with the title of the Soviet Union Hero. Three rifle divisions were raised in Alma-Ata , including the well-known 8th Panfilov’s division, along with 2 rifle battalions and 3 aviation regiments that were raised on the basis of the air club of Alma-Ata.
[edit] Almaty from 1945 to 2000
Downtown Almaty as seen from Kok TobeFrom 1966 to 1971, 1,400,000 square meters of public and cooperative housing were put into operation. Annually, around 300,000 square meters of dwellings were under construction. It was the period of constructing earthquake-proof multi-storied buildings. Construction unification and type-design practice diversified architectural forms. At that time were constructed lots of schools, hospitals, cultural and entertainment facilities, including the Lenin’s Palace , Kazakhstan Hotel, sport complex “Medeo”, etc.
Since 1981, the underground construction project has been developed.
On 16 December 1986 Jeltoksan riot took place in response to General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev's dismissal of Dinmukhamed Kunayev.
In 1993 the government made a decision to rename Alma-Ata. The new name of the city is Almaty.
In 1997 the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev approved the Decree to transfer the capital from Almaty to Astana.[8]
On 1 July 1998 was passed the Law concerning the special status of Almaty as a scientific, cultural, historical, financial and industrial center.
[edit] 21st century Almaty
The new 2030 General Plan of Almaty was developed in 1998 and aims at forming ecologically safe, secure and socially comfortable living conditions. The main objective is to promote Almaty’s image as a city-garden. One of the components of the General Plan is to continue multi-storied and individual construction, reorganize industrial territories, improve transport infrastructure and launch underground subways.
[edit] Universities of Almaty
Almaty Institute of Power Engineering and Telecommunications
Kazakh-British Technical University
Kazakh National Technical University (KazNTU)
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazUU)
Suleyman Demirel University (SDU)
Kimep (Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research)
Kazakh-American University (KAU)
Kazakh Academy of Sciences
Almaty State University (named after Abay)
Turan University
for further details: List of universities in Kazakhstan
[edit] Olympic aspirations
Almaty was an official candidate to host the XXII Olympic Winter Games [9], but was eliminated from consideration after it failed to be included in the "short list" of candidate cities. Almaty have won its bid to host the 2011 Winter Asian Games.
[edit] See also
Almaty International Airport
Jeltoqsan - Kazakh nationwide revolt of 1986
Primary health care. For information on the 1978 WHO-UNICEF Alma Ata Declaration
Names of Asian cities in different languages
Medeo - speed skating rink
Shymbulak - ski resort
Kazakhstan International School
FC Kairat Almaty
[edit] External links
City of Almaty Official website (in Kazakh, English, and Russian)
[edit] Olympic-related
Almaty 2022 -- Insights on future Olympic games
Homepage of the Almaty 2014 Olympic bid
[edit] Travel-related
Landsat satellite photo of AlmatyWikimedia Commons has media related to:
AlmatyAlmaty travel guide from Wikitravel
Timeout Almaty - Entertainment Guide
Almaty Mayor's Office -
Almaty Airport
Almaty Guide
Almaty Project of TU Berlin
Almaty Fashion Week
Nightlife Almaty
Almaty Expat Site
Almaty Development - Projects and Construction
Almaty or Bust!
Alatau IT CIty
Satellite picture by Google Maps
Culture Crash in Kazakhstan
Up, Up and Away: New Towers, and Ambitions to Match - The New York Times
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! - The New York Times Travel
Almatylink
Maps and aerial photos for 43°16′39″N 76°53′45″E / 43.2775, 76.8958Coordinates: 43°16′39″N 76°53′45″E / 43.2775, 76.8958
Maps from MapQuest, Multimap and Yahoo! Maps
Satellite images and maps from Google Maps and Live Search
Other mapping from GlobalGuide and WikiMapia
Astana , Kazakhstan
Astana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Ten things you may not know about images on Wikipedia •Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the capital of Kazakhstan. For other uses, see Astana (disambiguation).
Astana
Астана
Flag
Seal
Location in Kazakhstan
Coordinates: 51°10′0″N 71°26′0″E / 51.16667, 71.43333
Country The Republic of Kazakhstan
Province Akmola Province
Founded 1830
Government
- Mayor Askar Mamin
Area
- City 710.2 km² (274.2 sq mi)
Elevation 347 m (1,138 ft)
Population (2007)
- City 577,300
- Density 813/km² (2,105.7/sq mi)
Time zone BTT (UTC+6)
Postal code 010000 - 010015
Area code(s) +7 7172 [1]
Website: http://www.astana.kz
Astana (Kazakh: Астана; former names include Akmola, Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, and Aqmola), is the capital and second largest city (behind Almaty) of Kazakhstan, with an estimated population (2007) of 577,300 [2]. It is located in the north-central portion of Kazakhstan, within Akmola Province, although it is politically separate from the rest of the province, which has its own capital.
The current mayor of Astana is Askar Mamin, formerly Minister for Transportation. He was appointed mayor on 25 September 2006.[3]
Contents [hide]
1 Name
2 History
2.1 Early history
2.2 As Kazakhstan's new capital
3 Population/Demographics
4 Geography
4.1 Climate
5 Economy
6 People and culture
6.1 Town planning
6.2 Architecture
6.3 Sightseeing
7 Sport
8 Transport
9 Sister Cities
10 See also
11 References
12 External links
[edit] Name
The name "Astana", which means "Capital city" in Kazakh, was allegedly chosen because it is easily pronounced in many languages[citation needed]. In Kazakh and Russian, it is pronounced "As-ta-na", while in English and many other languages, the common pronunciation is "As-ta-na".
[edit] History
[edit] Early history
A unit of Siberian cossacks from Omsk founded a huge fortress on the upper Ishim in 1824, which later became the town of "Akmolinsk". During the early 20th Century, the town became a major railway junction, causing a major economic boom that lasted until the Russian Civil War.
The Gulags once spread over the Kazakhstan steppe like a thick wreath. Eleven camps housed hundreds of thousands of prisoners and their families. Outside Astana, there once stood the ALZHIR camp, a Russian acronym for the Akmolinskii Camp for Wives of Traitors of the Motherland, one of the most notorious in the Gulag archipelago, which was reserved for the wives of men considered "enemies of the people" by Joseph Stalin.[1]
In 1961, it was renamed "Tselinograd" and made capital of the Soviet Virgin Lands Territory (Tselinny Krai). The city was at the centre of the Virgin Lands Campaign led by Nikita Khrushchev in the 1950s, in order to turn the state into a second grain producer for the Soviet Union. The high portion of Russian immigrants in this area, which later led to ethnic tension, can be traced to the influx of agricultural workers at this time. Additionally, many Russian-Germans were resettled here after being deported under Joseph Stalin at the beginning of World War II, when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union.
After Kazakhstan gained its independence in 1991, the city and the region were renamed "Akmola". The name was often translated as "White Tombstone," but actually means "Holy Place". The "White Tombstone" literal translation was too appropriate for many visitors to escape notice in almost all guide books and travel accounts.
[edit] As Kazakhstan's new capital
A symbol of the new Astana for many Kazakhs, Bayterek.In 1994, the city was designated as the future capital of the newly-independent country, and again renamed to the present "Astana" after the capital was officially moved from Almaty in 1997. Despite the isolated location of the new capital in the centre of the Kazakh Steppe and the forbidding climate in winter, Kazakhstan simply needed a more central location than its former location of Almaty, which lies on the far southeastern border with Kyrgyzstan. Some speculate[citation needed] that it was a move to impose more control over the Russian-dominated north of the country. Other reasons[citation needed] include the belief that the new city project is a strategic move to position the capital further from the borders with China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, or that Almaty was limited in its development by mountains (which is objectively not the case), or that President Nursultan Nazarbayev created a "Potemkin village", either to present an image of a modern, clean Kazakhstan to entice foreign investment.[citation needed] Internal political concerns may have played a part: Nazarbayev, like most of the Kazakh political establishment, belongs to the Great Horde (Kazakh, ulı jüz) in whose territory Almaty lies. The move to the traditional territory of the Middle Horde may have been a gesture to the Middle and Little Hordes' political sensibilities.
To some Kazakhs, the move remains controversial.[citation needed] Critics resent the massive expenditure of public funds to build the new government complexes, as well as the continuing cost of airfare and hotel expenses for the many government workers who still live in Almaty.[citation needed] The lucrative development contracts handed out to companies owned by President Nazarbayev's family members also remain highly suspect.[citation needed]
[edit] Population/Demographics
By 2007, Astana’s population has more than doubled since the move, to over 600,000, and it is estimated to top 1 million by 2030. Migrant workers – legal and illegal – have been attracted from across Kazakhstan and neighboring states such as Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and Astana is a magnet for young professionals seeking to build a career. This has changed the city’s demographics, bringing more ethnic Kazakhs to a city that formerly had a Slav majority. Astana’s ethnic Kazakh population has risen to some 60 per cent, up from 17 per cent in 1989. [2]
In 1999, Astana had a population of 281,000. The ethnic mix was about 60% Kazakh and 30% Russian, Ukrainian, and German.[3]
Many argue that a drive to attract ethnic Kazakhs northward was the key factor in shifting the capital, which was officially put down to lack of space for expansion in the former capital, Almaty, and its location in an earthquake zone. [4]
[edit] Geography
Astana From SpaceThe city is located in central Kazakhstan on the Ishim River in a very flat, semi-desert steppe region which covers most of the country's territory. The elevation of Astana is at 347 meters above sea level. Astana is in a spacious steppe landscape, in the transient area between the north of Kazakhstan and the extremely thinly settled national center, because of the river Ishim. The older boroughs lie north of the river, whilst the new boroughs were located south of the Ishim.
[edit] Climate
Climatically Astana is the second coldest capital in the world (behind Ulaanbataar, Mongolia), with temperatures of -35 to -40 °C common in the late autumn. The new city is also known to regularly freeze for around six months every year. Overall however, Astana has a continental climate, with exceptionally cold winters and moderately hot summers, arid and semiarid.
The average annual temperature in Astana is 1 degree Celsius. January is the coldest month with an average temperature of -16 °C. July is the hottest month with an average temperature of 20 °C.
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Yearly average
Avg High Temperature °C (°F) -12 (10) -11 (12) -4 (24) 9 (48) 19 (66) 25 (77) 27 (80) 24 (75) 18 (64) 8 (46) -2 (28) -9 (15) 7 (44)
Avg Low Temperature °C (°F) -21 (-5) -21 (-5) -15 (5) -2 (28) 5 (41) 11 (51) 13 (55) 11 (51) 5 (41) -1 (30) -11 (12) -18 (0) -3 (26)
Precipitation mm (in) 22 (0.70) 14 (0.50) 19 (0.60) 21 (0.90) 31 (1.30) 40 (1.40) 50 (2.00) 37 (1.60 26 (0.90) 27 (1.20) 20 (0.90) 22 (0.70) 32.7
[edit] Economy
Politics and government are the main economic activity in the capital, which also forms a Special Economic Zone. Since the move, Astana has seen one of the world's greatest building projects, as oil money has been spent on government buildings, a massive home for the president, a mosque, and numerous parks and monuments. The project is designed to not just make the town the centre of Kazakhstan, but of all Central Asia.
