Everything about Kazakhstan totally explained
Kazakhstan, also spelled
Kazakstan (
Qazaqstan, ;,
Kazakhstán, ), officially the
Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country in
Central Asia and
Europe. Ranked as the
ninth largest country in the world as well as the world's largest
landlocked country, 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.
Vast in size, the land in Kazakhstan is very diverse in types of terrain: flatlands, steppes, taigas, rock-canyons, hills, deltas, mountains, snow-capped mountains, and deserts. Kazakhstan has the
62nd largest population in the world, with a
population density of less than 6 people per square kilometre (15 per sq. mi.).
History
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.
Throughout this period traditional
nomadic life and a
livestock-based economy continued to dominate the
steppe. In the
15th century, a distinct
Kazakh identity began to emerge among the
Turkic tribes, a process which was consolidated by the mid-
16th 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
17th 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.
During the 17th century Kazakhs fought
Oirats, a federation of western
Mongol tribes, among which the
Dzungars were particularly aggressive. The beginning of the 18th century marked the zenith of the Kazakh Khanate. During this period the Little Horde participated in the 1723–1730 war against the Dzungars, following their "Great Disaster"
invasion of Kazakh territories. Under leadership
Abul Khair Khan the Kazakhs won major victories over the Dzungar at the
Bulanty River, in 1726, and at the
Battle of Anrakay in 1729.
Ablai Khan participated in the most significant battles against the Dzungars from the 1720s to the 1750s, for which he was declared a "batyr" ("hero") by the people. Kazakhs were also a victims of constant raids carried out by the Volga
Kalmyks.
Russian Empire
In the 19th 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. 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. The first Russian outpost,
Orsk, was built in 1735. Russia enforced the Russian language in all schools and governmental organizations. Russian efforts to impose its system aroused the extreme resentment by 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, and the associated hunger which was rapidly wiping out some Kazakh tribes. The Kazakh national movement, which began in the late 1800s, sought to preserve the native language and identity by resisting the attempts of the Russian Empire to assimilate and stifle them.
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 (
Alash Autonomy) during the tumultuous period following the collapse of the Russian Empire, many uprisings were brutally suppressed, and the Kazakhs eventually succumbed to
Soviet rule. In 1920, the area of present-day Kazakhstan became an
autonomous republic within
R.S.F.S.R..
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. Today, the estimates suggest that the population of Kazakhstan would be closer to 20 million if there was no starvation or massacre of Kazakhs. During the 1930s, many renowned Kazakh writers, thinkers, poets, politicians and historians were slaughtered on Stalin's orders, both as part of the repression and as a methodical pattern of suppressing Kazakh identity and culture. Soviet rule 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 brought mixed results. However, along with later modernizations under Soviet leader
Leonid Brezhnev, it accelerated the development of the agricultural sector which remains the source of livelihood for a large percentage of Kazakhstan's population. By 1959,
Kazakhs
made up 30% of the population. Ethnic
Russians accounted for 43%.
Growing tensions within Soviet society led to a demand for political and economic reforms, which came to a head in the 1980s. A factor that has contributed to this immensely was
Lavrentii Beria's decision to test a nuclear bomb on the territory of Kazakh SSR in Semipalatinsk (also known as Semey) in 1949. This had a catastrophic ecological and biological effect which was felt generations later, and Kazakh anger toward the Soviet system has escalated. 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 aborted
coup attempt in
Moscow and the subsequent
dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan declared
independence on
December 16,
1991. It was the 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 hasn't 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's become a de facto "president for life." Over the course of his ten years in power, Nazarbayev has repeatedly censored the press through arbitrary use of "slander" laws, 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 provinces be elected, rather than appointed by the president (
April 7 2000)."
Government
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 provinces, 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.
On the December 1 of 2007, it was revealed that Kazakhstan has been chosen to chair
OSCE for the year 2010.
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's partially located in Europe, but that they wouldn't 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'd won over 90% of the vote. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) concluded the election didn't 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. Furthermore, Western governments didn't express much criticism.
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. None of the opposition parties have reached the benchmark 7% level of the seats. This has lead some in the local media to question the competence and charisma of the opposition party leaders. Opposition parties made accusations of serious irregularities in the election.
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.
Geography
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,
Almaty,
Karagandy,
Shymkent,
Atyrau and
Oskemen.
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,
Syrdariya,
Charyn River and gorge,
Lake Balkhash, and
Lake Zaysan.
The climate is
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
Tian Shan ("Heavenly Mountains", 200 km east of
Almaty) at . 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.
Bigach crater is a
Pliocene or
Miocene impact
asteroid crater, in diameter and estimated at 5 ± 3 million years old at .
Provinces
Kazakhstan is divided into 14
provinces (
облыстар). The provinces are subdivided into
districts (
аудандар).
Province
| Capital |
Area (km.²) |
Population |
| Akmola |
Kokshetau |
121,400 |
829,000 |
| Aktobe |
Aktobe |
300,600 |
661,000 |
| Almaty(1) |
Almaty |
324.8 |
1,226,300 |
| Almaty Province |
Taldykorgan |
224,000 |
860,000 |
| Astana(1) |
Astana |
710.2 |
600,200 |
| Atyrau |
Atyrau |
118,600 |
380,000 |
| Baikonur(2) |
Baikonur |
57 |
70,000 |
| East Kazakhstan |
Oskemen |
283,300 |
897,000 |
| Karagandy |
Karagandy |
428,000 |
1,287,000 |
| Kostanay |
Kostanay |
196,000 |
975,000 |
| Kyzylorda |
Kyzylorda |
226,000 |
590,000 |
| Mangystau |
Aktau |
165,600 |
316,847 |
| North Kazakhstan |
Petropavl |
123,200 |
586,000 |
| Pavlodar |
Pavlodar |
124,800 |
851,000 |
| South Kazakhstan |
Shymkent |
118,600 |
1,644,000 |
| West Kazakhstan |
Oral |
151,300 |
599,000 |
| Zhambyl |
Taraz |
144,000 |
962,000 |
|
|
Each province is headed by an Akim (provincial governor) appointed by the president. Municipal Akims are appointed by province Akims. The Government of Kazakhstan transferred its capital from Almaty to Astana on
December 10,
1997.
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP) by 2008 and triple it by 2015 as compared to 2000. GDP growth has been stable in the last five years, at a rate higher than 9%. Buoyed by high world
crude oil prices, GDP growth figures were in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005: 9.8%, 13.2%, 9.5%, 9.2%, 9.4%, and 9.2%, respectively. Other major exports of Kazakhstan include wheat, textile, and livestock. Kazakhstan forecasts that it'll become the world's leading exporter of uranium by the year 2010.
Kazakhstan's
monetary policy is generally considered by outside observers to be well-managed. Its principal challenge since 2002 has been to manage strong foreign currency inflows without sparking
inflation. Since that time, inflation hasn't been under control, registering at 6.6% in 2002, 6.8% in 2003, and 6.4% in 2004, higher than forecast levels of 5.3%-6.0%. 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 granted Kazakhstan
market economy status under