[edit] People and culture
[edit] Town planning
Astana can be divided largely into a few different areas. North of the railway line, which crosses Astana in an east-west direction, are industrial and poorer residential areas. Between the railway line and the river Ishim is the city center, where at present intense building activity is occurring. To the west and east are more elevated residential areas with parks and the new area of government administration to the south of the Ishim. Here many large building projects are underway; for example, the construction of a diplomat quarter, and a variety of different government buildings. By 2030, these quarters are to be completed. Astana's chief planner, Vladimir Laptev, wants to build a Berlin in a Eurasian style. He has stated that a purely administrative capital such as Canberra is not one of his goals.
[edit] Architecture
Ministry of Communication in AstanaThe architectural quality of the new buildings is, by the standards of almost all critics, quite high — ethno-postmodernism in an Albert Speer pattern dominates.
In December 2006, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev unveiled plans to build Khan Shatyry, a "giant, transparent tent", over an area of the city. The tent will be 150 metres high, and was designed by British architect Norman Foster.[4] It is expected to take around a year to build.[5]
[edit] Sightseeing
Today there are many construction works under way, such as embassy buildings, representative riversides along the Ishim River, and some infrastructure for transportation and communication. In the centre of town, the Avenue of the Republic acts as the main hub of activity. It is bordered by many stores, coffee houses, restaurants, discotheques and even some casinos. Worth a visit are the:
Modern governmental quarter
Ishim banks
"Oceanarium"
Astana Central National Mosque
Islamic Center
Roman Catholic Cathedral
Market hall
Bayterek Tower
[edit] Sport
Astana is home to FC Astana, a football (soccer) team in the Kazakhstan Super League, which won the national championship in 2000, 2001 and 2006. The city is also home to the Astana-Tigers basketball team who successfully took the 2004/2005 season title, as well as Barys Astana of the Kazakh Ice Hockey League. In addition, Team Astana is a professional cycling team that competes on the UCI ProTour. They participated in the Tour de France wearing blue national uniforms, but have been excluded during the race after the conviction of Alexander Vinokourov for illegal doping practises. In 2008, the Astana team will not be allowed to participate in the Tour.
Club Sport Founded League Venue
FC Astana Soccer 1964 Kazakhstan Super League K.Munaitpasov Stadium
Team Astana Cycling 2006 UCI ProTour
Astana-Tigers Basketball – Kazakh Basketball League -
Barys Astana Ice hockey 1999 Kazakh Ice Hockey League, Russian Vysshaya Liga
[edit] Transport
Astana International Airport was designed by the late Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about the capital of Kazakhstan. For other uses, see Astana (disambiguation).
Astana
Астана
Flag
Seal
Location in Kazakhstan
Coordinates: 51°10′0″N 71°26′0″E / 51.16667, 71.43333
Country The Republic of Kazakhstan
Province Akmola Province
Founded 1830
Government
- Mayor Askar Mamin
Area
- City 710.2 km² (274.2 sq mi)
Elevation 347 m (1,138 ft)
Population (2007)
- City 577,300
- Density 813/km² (2,105.7/sq mi)
Time zone BTT (UTC+6)
Postal code 010000 - 010015
Area code(s) +7 7172 [1]
Website: http://www.astana.kz
Astana (Kazakh: Астана; former names include Akmola, Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, and Aqmola), is the capital and second largest city (behind Almaty) of Kazakhstan, with an estimated population (2007) of 577,300 [2]. It is located in the north-central portion of Kazakhstan, within Akmola Province, although it is politically separate from the rest of the province, which has its own capital.
The current mayor of Astana is Askar Mamin, formerly Minister for Transportation. He was appointed mayor on 25 September 2006.[3]
Contents [hide]
1 Name
2 History
2.1 Early history
2.2 As Kazakhstan's new capital
3 Population/Demographics
4 Geography
4.1 Climate
5 Economy
6 People and culture
6.1 Town planning
6.2 Architecture
6.3 Sightseeing
7 Sport
8 Transport
9 Sister Cities
10 See also
11 References
12 External links
[edit] Name
The name "Astana", which means "Capital city" in Kazakh, was allegedly chosen because it is easily pronounced in many languages[citation needed]. In Kazakh and Russian, it is pronounced "As-ta-na", while in English and many other languages, the common pronunciation is "As-ta-na".
[edit] History
[edit] Early history
A unit of Siberian cossacks from Omsk founded a huge fortress on the upper Ishim in 1824, which later became the town of "Akmolinsk". During the early 20th Century, the town became a major railway junction, causing a major economic boom that lasted until the Russian Civil War.
The Gulags once spread over the Kazakhstan steppe like a thick wreath. Eleven camps housed hundreds of thousands of prisoners and their families. Outside Astana, there once stood the ALZHIR camp, a Russian acronym for the Akmolinskii Camp for Wives of Traitors of the Motherland, one of the most notorious in the Gulag archipelago, which was reserved for the wives of men considered "enemies of the people" by Joseph Stalin.[1]
In 1961, it was renamed "Tselinograd" and made capital of the Soviet Virgin Lands Territory (Tselinny Krai). The city was at the centre of the Virgin Lands Campaign led by Nikita Khrushchev in the 1950s, in order to turn the state into a second grain producer for the Soviet Union. The high portion of Russian immigrants in this area, which later led to ethnic tension, can be traced to the influx of agricultural workers at this time. Additionally, many Russian-Germans were resettled here after being deported under Joseph Stalin at the beginning of World War II, when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union.
After Kazakhstan gained its independence in 1991, the city and the region were renamed "Akmola". The name was often translated as "White Tombstone," but actually means "Holy Place". The "White Tombstone" literal translation was too appropriate for many visitors to escape notice in almost all guide books and travel accounts.
[edit] As Kazakhstan's new capital
A symbol of the new Astana for many Kazakhs, Bayterek.In 1994, the city was designated as the future capital of the newly-independent country, and again renamed to the present "Astana" after the capital was officially moved from Almaty in 1997. Despite the isolated location of the new capital in the centre of the Kazakh Steppe and the forbidding climate in winter, Kazakhstan simply needed a more central location than its former location of Almaty, which lies on the far southeastern border with Kyrgyzstan. Some speculate[citation needed] that it was a move to impose more control over the Russian-dominated north of the country. Other reasons[citation needed] include the belief that the new city project is a strategic move to position the capital further from the borders with China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, or that Almaty was limited in its development by mountains (which is objectively not the case), or that President Nursultan Nazarbayev created a "Potemkin village", either to present an image of a modern, clean Kazakhstan to entice foreign investment.[citation needed] Internal political concerns may have played a part: Nazarbayev, like most of the Kazakh political establishment, belongs to the Great Horde (Kazakh, ulı jüz) in whose territory Almaty lies. The move to the traditional territory of the Middle Horde may have been a gesture to the Middle and Little Hordes' political sensibilities.
To some Kazakhs, the move remains controversial.[citation needed] Critics resent the massive expenditure of public funds to build the new government complexes, as well as the continuing cost of airfare and hotel expenses for the many government workers who still live in Almaty.[citation needed] The lucrative development contracts handed out to companies owned by President Nazarbayev's family members also remain highly suspect.[citation needed]
[edit] Population/Demographics
By 2007, Astana’s population has more than doubled since the move, to over 600,000, and it is estimated to top 1 million by 2030. Migrant workers – legal and illegal – have been attracted from across Kazakhstan and neighboring states such as Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and Astana is a magnet for young professionals seeking to build a career. This has changed the city’s demographics, bringing more ethnic Kazakhs to a city that formerly had a Slav majority. Astana’s ethnic Kazakh population has risen to some 60 per cent, up from 17 per cent in 1989. [2]
In 1999, Astana had a population of 281,000. The ethnic mix was about 60% Kazakh and 30% Russian, Ukrainian, and German.[3]
Many argue that a drive to attract ethnic Kazakhs northward was the key factor in shifting the capital, which was officially put down to lack of space for expansion in the former capital, Almaty, and its location in an earthquake zone. [4]
[edit] Geography
Astana From SpaceThe city is located in central Kazakhstan on the Ishim River in a very flat, semi-desert steppe region which covers most of the country's territory. The elevation of Astana is at 347 meters above sea level. Astana is in a spacious steppe landscape, in the transient area between the north of Kazakhstan and the extremely thinly settled national center, because of the river Ishim. The older boroughs lie north of the river, whilst the new boroughs were located south of the Ishim.
[edit] Climate
Climatically Astana is the second coldest capital in the world (behind Ulaanbataar, Mongolia), with temperatures of -35 to -40 °C common in the late autumn. The new city is also known to regularly freeze for around six months every year. Overall however, Astana has a continental climate, with exceptionally cold winters and moderately hot summers, arid and semiarid.
The average annual temperature in Astana is 1 degree Celsius. January is the coldest month with an average temperature of -16 °C. July is the hottest month with an average temperature of 20 °C.
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Yearly average
Avg High Temperature °C (°F) -12 (10) -11 (12) -4 (24) 9 (48) 19 (66) 25 (77) 27 (80) 24 (75) 18 (64) 8 (46) -2 (28) -9 (15) 7 (44)
Avg Low Temperature °C (°F) -21 (-5) -21 (-5) -15 (5) -2 (28) 5 (41) 11 (51) 13 (55) 11 (51) 5 (41) -1 (30) -11 (12) -18 (0) -3 (26)
Precipitation mm (in) 22 (0.70) 14 (0.50) 19 (0.60) 21 (0.90) 31 (1.30) 40 (1.40) 50 (2.00) 37 (1.60 26 (0.90) 27 (1.20) 20 (0.90) 22 (0.70) 32.7
[edit] Economy
Politics and government are the main economic activity in the capital, which also forms a Special Economic Zone. Since the move, Astana has seen one of the world's greatest building projects, as oil money has been spent on government buildings, a massive home for the president, a mosque, and numerous parks and monuments. The project is designed to not just make the town the centre of Kazakhstan, but of all Central Asia.
[edit] People and culture
[edit] Town planning
Astana can be divided largely into a few different areas. North of the railway line, which crosses Astana in an east-west direction, are industrial and poorer residential areas. Between the railway line and the river Ishim is the city center, where at present intense building activity is occurring. To the west and east are more elevated residential areas with parks and the new area of government administration to the south of the Ishim. Here many large building projects are underway; for example, the construction of a diplomat quarter, and a variety of different government buildings. By 2030, these quarters are to be completed. Astana's chief planner, Vladimir Laptev, wants to build a Berlin in a Eurasian style. He has stated that a purely administrative capital such as Canberra is not one of his goals.
[edit] Architecture
Ministry of Communication in AstanaThe architectural quality of the new buildings is, by the standards of almost all critics, quite high — ethno-postmodernism in an Albert Speer pattern dominates.
In December 2006, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev unveiled plans to build Khan Shatyry, a "giant, transparent tent", over an area of the city. The tent will be 150 metres high, and was designed by British architect Norman Foster.[4] It is expected to take around a year to build.[5]
[edit] Sightseeing
Today there are many construction works under way, such as embassy buildings, representative riversides along the Ishim River, and some infrastructure for transportation and communication. In the centre of town, the Avenue of the Republic acts as the main hub of activity. It is bordered by many stores, coffee houses, restaurants, discotheques and even some casinos. Worth a visit are the:
Modern governmental quarter
Ishim banks
"Oceanarium"
Astana Central National Mosque
Islamic Center
Roman Catholic Cathedral
Market hall
Bayterek Tower
[edit] Sport
Astana is home to FC Astana, a football (soccer) team in the Kazakhstan Super League, which won the national championship in 2000, 2001 and 2006. The city is also home to the Astana-Tigers basketball team who successfully took the 2004/2005 season title, as well as Barys Astana of the Kazakh Ice Hockey League. In addition, Team Astana is a professional cycling team that competes on the UCI ProTour. They participated in the Tour de France wearing blue national uniforms, but have been excluded during the race after the conviction of Alexander Vinokourov for illegal doping practises. In 2008, the Astana team will not be allowed to participate in the Tour.
Club Sport Founded League Venue
FC Astana Soccer 1964 Kazakhstan Super League K.Munaitpasov Stadium
Team Astana Cycling 2006 UCI ProTour
Astana-Tigers Basketball – Kazakh Basketball League -
Barys Astana Ice hockey 1999 Kazakh Ice Hockey League, Russian Vysshaya Liga
[edit] Transport
Astana International Airport was designed by the late Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
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Қазақстан Республикасы
Qazaqstan Respublïkası
Республика Казахстан
Respublika Kazakhstan
Republic of Kazakhstan
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem
My Kazakhstan
Capital Astana
51°10′N, 71°30′E
Largest city Almaty
Official languages Kazakh (state language), Russian
Demonym Kazakh, Kazakhstani
Government Republic
- President Nursultan Nazarbayev
- Prime Minister Karim Masimov
Independence from the Soviet Union
- 1st Khanate 1361 as White Horde
- 2nd Khanate 1428 as Uzbek Horde
- 3rd Khanate 1465 as Kazakh Khanate
- Declared December 16, 1991
- Finalized December 25, 1991
Area
- Total 2,724,900 km² (9th)
1,052,085 sq mi
- Water (%) 1.7
Population
- January 2006 estimate 15,217,711 National Statistics Agency of Kazakhstan (62nd)
- 1999 census 14,953,100
- Density 5.4/km² (215th)
14.0/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate
- Total $145.5 billion (56th)
- Per capita $9,594 (66th)
Gini? (2003) 33.9 (medium)
HDI (2004) 0.774 (medium) (79th)
Currency Tenge (KZT)
Time zone West/East (UTC+5/+6)
- Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+5/+6)
Internet TLD .kz
Calling code +7
Kazakhstan, also spelled Kazakstan (Kazakh: Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, IPA: [qɑzɑqˈstɑn]; Russian: Казахстан, Kazakhstán, IPA: [kazəxˈstan]), officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of northern and central Eurasia. Ranked the ninth largest country in the world, it has a territory of 2,727,300 km² (greater than Western Europe). It is bordered by Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and China. The country also borders on a significant part of the Caspian Sea.
Although it is vast in size, much of the land consists of semi-desert (steppe) terrain. In terms of population, Kazakhstan ranks 62nd in the world, with a population density of less than 6 people per square kilometre (15 per sq. mi.). The total population has declined somewhat since independence, dropping from 16,464,464 in 1989 to 15,300,000 in 2006. [1] This is due to the emigration of Russians and Volga Germans, since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Kazakhstan, once the Kazakh SSR, is now a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Kazakh Khanate
1.2 Russian Empire
1.3 Soviet Union
1.4 Independence
2 Politics
2.1 Political system
2.2 Elections
2.3 Kazakh Intelligence Services
3 Provinces and raions
4 Geography
5 Economy
5.1 Overview
5.2 Agriculture
5.3 Natural resources
6 Foreign relations
7 Demographics
7.1 Population
7.2 Religion
7.3 Kazakhs and Kazakhstanis (terminology)
8 Education
9 Culture
9.1 Public holidays
10 See also
11 Bibliography
12 References
13 External links
History
Main article: History of Kazakhstan
Kazakh Khanate
Kazakhstan has been inhabited since the Stone Age: the region's climate and terrain are best suited for nomads practising pastoralism. Historians believe that humans first domesticated the horse in the region's vast steppes. While ancient cities Taraz (Aulie-Ata) and Hazrat-e Turkestan had long served as important way-stations along the Silk Road connecting East and West, real political consolidation only began with the Mongol invasion of the early thirteenth century AD. Under the Mongol Empire, administrative districts were established, and these eventually came under the emergent Kazakh Khanate (Ak Horde).
Throughout this period traditional nomadic life and a livestock-based economy continued to dominate the steppe. In the fifteenth century, a distinct Kazakh identity began to emerge among the Turkic tribes, a process which was consolidated by the mid-sixteenth century with the appearance of a distinctive Kazakh language, culture, and economy. Nevertheless, the region was the focus of ever-increasing disputes between the native Kazakh emirs and the neighboring Persian-speaking peoples to the south. By the early seventeen century, the Kazakh Khanate was struggling with the impact of tribal rivalries, which has effectively divided the population into the Great, Middle and Little (or Small) Hordes (jüz). Political disunion, tribal rivalries, and the diminishing importance of overland trade routes between East and West weakened the Kazakh Khanate.
Other challenges to Kazakh hegemony over the region came from the Oirats and Dzungars, Mongol peoples who attempted to reassert control over the territory. A Dzungar invasion (1723–1730) was crushed so completely by Abul Khair Khan and the Little Horde that the event became known as the "Great Disaster." The Kazakhs won major victories over the Dzungar at the Bulanty River (1726) and at the Battle of Anrakay in 1729.
Russian Empire
In the nineteenth century, the Russian Empire began to expand, and spread into Central Asia. The "Great Game" period is generally regarded as running from approximately 1813 to the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907. Following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 a second less intensive phase followed. The tsars effectively ruled over most of the territory belonging to what is now the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The Russian Empire introduced a system of administration and built military garrisons and barracks in its effort to establish a presence in Central Asia in the so-called "Great Game" between it and the United Kingdom. Russia enforced the Russian language in all schools and governmental organizations. Russian efforts to impose its system aroused the resentment of the Kazakh people, and by the 1860s, most Kazakhs resisted Russia's annexation largely because of the disruption it wrought upon the traditional nomadic lifestyle and livestock-based economy. The Kazakh national movement, which began in the late 1800s, sought to preserve the native language and identity.
From the 1890s onwards ever-larger numbers of Slavic settlers began colonising the territory of present-day Kazakhstan, in particular the province of Semirechye. The number of settlers rose still further once the Trans-Aral Railway from Orenburg to Tashkent was completed in 1906, and the movement was overseen and encouraged by a specially created Migration Department (Переселенческое Управление) in St. Petersburg.
The competition for land and water which ensued between the Kazakhs and the newcomers caused great resentment against colonial rule during the final years of Tsarist Russia, with the most serious uprising, the Central Asian Revolt, occurring in 1916. The Kazakhs attacked Russian and Cossack villages, killing indiscriminately. The Russians' revenge was merciless. A military force drove 300,000 Kazakhs to flee into the mountains or to China. When approximately 80,000 of them returned the next year, many of them were slaughtered by Tsarist forces. During the 1921-22 famine, another million Kazakhs died from starvation.
Soviet Union
Although there was a brief period of autonomy during the tumultuous period following the collapse of the Russian Empire, the Kazakhs eventually succumbed to Soviet rule. In 1920, the area of present-day Kazakhstan became an autonomous republic within Russia.
Soviet repression of the traditional elite, along with forced collectivization in late 1920s–1930s, brought mass hunger and led to unrest. Between 1926 and 1939, the Kazakh population declined by 22%, due to starvation, violence and mass emigration. Soviet rule, however, took hold, and a communist apparatus steadily worked to fully integrate Kazakhstan into the Soviet system. In 1936 Kazakhstan became a Soviet republic.
Kazakhstan experienced population inflows of millions exiled from other parts of the Soviet Union during the 1930s and 1940s; many of the deportation victims were deported to Siberia or Kazakhstan merely due to their ethnic heritage or beliefs, and were in many cases interned in some of the biggest Soviet labor camps. (See also: Population transfer in the Soviet Union, Involuntary settlements in the Soviet Union.) The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) contributed five national divisions to the Soviet Union's World War II effort. In 1947, two years after the end of the war, the Semipalatinsk Test Site, the USSR's main nuclear weapon test site was founded near the city of Semey.
The period of World War II marked an increase in industrialization and increased mineral extraction in support of the war effort. At the time of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's death, however, Kazakhstan still had an overwhelmingly agricultural-based economy. In 1953, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev initiated the ambitious "Virgin Lands" program to turn the traditional pasture lands of Kazakhstan into a major grain-producing region for the Soviet Union. The Virgin Lands policy, along with later modernizations under Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, accelerated the development of the agricultural sector, which remains the source of livelihood for a large percentage of Kazakhstan's population.
Growing tensions within Soviet society led to a demand for political and economic reforms, which came to a head in the 1980s. In December 1986, mass demonstrations by young ethnic Kazakhs, later called Jeltoksan riot, took place in Almaty to protest the replacement of the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Kazakh SSR Dinmukhamed Konayev with Gennady Kolbin from the Russian SFSR. Governmental troops suppressed the unrest, several people were killed and many demonstrators were jailed. In the waning days of Soviet rule, discontent continued to grow and find expression under Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of glasnost.
Independence
Caught up in the groundswell of Soviet republics seeking greater autonomy, Kazakhstan declared its sovereignty as a republic within the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in October 1990. Following the August 1991 abortive coup attempt in Moscow and the subsequent dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan declared independence on December 16, 1991. It was last of the Soviet republics to declare independence.
The years following independence have been marked by significant reforms to the Soviet-style economy and political monopoly on power. Under Nursultan Nazarbayev, who initially came to power in 1989 as the head of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan and was eventually elected President in 1991, Kazakhstan has made significant progress toward developing a market economy. The country has enjoyed significant economic growth since 2000, partly due to its large oil, gas, and mineral reserves.
But, democracy has not improved much since 1991. "In June 2007, Kazakhstan's parliament passed a law granting President Nursultan Nazarbayev lifetime powers and privileges, including access to future presidents, immunity from criminal prosecution, and influence over domestic and foreign policy. Critics say he has become a de facto "president for life."[2][3] Over the course of his ten years in power, Nazarbayev has repeatedly censored the press through arbitrary use of "slander" laws[4], blocked access to opposition web sites (9 November 1999), banned the Wahhabi religious sect (5 September 1998), drawn criticism from Amnesty International for excessive executions following specious trials (March 21, 1996) and harsh prison conditions (13 August 1996), and refused demands that the governors of Kazakhstan's 14 oblasts be elected, rather than appointed by the president (April 7, 2000)."
Politics
Nursultan NazarbayevMain article: Politics of Kazakhstan
Political system
Kazakhstan is a constitutional republic. The president is the head of state. The president also is the commander in chief of the armed forces and may veto legislation that has been passed by the Parliament. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Ministers and serves as Kazakhstan's head of government. There are three deputy prime ministers and 16 ministers in the Cabinet. Karim Masimov has served as the Prime Minister since 10 January 2007.
Kazakhstan has a bicameral Parliament, made up of the lower house (the Majilis) and upper house (the Senate). Single mandate districts popularly elect 67 seats in the Majilis; there also are ten members elected by party-list vote rather than by single mandate districts. The Senate has 39 members. Two senators are selected by each of the elected assemblies (Maslikhats) of Kazakhstan's 16 principal administrative divisions (14 regions, or oblasts, plus the cities of Astana and Almaty). The president appoints the remaining seven senators. Majilis deputies and the government both have the right of legislative initiative, though the government proposes most legislation considered by the Parliament.
Elections
Elections to the Majilis in September 2004 yielded a lower house dominated by the pro-government Otan party, headed by President Nazarbayev. Two other parties considered sympathetic to the president, including the agrarian-industrial bloc AIST and the Asar party, founded by President Nazarbayev’s daughter, won most of the remaining seats. Opposition parties, which were officially registered and competed in the elections, won a single seat during elections that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said fell short of international standards.
In 1999, Kazakhstan applied for observer status at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. The official response of the Assembly was that Kazakhstan could apply for full membership, because it is partially located in Europe, but that they would not be granted any status whatsoever at the Council until their democracy and human rights records improved.
On December 4, 2005, Nursultan Nazarbayev was reelected in a landslide victory. The electoral commission announced that he had won over 90% of the vote. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) concluded the election did not meet international standards despite some improvements in the administration of the election. Xinhua News Agency reported that observers from the People's Republic of China, responsible in overseeing 25 polling stations in Astana, found that voting in those polls was conducted in a "transparent and fair" manner. [3] Furthermore, Western governments were muted in their criticism of the election.
On August 17, 2007, elections to the lower house of parliament were held with the ruling Nur-Otan coalition winning every seat with 88% of the vote. Opposition parties made accusations of serious irregularities in the election.[5][6]
Kazakh Intelligence Services
Kazakhstan's National Security Committee (KNB) was established on 13 June 1992. It includes the Service of Internal Security, Military Counterintelligence, Border Guard, several Commando units, and Foreign Intelligence (Barlau). The latter is considered by many as the most important part of KNB. Its director is Major General Omirtai Bitimov.
Provinces and raions
Main articles: Provinces of Kazakhstan and Raions of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is divided into 14 provinces (облыстар) and two municipal districts (қалалар)*: Almaty (Taldykorgan), Almaty*, Akmola (Kokshetau), Aktobe, Astana*, Atyrau, West Kazakhstan Province (Oral), Mangystau Province (Aktau), South Kazakhstan Province (Shymkent), Pavlodar, Karaganda, Kostanay, Kyzylorda, East Kazakhstan Province (Oskemen), North Kazakhstan Province (Petropavl), Zhambyl Province (Taraz).
Note: Provinces 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 twenty years an area of 6,000 square kilometres (2,300 sq. mi); enclosing the Baikonur Cosmodrome and the city of Baikonur. Recently, the lease of Baikonur facilities was extended through 2050.[7]
Each province is headed by an Akim (provincial governor) appointed by the president. Municipal Akims are appointed by oblast Akims. The Government of Kazakhstan transferred its capital from Almaty to Astana on December 10, 1997.
The provinces are subdivided into raions.
Geography
Map of KazakhstanMain articles: Geography of Kazakhstan and List of cities in Kazakhstan
With an area of 2.7 million square kilometers (1.05 million sq. mi), Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country in the world and the largest landlocked country in the world. It is equivalent to the size of Western Europe. It shares borders of 6,846 kilometers (4,254 mi) with Russia, 2,203 kilometers (1,369 mi) with Uzbekistan, 1,533 kilometers (953 mi) with China, 1,051 kilometers (653 mi) with Kyrgyzstan, and 379 kilometers (235 mi) with Turkmenistan. Major cities include Astana (capital since December 1997), Almaty (the former capital), Karaganda, Shymkent (Chimkent), Semey (Semipalatinsk) and Turkestan.
Syrdarya river in Kyzylorda province.The terrain extends west to east from the Caspian Sea to the Altay Mountains and north to south from the plains of Western Siberia to the oases and deserts of Central Asia. The Kazakh Steppe(plain), with an area of around 804,500 square kilometres (310,600 sq. mi), occupies one-third of the country and is the world's largest dry steppe region. The steppe is characterized by large areas of grasslands and sandy regions. Important rivers and lakes include: the Aral Sea, Ili River, Irtysh River, Ishim River, Ural River, Charyn River and gorge, Lake Balkhash, and Lake Zaysan.
The climate is humid continental, with hot summers and colder winters. Precipitation varies between arid and semi-arid conditions.
The Charyn Canyon is 150-300 metres deep and 80 kilometres long, cutting through the red sandstone plateau and stretching along the Charyn River gorge in northern Tien Shan 'Heavenly Mountains' (200 km east of Almaty) at 43°21′1.16″N, 79°4′49.28″E . The steep canyon slopes, columns and arches rise to heights of 150-300 m. The inaccessibility of the canyon provided a safe haven for a rare ash tree that survived the Ice Age and is nowadays also grown in some other areas.
Economy
Main square in the new capital Astana (built 1998).Main article: Economy of Kazakhstan
Overview
The government of Kazakhstan plans to double its Gross domestic product (GDP) by 2008 and triple by 2015 compared to 2000. The GDP growth was stable in the last five years, and was higher than 9%. GDP growth in 2005 was 9.2%, and 9.4% in 2004. Kazakhstan's economy grew by 9.2% in 2003, buoyed by high world crude oil prices. GDP grew 9.5% in 2002; it grew 13.2% in 2001, up from 9.8% in 2000.
External opinion generally considers Kazakhstan's monetary policy to be well-managed. Its principal challenges in 2002 were to manage strong foreign currency inflows without sparking inflation. In 2003 inflation did not remain under control, registering at 6.8% instead of the forecast level of 5.3%-6.0%. In 2002 inflation was 6.6%, compared to 6.4% in 2001. In 2000 Kazakhstan became the first former Soviet republic to repay all of its debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), 7 years ahead of schedule. In March 2002, the U.S. Department of Commerce graduated Kazakhstan to market economy status under U.S. trade law. The change in status recognized substantive market economy reforms in the areas of currency convertibility, wage rate determination, openness to foreign investment, and government control over the means of production and allocation of resources.
In September 2002 Kazakhstan became the first country in the CIS to receive an investment-grade credit rating from a major international credit rating agency. As of late December 2003, Kazakhstan's gross foreign debt was about $22.9 billion. Total governmental debt was $4.2 billion. This amounts to 14% of the GDP. There has been a noticeable reduction in the ratio of debt to GDP observed in past years; the ratio of total governmental debt to GDP in 2000 was 21.7%, in 2001 it was 17.5%, and in 2002 it was 15.4%.
The upturn in economic growth, combined with the results of earlier tax and financial sector reforms, dramatically improved government finances from the 1999 budget deficit level of 3.5% of GDP to a deficit of 1.2% of GDP in 2003. Government revenues grew from 19.8% of GDP in 1999 to 22.6% of GDP in 2001, but decreased to 16.2% of GDP in 2003. In 2000, Kazakhstan adopted a new tax code in an effort to consolidate these gains. On November 29, 2003 the Law on Changes to Tax Code was adopted, which reduced tax rates. The value added tax fell from 16% to 15%, the social tax from 21% to 20%, and the personal income tax from 30% to 20%. (On July 7, 2006 the personal income tax was reduced even further to a flat rate of 5% for personal income in the form of dividends and 10% for other personal income.) Kazakhstan furthered its reforms by adopting a new land code on June 20, 2003, and a new customs code on April 5, 2003.
Energy is the leading economic sector. Production of crude oil and natural gas condensate in Kazakhstan amounted to 51.2 million tons in 2003, which was 8.6% more than in 2002. Kazakhstan raised oil and gas condensate exports to 44.3 million tons in 2003, 13% higher than in 2002. Gas production in Kazakhstan in 2003 amounted to 13.9 billion cubic meters (491 billion cu. ft), up 22.7% compared to 2002, including natural gas production of 7.3 billion cubic meters (258 billion cu. ft); Kazakhstan holds about 4 billion tons of proven recoverable oil reserves and 2,000 cubic kilometers (480 cu mi) of gas. Industry analysts believe that planned expansion of oil production, coupled with the development of new fields, will enable the country to produce as much as 3 million barrels (477,000 m³) per day by 2015, lifting Kazakhstan into the ranks of the world's top 10 oil-producing nations. Kazakhstan's 2003 oil exports were valued at more than $7 billion, representing 65% of overall exports and 24% of the GDP. Major oil and gas fields and their recoverable oil reserves are Tengiz with 7 billion barrels (1.1 km³); Karachaganak with 8 billion barrels (1.3 km³) and 1,350 km³ of natural gas); and Kashagan with 7 to 9 billion barrels (1.1 to 1.4 km³).
Kazakhstan instituted an ambitious pension reform program in 1998. As of January 1, 2005, the pension assets were about $4.1 billion. There are 16 saving pension funds in the republic. The State Accumulating Pension Fund, the only state-owned fund, could be privatized as early as 2006. The country's unified financial regulatory agency oversees and regulates the pension funds. The pension funds' growing demand for quality investment outlets triggered rapid development of the debt securities market. Pension fund capital is being invested almost exclusively in corporate and government bonds, including Government of Kazakhstan Eurobonds. The Kazakhstani banking system is developing rapidly. The banking system's capitalization now exceeds $1 billion. The National Bank has introduced deposit insurance in its campaign to strengthen the banking sector. Several major foreign banks have branches in Kazakhstan, including ABN AMRO, Citibank, and HSBC.
Agriculture
A meat vendor at the Green Market in Almaty, Kazakhstan.Main article: Agriculture in Kazakhstan
Agriculture accounted for 13.6% of Kazakhstan's GDP in 2003. Grain (Kazakhstan is the sixth-largest producer in the world) and livestock are the most important agricultural commodities. Agricultural land occupies more than 846,000 square kilometres (327,000 sq. mi). The available agricultural land consists of 205,000 square kilometres (79,000 sq. mi) of arable land and 611,000 square kilometres (236,000 sq. mi) of pasture and hay land. Chief livestock products are dairy products, leather, meat, and wool. The country's major crops include wheat, barley, cotton, and rice. Wheat exports, a major source of hard currency, rank among the leading commodities in Kazakhstan's export trade. In 2003 Kazakhstan harvested 17.6 million tons of grain in gross, 2.8% higher compared to 2002. Kazakh agriculture still has many environmental problems from mismanagement during its years in the Soviet Union. Some Kazakh wine is produced in the mountains to the east of Almaty.
Wild Malus sieversii apple in KazakhstanKazakhstan is thought to be part of the original home of the apple, particularly the wild ancestor of Malus domestica is Malus sieversii. It has no common name in English, but is known in Kazakhstan, where it is native, as 'alma'; in fact, the region where it is thought to originate is called Alma-Ata, or 'father of the apples'. This tree is still found wild in the mountains of Central Asia in southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Xinjiang, China.
Natural resources
Kazakhstan has an abundant supply of accessible mineral and fossil fuel resources. Development of petroleum, natural gas, and mineral extraction has attracted most of the over $40 billion in foreign investment in Kazakhstan since 1993 and accounts for some 57% of the nation's industrial output (or approximately 13% of gross domestic product). According to some estimates[8], Kazakhstan has the second largest uranium, chromium, lead, and zinc reserves, the third largest manganese reserves, the fifth largest copper reserves, and ranks in the top ten for coal, iron, and gold. It is also an exporter of diamonds and potassium.
In total, there are 160 deposits with over 2.7 billion tons of petroleum. Oil explorations have shown that the deposits on the Caspian shore are only a small part of a much larger deposit. It is said that 3.5 billion tons of oil and 2.5 trillion cubic meters of gas could be found in that area. Overall the estimate of Kazakhstan's oil deposits is 6.1 billion tons. However, there are only 3 refineries within the country, situated in Atyrau, Pavlodar, and Shymkent. These are not capable of processing the total crude output so much of it is exported to Russia.
Foreign relations
Main article: Foreign relations of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan has stable relationships with all of its neighbors. Kazakhstan is also a member of the United Nations, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). It is an active participant in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Partnership for Peace program. Kazakhstan is also a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Economic Cooperation Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization along with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The nations of Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan established the Eurasian Economic Community in 2000 to re-energize earlier efforts at harmonizing trade tariffs and the creation of a free trade zone under a customs union.
Since independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has pursued what is known as the multidimensional foreign policy (многовекторная внешняя политика), seeking equally good relations with two large neighbors, Russia and China, and the United States and the West generally. The policy has yielded results in the oil and gas sector, where companies from the U.S., Russia, China, and Europe are present at all major fields, and in the multidimensional directions of oil export pipelines out of Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan also enjoys strong, and rapidly developing, political and economic ties with Turkey.
Kazakhstan possesses the most major Soviet cosmodrome, where the first man was launched in space as well as Soviet space shuttle Buran and the well-known space station Mir. Russia currently leases approximately 6,000 km² (2,300 mi²) of territory enclosing the Baikonur Cosmodrome space launch site in south central Kazakhstan.
On June 18, 2006, Kazakhstan became a space-faring nation in its own right when its first commercial satellite, KazSat 1, was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on a Russian-built and operated Proton rocket. [4]
In September 2006, President Nazarbayev visited the United States, where he met President George W. Bush at the Oval Office and several key members of the U.S. Administration and Congress. While in Washington, President Nazarbayev unveiled the Monument of Independence of Kazakhstan and addressed a large gathering of the political and business elite on Kazakhstan's approach to nuclear nonproliferation.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Kazakhstan
Population
Mosque in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan; Kazakhs predominately follow Sunni Islam.The population is estimated to be 63% ethnic Kazakhs and 23% ethnic Russian, with a rich array of other groups represented, including Tatars, Uzbeks, Bashkirs, Uyghurs and Ukrainians. Some minorities such as Russian Germans (esp.Volga Germans), Ukrainians and Russian political opponents of the regime had been deported to Kazakhstan in the 1930s and 1940s by Stalin. Some of the bigger Soviet labor camps existed in Kazakhstan. Significant Russian immigration also connected with Virgin Lands Campaign and Soviet space program during Khrushchev era. There is also a small but active Jewish community. Before 1991 there were one million Volga Germans in Kazakhstan; most of them emigrated to Germany following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Most members of the smaller Pontian Greek minority have emigrated to Greece. The main religious groups are Muslim (mainly Sunni) 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, and other 7%. [5]
Kazakhstan is a bilingual country: the Kazakh language, spoken by 64.4% of the population, has the status of the "state" language, while Russian, which is spoken by almost all Kazakhstanis, is declared the "official" language, and is used routinely in business.
The 1990s were marked by the emigration of many of the country's Europeans, a process that began in the 1970s; this was a major factor in giving the autochthonous Kazakhs a majority along with higher Kazakh birthrates and ethnic Kazakh immigration from the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, and Russia. In the early twenty first century, Kazakhstan has become one of the leading nations in international adoptions.
Table: Ethnic Composition of Kazakhstan (census data)[9] [10] [11]
Nationality 1897 % 1911 % 1926 % 1939 % 1959 % 1970 % 1979 % 1989 % 1999 % 2006 %
Kazakh 73.9 60.8 59.5 38.0 30.0 32.6 36.0 39.7 53.4 59.2
Russian 12.8 27.0 18.0 40.2 42.7 42.4 40.8 37.4 29.9 25.6
Ukrainian * * 12.4 10.8 8.2 7.2 6.1 5.4 3.7 2.9
German - - 0.7 1.5 7.1 6.6 6.1 5.8 2.4 1.4
Tatar 1.1 1.1 0.7 1.6 1.5 2.2 2.1 2.0 1.7 1.5
Uzbek 1.3 1.1 3.2 1.7 1.1 1.7 1.8 2.0 2.5 2.9
Belarusian * * - 0.5 1.2 1.5 1.2 1.1 0.8 -
Uighur - - - - 0.6 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.4 1.5
Korean - - - - 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 -
* For 1897 and 1911 "Russians" include all Slavs.
Religion
Dzhalilov, Z. (2006). Islam and Society in Modern Kazakhstan. Almaty: Daik-Press, pp.185.
Religious Organizations % , as of 2003
Islam 53.7
Russian Orthodox Church 7.8
Roman Catholic Church 2.9
Evangelical Christians, Baptists 12.3
Lutherans 3.2
Seventh Day Adventists 3.3
Jehovah’s Witnesses 4.2
Pentecostals 1.4
Newly founded 11.1
Others 3.0
The country has historically hosted a wide variety of ethnic groups with varying religions. Tolerance to other societies has become a part of the Kazakh culture. Foundation of an Independent republic, following the disintegration of the USSR, has launched a great deal of changes in every aspect of people’s lives. Religiosity of the population, as an essential part of any cultural identity, has undergone dynamic transformations as well.
After decades of suppressed culture, the people were feeling a great need for exhibiting their ethnical identity – in part through the religion. Quantitative research shows that for the first years after the establishment of the new laws, waiving any restrictions on religious beliefs and proclaiming full freedom of confessions, the country experienced a huge spike in religious activity of its citizens. Hundreds of Mosques, Synagogues’, Churches, and the likes were built in a matter of years. All represented religions benefited from increased number of members and facilities. Many confessions that were absent before independence made their way into the country, appealing to hundreds of people. The government supported this activity, and has done its best to provide equality among all religious organizations and their followers. In late 1990’s, however, a slight decline in religiosity occurred.
Radical religious organizations, despite a popular belief, are of little danger to the national security. The few organizations that were uncovered are being investigated thoroughly by the proper committee. Therefore, Kazakhstan has a very diverse, stable, and safe religious background – a truly exceptional occurrence.
Kazakhs and Kazakhstanis (terminology)
For many years, Russians often outnumbered the Kazakhs in many parts of the area known today as Kazakhstan. Even now, Russians and people of other ethnic origins play an important role in the economy and government and consider the country their home.
The Russian term казахстанец (Kazakhstani) was coined to describe all inhabitants of Kazakhstan, including non-Kazakhs.[12] The word "Kazakh" is generally used to refer to people of actual Kazakh descent (including those living in China, Afghanistan, and other Central Asian countries).
The ethnonym Kazakh is derived from an ancient Turkic word "independent, a free spirit". It is the result of Kazakhs' nomadic horseback culture and is related to the term "cossack". The Avestan/Old Persian (See Indo-European languages) word "stan" means "land" or "place of".
Education
Main article: Education in Kazakhstan
Education is universal and mandatory through to the secondary level and the adult literacy rate is 99.5%. Education consists of three main educational phases: primary education (forms 1–4), basic general education (forms 5–9) and senior level education (forms 10–11 or 12) divided into continued general education and professional education. (Primary education is preceded by one year of pre-school education.) These three levels of education can be followed in one institution or in different ones (e.g. primary school, then secondary school). Recently, several secondary schools, specialized schools, magnet schools, gymnasiums, lyceums, linguistic and technical gymnasiums, have been founded. Secondary professional education is offered in special professional or technical schools, lyceums or colleges and vocational schools.
At present, there are universities, academies, and institutes, conservatories, higher schools and higher colleges. There are three main levels: basic higher education that provides the fundamentals of the chosen field of study and leads to the award of the Bachelor's degree; specialized higher education after which students are awarded the Specialist's Diploma; and scientific-pedagogical higher education which leads to the Master's Degree. Postgraduate education leads to the Kandidat Nauk (Candidate of Sciences) and the Doctor of Sciences. With the adoption of the Laws on Education and on Higher Education, a private sector has been established and several private institutions have been licensed.
Culture
Riders in traditional dress demonstrate Kazakhstan's equestrian culture by playing a kissing game, Kyz Kuu ("Chase the Girl"), one of a number of traditional games played on horseback [2].Main article: Culture of Kazakhstan
See also: Music of Kazakhstan
Before the Russian conquest, the Kazaks had a well-articulated culture based on their nomadic pastoral economy. Although Islam was introduced to most of the Kazaks in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the religion was not fully assimilated until much later. As a result, it coexisted with earlier elements of Tengriism. Traditional Kazak belief held that separate spirits inhabited and animated the earth, sky, water, and fire, as well as domestic animals. To this day, particularly honored guests in rural settings are treated to a feast of freshly killed lamb. Such guests are sometimes asked to bless the lamb and to ask its spirit for permission to partake of its flesh. Besides lamb, many other traditional foods retain symbolic value in Kazak culture.
Because animal husbandry was central to the Kazaks' traditional lifestyle, most of their nomadic practices and customs relate in some way to livestock. Traditional curses and blessings invoked disease or fecundity among animals, and good manners required that a person ask first about the health of a man's livestock when greeting him and only afterward inquire about the human aspects of his life.
Kazakhstan has a large modern music following, evident in its participation in the western style- pop idol. Asiatic versions of the guitar prevail as popular musical instruments. One of the greatest performances of the Kazak pop idol involved a "freestyljo" remix using this Asiatic instrument. Kazaks are known for their love of music, dance and festival in general.
Public holidays
Date English name Local name
January 1 New Year's Day Жаңа жыл / Новый Год
January 7 Eastern Orthodox Christmas Рождество Христово Not an official state holiday, but a day-off.
Last day of Hajj Qurban Ait* Құрбан айт
March 8 International Women's Day Халықаралық әйелдер күні / Международный женский день
March 22 Nauryz Meyrami Наурыз мейрамы Traditionally a springtime holiday marking the beginning of a new year, sometimes as late as April 21.
May 1 Kazakhstan People’s Unity Day Қазақстан халқының бірлігі мерекесі / Праздник единства народа Казахстана
May 9 World War II Victory Day Жеңіс күні / День Победы A holiday in the former Soviet Union carried over to present-day Kazakhstan and other former republics.
August 30 Constitution Day Қазақстан Республикасының Конституциясы күні / День Конституции Республики Казахстан
October 25 Republic Day Республика күні / День Республики
December 16 Independence Day Тәуелсіздік куні / День независимости
* Eid al-Adha, the Islamic Feast of the Sacrifice.
See also
Kaindy LakeCentral Asian Union
Baikonur Cosmodrome
Communications in Kazakhstan
Elections in Kazakhstan
Environmental issues in Kazakhstan
Foreign relations of Kazakhstan
Human rights in Kazakhstan
Kazakh historical figures
Kazakh cuisine
Kazakh Steppe
Kipchaks
Media of Kazakhstan
Military of Kazakhstan
Postage stamps and postal history
Schools in Kazakhstan
Scouting in Kazakhstan
Sports in Kazakhstan
Transportation in Kazakhstan
Islam in Kazakhstan
Jews in Kazakhstan
Germans of Kazakhstan
Russians in Kazakhstan
Koreans in Kazakhstan
Bibliography
Kazakhs by Martha Brill Olcott
Epicenter of Peace by Nursultan Nazarbayev
Kazakhstan: Coming of Age by Michael Furgus and Janar Jandosova
Kazakhstan: Power and the Elite Sally Cummings
Kazakhstan: Unfulfilled Promise Martha Brill Olcott
Lonely Planet Guide: Central Asia by Paul Clammer, Michael Kohn and Bradley Mayhew
The Lost Heart of Asia by Colin Thubron
Once in Kazakhstan : The Snow Leopard Emerges Keith Rosten
Post-Soviet Chaos: Violence and Dispossession in Kazakhstan by Joma Nazpary
The Russian Colonization of Kazakhstan by George Demko
Uneasy Alliance: Relations Between Russia and Kazakhstan in the Post-Soviet Era, 1992-1997 by Mikhail Alexandrov
Journey into Kazakhstan: The True Face of the Nazabayev Regime Alexandra George
Law and Custom in the Steppe by Virginia Martin
Silk Road to Ruin: Is Central Asia the New Middle East by Ted Rall
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Қазақстан Республикасы
Qazaqstan Respublïkası
Республика Казахстан
Respublika Kazakhstan
Republic of Kazakhstan
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem
My Kazakhstan
Capital Astana
51°10′N, 71°30′E
Largest city Almaty
Official languages Kazakh (state language), Russian
Demonym Kazakh, Kazakhstani
Government Republic
- President Nursultan Nazarbayev
- Prime Minister Karim Masimov
Independence from the Soviet Union
- 1st Khanate 1361 as White Horde
- 2nd Khanate 1428 as Uzbek Horde
- 3rd Khanate 1465 as Kazakh Khanate
- Declared December 16, 1991
- Finalized December 25, 1991
Area
- Total 2,724,900 km² (9th)
1,052,085 sq mi
- Water (%) 1.7
Population
- January 2006 estimate 15,217,711 National Statistics Agency of Kazakhstan (62nd)
- 1999 census 14,953,100
- Density 5.4/km² (215th)
14.0/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate
- Total $145.5 billion (56th)
- Per capita $9,594 (66th)
Gini? (2003) 33.9 (medium)
HDI (2004) 0.774 (medium) (79th)
Currency Tenge (KZT)
Time zone West/East (UTC+5/+6)
- Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+5/+6)
Internet TLD .kz
Calling code +7
Kazakhstan, also spelled Kazakstan (Kazakh: Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, IPA: [qɑzɑqˈstɑn]; Russian: Казахстан, Kazakhstán, IPA: [kazəxˈstan]), officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of northern and central Eurasia. Ranked the ninth largest country in the world, it has a territory of 2,727,300 km² (greater than Western Europe). It is bordered by Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and China. The country also borders on a significant part of the Caspian Sea.
Although it is vast in size, much of the land consists of semi-desert (steppe) terrain. In terms of population, Kazakhstan ranks 62nd in the world, with a population density of less than 6 people per square kilometre (15 per sq. mi.). The total population has declined somewhat since independence, dropping from 16,464,464 in 1989 to 15,300,000 in 2006. [1] This is due to the emigration of Russians and Volga Germans, since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Kazakhstan, once the Kazakh SSR, is now a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Kazakh Khanate
1.2 Russian Empire
1.3 Soviet Union
1.4 Independence
2 Politics
2.1 Political system
2.2 Elections
2.3 Kazakh Intelligence Services
3 Provinces and raions
4 Geography
5 Economy
5.1 Overview
5.2 Agriculture
5.3 Natural resources
6 Foreign relations
7 Demographics
7.1 Population
7.2 Religion
7.3 Kazakhs and Kazakhstanis (terminology)
8 Education
9 Culture
9.1 Public holidays
10 See also
11 Bibliography
12 References
13 External links
History
Main article: History of Kazakhstan
Kazakh Khanate
Kazakhstan has been inhabited since the Stone Age: the region's climate and terrain are best suited for nomads practising pastoralism. Historians believe that humans first domesticated the horse in the region's vast steppes. While ancient cities Taraz (Aulie-Ata) and Hazrat-e Turkestan had long served as important way-stations along the Silk Road connecting East and West, real political consolidation only began with the Mongol invasion of the early thirteenth century AD. Under the Mongol Empire, administrative districts were established, and these eventually came under the emergent Kazakh Khanate (Ak Horde).
Throughout this period traditional nomadic life and a livestock-based economy continued to dominate the steppe. In the fifteenth century, a distinct Kazakh identity began to emerge among the Turkic tribes, a process which was consolidated by the mid-sixteenth century with the appearance of a distinctive Kazakh language, culture, and economy. Nevertheless, the region was the focus of ever-increasing disputes between the native Kazakh emirs and the neighboring Persian-speaking peoples to the south. By the early seventeen century, the Kazakh Khanate was struggling with the impact of tribal rivalries, which has effectively divided the population into the Great, Middle and Little (or Small) Hordes (jüz). Political disunion, tribal rivalries, and the diminishing importance of overland trade routes between East and West weakened the Kazakh Khanate.
Other challenges to Kazakh hegemony over the region came from the Oirats and Dzungars, Mongol peoples who attempted to reassert control over the territory. A Dzungar invasion (1723–1730) was crushed so completely by Abul Khair Khan and the Little Horde that the event became known as the "Great Disaster." The Kazakhs won major victories over the Dzungar at the Bulanty River (1726) and at the Battle of Anrakay in 1729.
Russian Empire
In the nineteenth century, the Russian Empire began to expand, and spread into Central Asia. The "Great Game" period is generally regarded as running from approximately 1813 to the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907. Following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 a second less intensive phase followed. The tsars effectively ruled over most of the territory belonging to what is now the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The Russian Empire introduced a system of administration and built military garrisons and barracks in its effort to establish a presence in Central Asia in the so-called "Great Game" between it and the United Kingdom. Russia enforced the Russian language in all schools and governmental organizations. Russian efforts to impose its system aroused the resentment of the Kazakh people, and by the 1860s, most Kazakhs resisted Russia's annexation largely because of the disruption it wrought upon the traditional nomadic lifestyle and livestock-based economy. The Kazakh national movement, which began in the late 1800s, sought to preserve the native language and identity.
From the 1890s onwards ever-larger numbers of Slavic settlers began colonising the territory of present-day Kazakhstan, in particular the province of Semirechye. The number of settlers rose still further once the Trans-Aral Railway from Orenburg to Tashkent was completed in 1906, and the movement was overseen and encouraged by a specially created Migration Department (Переселенческое Управление) in St. Petersburg.
The competition for land and water which ensued between the Kazakhs and the newcomers caused great resentment against colonial rule during the final years of Tsarist Russia, with the most serious uprising, the Central Asian Revolt, occurring in 1916. The Kazakhs attacked Russian and Cossack villages, killing indiscriminately. The Russians' revenge was merciless. A military force drove 300,000 Kazakhs to flee into the mountains or to China. When approximately 80,000 of them returned the next year, many of them were slaughtered by Tsarist forces. During the 1921-22 famine, another million Kazakhs died from starvation.
Soviet Union
Although there was a brief period of autonomy during the tumultuous period following the collapse of the Russian Empire, the Kazakhs eventually succumbed to Soviet rule. In 1920, the area of present-day Kazakhstan became an autonomous republic within Russia.
Soviet repression of the traditional elite, along with forced collectivization in late 1920s–1930s, brought mass hunger and led to unrest. Between 1926 and 1939, the Kazakh population declined by 22%, due to starvation, violence and mass emigration. Soviet rule, however, took hold, and a communist apparatus steadily worked to fully integrate Kazakhstan into the Soviet system. In 1936 Kazakhstan became a Soviet republic.
Kazakhstan experienced population inflows of millions exiled from other parts of the Soviet Union during the 1930s and 1940s; many of the deportation victims were deported to Siberia or Kazakhstan merely due to their ethnic heritage or beliefs, and were in many cases interned in some of the biggest Soviet labor camps. (See also: Population transfer in the Soviet Union, Involuntary settlements in the Soviet Union.) The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) contributed five national divisions to the Soviet Union's World War II effort. In 1947, two years after the end of the war, the Semipalatinsk Test Site, the USSR's main nuclear weapon test site was founded near the city of Semey.
The period of World War II marked an increase in industrialization and increased mineral extraction in support of the war effort. At the time of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's death, however, Kazakhstan still had an overwhelmingly agricultural-based economy. In 1953, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev initiated the ambitious "Virgin Lands" program to turn the traditional pasture lands of Kazakhstan into a major grain-producing region for the Soviet Union. The Virgin Lands policy, along with later modernizations under Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, accelerated the development of the agricultural sector, which remains the source of livelihood for a large percentage of Kazakhstan's population.
Growing tensions within Soviet society led to a demand for political and economic reforms, which came to a head in the 1980s. In December 1986, mass demonstrations by young ethnic Kazakhs, later called Jeltoksan riot, took place in Almaty to protest the replacement of the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Kazakh SSR Dinmukhamed Konayev with Gennady Kolbin from the Russian SFSR. Governmental troops suppressed the unrest, several people were killed and many demonstrators were jailed. In the waning days of Soviet rule, discontent continued to grow and find expression under Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of glasnost.
Independence
Caught up in the groundswell of Soviet republics seeking greater autonomy, Kazakhstan declared its sovereignty as a republic within the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in October 1990. Following the August 1991 abortive coup attempt in Moscow and the subsequent dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan declared independence on December 16, 1991. It was last of the Soviet republics to declare independence.
The years following independence have been marked by significant reforms to the Soviet-style economy and political monopoly on power. Under Nursultan Nazarbayev, who initially came to power in 1989 as the head of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan and was eventually elected President in 1991, Kazakhstan has made significant progress toward developing a market economy. The country has enjoyed significant economic growth since 2000, partly due to its large oil, gas, and mineral reserves.
But, democracy has not improved much since 1991. "In June 2007, Kazakhstan's parliament passed a law granting President Nursultan Nazarbayev lifetime powers and privileges, including access to future presidents, immunity from criminal prosecution, and influence over domestic and foreign policy. Critics say he has become a de facto "president for life."[2][3] Over the course of his ten years in power, Nazarbayev has repeatedly censored the press through arbitrary use of "slander" laws[4], blocked access to opposition web sites (9 November 1999), banned the Wahhabi religious sect (5 September 1998), drawn criticism from Amnesty International for excessive executions following specious trials (March 21, 1996) and harsh prison conditions (13 August 1996), and refused demands that the governors of Kazakhstan's 14 oblasts be elected, rather than appointed by the president (April 7, 2000)."
Politics
Nursultan NazarbayevMain article: Politics of Kazakhstan
Political system
Kazakhstan is a constitutional republic. The president is the head of state. The president also is the commander in chief of the armed forces and may veto legislation that has been passed by the Parliament. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Ministers and serves as Kazakhstan's head of government. There are three deputy prime ministers and 16 ministers in the Cabinet. Karim Masimov has served as the Prime Minister since 10 January 2007.
Kazakhstan has a bicameral Parliament, made up of the lower house (the Majilis) and upper house (the Senate). Single mandate districts popularly elect 67 seats in the Majilis; there also are ten members elected by party-list vote rather than by single mandate districts. The Senate has 39 members. Two senators are selected by each of the elected assemblies (Maslikhats) of Kazakhstan's 16 principal administrative divisions (14 regions, or oblasts, plus the cities of Astana and Almaty). The president appoints the remaining seven senators. Majilis deputies and the government both have the right of legislative initiative, though the government proposes most legislation considered by the Parliament.
Elections
Elections to the Majilis in September 2004 yielded a lower house dominated by the pro-government Otan party, headed by President Nazarbayev. Two other parties considered sympathetic to the president, including the agrarian-industrial bloc AIST and the Asar party, founded by President Nazarbayev’s daughter, won most of the remaining seats. Opposition parties, which were officially registered and competed in the elections, won a single seat during elections that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said fell short of international standards.
In 1999, Kazakhstan applied for observer status at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. The official response of the Assembly was that Kazakhstan could apply for full membership, because it is partially located in Europe, but that they would not be granted any status whatsoever at the Council until their democracy and human rights records improved.
On December 4, 2005, Nursultan Nazarbayev was reelected in a landslide victory. The electoral commission announced that he had won over 90% of the vote. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) concluded the election did not meet international standards despite some improvements in the administration of the election. Xinhua News Agency reported that observers from the People's Republic of China, responsible in overseeing 25 polling stations in Astana, found that voting in those polls was conducted in a "transparent and fair" manner. [3] Furthermore, Western governments were muted in their criticism of the election.
On August 17, 2007, elections to the lower house of parliament were held with the ruling Nur-Otan coalition winning every seat with 88% of the vote. Opposition parties made accusations of serious irregularities in the election.[5][6]
Kazakh Intelligence Services
Kazakhstan's National Security Committee (KNB) was established on 13 June 1992. It includes the Service of Internal Security, Military Counterintelligence, Border Guard, several Commando units, and Foreign Intelligence (Barlau). The latter is considered by many as the most important part of KNB. Its director is Major General Omirtai Bitimov.
Provinces and raions
Main articles: Provinces of Kazakhstan and Raions of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is divided into 14 provinces (облыстар) and two municipal districts (қалалар)*: Almaty (Taldykorgan), Almaty*, Akmola (Kokshetau), Aktobe, Astana*, Atyrau, West Kazakhstan Province (Oral), Mangystau Province (Aktau), South Kazakhstan Province (Shymkent), Pavlodar, Karaganda, Kostanay, Kyzylorda, East Kazakhstan Province (Oskemen), North Kazakhstan Province (Petropavl), Zhambyl Province (Taraz).
Note: Provinces 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 twenty years an area of 6,000 square kilometres (2,300 sq. mi); enclosing the Baikonur Cosmodrome and the city of Baikonur. Recently, the lease of Baikonur facilities was extended through 2050.[7]
Each province is headed by an Akim (provincial governor) appointed by the president. Municipal Akims are appointed by oblast Akims. The Government of Kazakhstan transferred its capital from Almaty to Astana on December 10, 1997.
The provinces are subdivided into raions.
Geography
Map of KazakhstanMain articles: Geography of Kazakhstan and List of cities in Kazakhstan
With an area of 2.7 million square kilometers (1.05 million sq. mi), Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country in the world and the largest landlocked country in the world. It is equivalent to the size of Western Europe. It shares borders of 6,846 kilometers (4,254 mi) with Russia, 2,203 kilometers (1,369 mi) with Uzbekistan, 1,533 kilometers (953 mi) with China, 1,051 kilometers (653 mi) with Kyrgyzstan, and 379 kilometers (235 mi) with Turkmenistan. Major cities include Astana (capital since December 1997), Almaty (the former capital), Karaganda, Shymkent (Chimkent), Semey (Semipalatinsk) and Turkestan.
Syrdarya river in Kyzylorda province.The terrain extends west to east from the Caspian Sea to the Altay Mountains and north to south from the plains of Western Siberia to the oases and deserts of Central Asia. The Kazakh Steppe(plain), with an area of around 804,500 square kilometres (310,600 sq. mi), occupies one-third of the country and is the world's largest dry steppe region. The steppe is characterized by large areas of grasslands and sandy regions. Important rivers and lakes include: the Aral Sea, Ili River, Irtysh River, Ishim River, Ural River, Charyn River and gorge, Lake Balkhash, and Lake Zaysan.
The climate is humid continental, with hot summers and colder winters. Precipitation varies between arid and semi-arid conditions.
The Charyn Canyon is 150-300 metres deep and 80 kilometres long, cutting through the red sandstone plateau and stretching along the Charyn River gorge in northern Tien Shan 'Heavenly Mountains' (200 km east of Almaty) at 43°21′1.16″N, 79°4′49.28″E . The steep canyon slopes, columns and arches rise to heights of 150-300 m. The inaccessibility of the canyon provided a safe haven for a rare ash tree that survived the Ice Age and is nowadays also grown in some other areas.
Economy
Main square in the new capital Astana (built 1998).Main article: Economy of Kazakhstan
Overview
The government of Kazakhstan plans to double its Gross domestic product (GDP) by 2008 and triple by 2015 compared to 2000. The GDP growth was stable in the last five years, and was higher than 9%. GDP growth in 2005 was 9.2%, and 9.4% in 2004. Kazakhstan's economy grew by 9.2% in 2003, buoyed by high world crude oil prices. GDP grew 9.5% in 2002; it grew 13.2% in 2001, up from 9.8% in 2000.
External opinion generally considers Kazakhstan's monetary policy to be well-managed. Its principal challenges in 2002 were to manage strong foreign currency inflows without sparking inflation. In 2003 inflation did not remain under control, registering at 6.8% instead of the forecast level of 5.3%-6.0%. In 2002 inflation was 6.6%, compared to 6.4% in 2001. In 2000 Kazakhstan became the first former Soviet republic to repay all of its debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), 7 years ahead of schedule. In March 2002, the U.S. Department of Commerce graduated Kazakhstan to market economy status under U.S. trade law. The change in status recognized substantive market economy reforms in the areas of currency convertibility, wage rate determination, openness to foreign investment, and government control over the means of production and allocation of resources.
In September 2002 Kazakhstan became the first country in the CIS to receive an investment-grade credit rating from a major international credit rating agency. As of late December 2003, Kazakhstan's gross foreign debt was about $22.9 billion. Total governmental debt was $4.2 billion. This amounts to 14% of the GDP. There has been a noticeable reduction in the ratio of debt to GDP observed in past years; the ratio of total governmental debt to GDP in 2000 was 21.7%, in 2001 it was 17.5%, and in 2002 it was 15.4%.
The upturn in economic growth, combined with the results of earlier tax and financial sector reforms, dramatically improved government finances from the 1999 budget deficit level of 3.5% of GDP to a deficit of 1.2% of GDP in 2003. Government revenues grew from 19.8% of GDP in 1999 to 22.6% of GDP in 2001, but decreased to 16.2% of GDP in 2003. In 2000, Kazakhstan adopted a new tax code in an effort to consolidate these gains. On November 29, 2003 the Law on Changes to Tax Code was adopted, which reduced tax rates. The value added tax fell from 16% to 15%, the social tax from 21% to 20%, and the personal income tax from 30% to 20%. (On July 7, 2006 the personal income tax was reduced even further to a flat rate of 5% for personal income in the form of dividends and 10% for other personal income.) Kazakhstan furthered its reforms by adopting a new land code on June 20, 2003, and a new customs code on April 5, 2003.
Energy is the leading economic sector. Production of crude oil and natural gas condensate in Kazakhstan amounted to 51.2 million tons in 2003, which was 8.6% more than in 2002. Kazakhstan raised oil and gas condensate exports to 44.3 million tons in 2003, 13% higher than in 2002. Gas production in Kazakhstan in 2003 amounted to 13.9 billion cubic meters (491 billion cu. ft), up 22.7% compared to 2002, including natural gas production of 7.3 billion cubic meters (258 billion cu. ft); Kazakhstan holds about 4 billion tons of proven recoverable oil reserves and 2,000 cubic kilometers (480 cu mi) of gas. Industry analysts believe that planned expansion of oil production, coupled with the development of new fields, will enable the country to produce as much as 3 million barrels (477,000 m³) per day by 2015, lifting Kazakhstan into the ranks of the world's top 10 oil-producing nations. Kazakhstan's 2003 oil exports were valued at more than $7 billion, representing 65% of overall exports and 24% of the GDP. Major oil and gas fields and their recoverable oil reserves are Tengiz with 7 billion barrels (1.1 km³); Karachaganak with 8 billion barrels (1.3 km³) and 1,350 km³ of natural gas); and Kashagan with 7 to 9 billion barrels (1.1 to 1.4 km³).
Kazakhstan instituted an ambitious pension reform program in 1998. As of January 1, 2005, the pension assets were about $4.1 billion. There are 16 saving pension funds in the republic. The State Accumulating Pension Fund, the only state-owned fund, could be privatized as early as 2006. The country's unified financial regulatory agency oversees and regulates the pension funds. The pension funds' growing demand for quality investment outlets triggered rapid development of the debt securities market. Pension fund capital is being invested almost exclusively in corporate and government bonds, including Government of Kazakhstan Eurobonds. The Kazakhstani banking system is developing rapidly. The banking system's capitalization now exceeds $1 billion. The National Bank has introduced deposit insurance in its campaign to strengthen the banking sector. Several major foreign banks have branches in Kazakhstan, including ABN AMRO, Citibank, and HSBC.
Agriculture
A meat vendor at the Green Market in Almaty, Kazakhstan.Main article: Agriculture in Kazakhstan
Agriculture accounted for 13.6% of Kazakhstan's GDP in 2003. Grain (Kazakhstan is the sixth-largest producer in the world) and livestock are the most important agricultural commodities. Agricultural land occupies more than 846,000 square kilometres (327,000 sq. mi). The available agricultural land consists of 205,000 square kilometres (79,000 sq. mi) of arable land and 611,000 square kilometres (236,000 sq. mi) of pasture and hay land. Chief livestock products are dairy products, leather, meat, and wool. The country's major crops include wheat, barley, cotton, and rice. Wheat exports, a major source of hard currency, rank among the leading commodities in Kazakhstan's export trade. In 2003 Kazakhstan harvested 17.6 million tons of grain in gross, 2.8% higher compared to 2002. Kazakh agriculture still has many environmental problems from mismanagement during its years in the Soviet Union. Some Kazakh wine is produced in the mountains to the east of Almaty.
Wild Malus sieversii apple in KazakhstanKazakhstan is thought to be part of the original home of the apple, particularly the wild ancestor of Malus domestica is Malus sieversii. It has no common name in English, but is known in Kazakhstan, where it is native, as 'alma'; in fact, the region where it is thought to originate is called Alma-Ata, or 'father of the apples'. This tree is still found wild in the mountains of Central Asia in southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Xinjiang, China.
Natural resources
Kazakhstan has an abundant supply of accessible mineral and fossil fuel resources. Development of petroleum, natural gas, and mineral extraction has attracted most of the over $40 billion in foreign investment in Kazakhstan since 1993 and accounts for some 57% of the nation's industrial output (or approximately 13% of gross domestic product). According to some estimates[8], Kazakhstan has the second largest uranium, chromium, lead, and zinc reserves, the third largest manganese reserves, the fifth largest copper reserves, and ranks in the top ten for coal, iron, and gold. It is also an exporter of diamonds and potassium.
In total, there are 160 deposits with over 2.7 billion tons of petroleum. Oil explorations have shown that the deposits on the Caspian shore are only a small part of a much larger deposit. It is said that 3.5 billion tons of oil and 2.5 trillion cubic meters of gas could be found in that area. Overall the estimate of Kazakhstan's oil deposits is 6.1 billion tons. However, there are only 3 refineries within the country, situated in Atyrau, Pavlodar, and Shymkent. These are not capable of processing the total crude output so much of it is exported to Russia.
Foreign relations
Main article: Foreign relations of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan has stable relationships with all of its neighbors. Kazakhstan is also a member of the United Nations, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). It is an active participant in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Partnership for Peace program. Kazakhstan is also a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Economic Cooperation Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization along with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The nations of Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan established the Eurasian Economic Community in 2000 to re-energize earlier efforts at harmonizing trade tariffs and the creation of a free trade zone under a customs union.
Since independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has pursued what is known as the multidimensional foreign policy (многовекторная внешняя политика), seeking equally good relations with two large neighbors, Russia and China, and the United States and the West generally. The policy has yielded results in the oil and gas sector, where companies from the U.S., Russia, China, and Europe are present at all major fields, and in the multidimensional directions of oil export pipelines out of Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan also enjoys strong, and rapidly developing, political and economic ties with Turkey.
Kazakhstan possesses the most major Soviet cosmodrome, where the first man was launched in space as well as Soviet space shuttle Buran and the well-known space station Mir. Russia currently leases approximately 6,000 km² (2,300 mi²) of territory enclosing the Baikonur Cosmodrome space launch site in south central Kazakhstan.
On June 18, 2006, Kazakhstan became a space-faring nation in its own right when its first commercial satellite, KazSat 1, was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on a Russian-built and operated Proton rocket. [4]
In September 2006, President Nazarbayev visited the United States, where he met President George W. Bush at the Oval Office and several key members of the U.S. Administration and Congress. While in Washington, President Nazarbayev unveiled the Monument of Independence of Kazakhstan and addressed a large gathering of the political and business elite on Kazakhstan's approach to nuclear nonproliferation.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Kazakhstan
Population
Mosque in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan; Kazakhs predominately follow Sunni Islam.The population is estimated to be 63% ethnic Kazakhs and 23% ethnic Russian, with a rich array of other groups represented, including Tatars, Uzbeks, Bashkirs, Uyghurs and Ukrainians. Some minorities such as Russian Germans (esp.Volga Germans), Ukrainians and Russian political opponents of the regime had been deported to Kazakhstan in the 1930s and 1940s by Stalin. Some of the bigger Soviet labor camps existed in Kazakhstan. Significant Russian immigration also connected with Virgin Lands Campaign and Soviet space program during Khrushchev era. There is also a small but active Jewish community. Before 1991 there were one million Volga Germans in Kazakhstan; most of them emigrated to Germany following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Most members of the smaller Pontian Greek minority have emigrated to Greece. The main religious groups are Muslim (mainly Sunni) 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, and other 7%. [5]
Kazakhstan is a bilingual country: the Kazakh language, spoken by 64.4% of the population, has the status of the "state" language, while Russian, which is spoken by almost all Kazakhstanis, is declared the "official" language, and is used routinely in business.
The 1990s were marked by the emigration of many of the country's Europeans, a process that began in the 1970s; this was a major factor in giving the autochthonous Kazakhs a majority along with higher Kazakh birthrates and ethnic Kazakh immigration from the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, and Russia. In the early twenty first century, Kazakhstan has become one of the leading nations in international adoptions.
Table: Ethnic Composition of Kazakhstan (census data)[9] [10] [11]
Nationality 1897 % 1911 % 1926 % 1939 % 1959 % 1970 % 1979 % 1989 % 1999 % 2006 %
Kazakh 73.9 60.8 59.5 38.0 30.0 32.6 36.0 39.7 53.4 59.2
Russian 12.8 27.0 18.0 40.2 42.7 42.4 40.8 37.4 29.9 25.6
Ukrainian * * 12.4 10.8 8.2 7.2 6.1 5.4 3.7 2.9
German - - 0.7 1.5 7.1 6.6 6.1 5.8 2.4 1.4
Tatar 1.1 1.1 0.7 1.6 1.5 2.2 2.1 2.0 1.7 1.5
Uzbek 1.3 1.1 3.2 1.7 1.1 1.7 1.8 2.0 2.5 2.9
Belarusian * * - 0.5 1.2 1.5 1.2 1.1 0.8 -
Uighur - - - - 0.6 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.4 1.5
Korean - - - - 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 -
* For 1897 and 1911 "Russians" include all Slavs.
Religion
Dzhalilov, Z. (2006). Islam and Society in Modern Kazakhstan. Almaty: Daik-Press, pp.185.
Religious Organizations % , as of 2003
Islam 53.7
Russian Orthodox Church 7.8
Roman Catholic Church 2.9
Evangelical Christians, Baptists 12.3
Lutherans 3.2
Seventh Day Adventists 3.3
Jehovah’s Witnesses 4.2
Pentecostals 1.4
Newly founded 11.1
Others 3.0
The country has historically hosted a wide variety of ethnic groups with varying religions. Tolerance to other societies has become a part of the Kazakh culture. Foundation of an Independent republic, following the disintegration of the USSR, has launched a great deal of changes in every aspect of people’s lives. Religiosity of the population, as an essential part of any cultural identity, has undergone dynamic transformations as well.
After decades of suppressed culture, the people were feeling a great need for exhibiting their ethnical identity – in part through the religion. Quantitative research shows that for the first years after the establishment of the new laws, waiving any restrictions on religious beliefs and proclaiming full freedom of confessions, the country experienced a huge spike in religious activity of its citizens. Hundreds of Mosques, Synagogues’, Churches, and the likes were built in a matter of years. All represented religions benefited from increased number of members and facilities. Many confessions that were absent before independence made their way into the country, appealing to hundreds of people. The government supported this activity, and has done its best to provide equality among all religious organizations and their followers. In late 1990’s, however, a slight decline in religiosity occurred.
Radical religious organizations, despite a popular belief, are of little danger to the national security. The few organizations that were uncovered are being investigated thoroughly by the proper committee. Therefore, Kazakhstan has a very diverse, stable, and safe religious background – a truly exceptional occurrence.
Kazakhs and Kazakhstanis (terminology)
For many years, Russians often outnumbered the Kazakhs in many parts of the area known today as Kazakhstan. Even now, Russians and people of other ethnic origins play an important role in the economy and government and consider the country their home.
The Russian term казахстанец (Kazakhstani) was coined to describe all inhabitants of Kazakhstan, including non-Kazakhs.[12] The word "Kazakh" is generally used to refer to people of actual Kazakh descent (including those living in China, Afghanistan, and other Central Asian countries).
The ethnonym Kazakh is derived from an ancient Turkic word "independent, a free spirit". It is the result of Kazakhs' nomadic horseback culture and is related to the term "cossack". The Avestan/Old Persian (See Indo-European languages) word "stan" means "land" or "place of".
Education
Main article: Education in Kazakhstan
Education is universal and mandatory through to the secondary level and the adult literacy rate is 99.5%. Education consists of three main educational phases: primary education (forms 1–4), basic general education (forms 5–9) and senior level education (forms 10–11 or 12) divided into continued general education and professional education. (Primary education is preceded by one year of pre-school education.) These three levels of education can be followed in one institution or in different ones (e.g. primary school, then secondary school). Recently, several secondary schools, specialized schools, magnet schools, gymnasiums, lyceums, linguistic and technical gymnasiums, have been founded. Secondary professional education is offered in special professional or technical schools, lyceums or colleges and vocational schools.
At present, there are universities, academies, and institutes, conservatories, higher schools and higher colleges. There are three main levels: basic higher education that provides the fundamentals of the chosen field of study and leads to the award of the Bachelor's degree; specialized higher education after which students are awarded the Specialist's Diploma; and scientific-pedagogical higher education which leads to the Master's Degree. Postgraduate education leads to the Kandidat Nauk (Candidate of Sciences) and the Doctor of Sciences. With the adoption of the Laws on Education and on Higher Education, a private sector has been established and several private institutions have been licensed.
Culture
Riders in traditional dress demonstrate Kazakhstan's equestrian culture by playing a kissing game, Kyz Kuu ("Chase the Girl"), one of a number of traditional games played on horseback [2].Main article: Culture of Kazakhstan
See also: Music of Kazakhstan
Before the Russian conquest, the Kazaks had a well-articulated culture based on their nomadic pastoral economy. Although Islam was introduced to most of the Kazaks in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the religion was not fully assimilated until much later. As a result, it coexisted with earlier elements of Tengriism. Traditional Kazak belief held that separate spirits inhabited and animated the earth, sky, water, and fire, as well as domestic animals. To this day, particularly honored guests in rural settings are treated to a feast of freshly killed lamb. Such guests are sometimes asked to bless the lamb and to ask its spirit for permission to partake of its flesh. Besides lamb, many other traditional foods retain symbolic value in Kazak culture.
Because animal husbandry was central to the Kazaks' traditional lifestyle, most of their nomadic practices and customs relate in some way to livestock. Traditional curses and blessings invoked disease or fecundity among animals, and good manners required that a person ask first about the health of a man's livestock when greeting him and only afterward inquire about the human aspects of his life.
Kazakhstan has a large modern music following, evident in its participation in the western style- pop idol. Asiatic versions of the guitar prevail as popular musical instruments. One of the greatest performances of the Kazak pop idol involved a "freestyljo" remix using this Asiatic instrument. Kazaks are known for their love of music, dance and festival in general.
Public holidays
Date English name Local name
January 1 New Year's Day Жаңа жыл / Новый Год
January 7 Eastern Orthodox Christmas Рождество Христово Not an official state holiday, but a day-off.
Last day of Hajj Qurban Ait* Құрбан айт
March 8 International Women's Day Халықаралық әйелдер күні / Международный женский день
March 22 Nauryz Meyrami Наурыз мейрамы Traditionally a springtime holiday marking the beginning of a new year, sometimes as late as April 21.
May 1 Kazakhstan People’s Unity Day Қазақстан халқының бірлігі мерекесі / Праздник единства народа Казахстана
May 9 World War II Victory Day Жеңіс күні / День Победы A holiday in the former Soviet Union carried over to present-day Kazakhstan and other former republics.
August 30 Constitution Day Қазақстан Республикасының Конституциясы күні / День Конституции Республики Казахстан
October 25 Republic Day Республика күні / День Республики
December 16 Independence Day Тәуелсіздік куні / День независимости
* Eid al-Adha, the Islamic Feast of the Sacrifice.
See also
Kaindy LakeCentral Asian Union
Baikonur Cosmodrome
Communications in Kazakhstan
Elections in Kazakhstan
Environmental issues in Kazakhstan
Foreign relations of Kazakhstan
Human rights in Kazakhstan
Kazakh historical figures
Kazakh cuisine
Kazakh Steppe
Kipchaks
Media of Kazakhstan
Military of Kazakhstan
Postage stamps and postal history
Schools in Kazakhstan
Scouting in Kazakhstan
Sports in Kazakhstan
Transportation in Kazakhstan
Islam in Kazakhstan
Jews in Kazakhstan
Germans of Kazakhstan
Russians in Kazakhstan
Koreans in Kazakhstan
Bibliography
Kazakhs by Martha Brill Olcott
Epicenter of Peace by Nursultan Nazarbayev
Kazakhstan: Coming of Age by Michael Furgus and Janar Jandosova
Kazakhstan: Power and the Elite Sally Cummings
Kazakhstan: Unfulfilled Promise Martha Brill Olcott
Lonely Planet Guide: Central Asia by Paul Clammer, Michael Kohn and Bradley Mayhew
The Lost Heart of Asia by Colin Thubron
Once in Kazakhstan : The Snow Leopard Emerges Keith Rosten
Post-Soviet Chaos: Violence and Dispossession in Kazakhstan by Joma Nazpary
The Russian Colonization of Kazakhstan by George Demko
Uneasy Alliance: Relations Between Russia and Kazakhstan in the Post-Soviet Era, 1992-1997 by Mikhail Alexandrov
Journey into Kazakhstan: The True Face of the Nazabayev Regime Alexandra George
Law and Custom in the Steppe by Virginia Martin
Silk Road to Ruin: Is Central Asia the New Middle East by Ted Rall
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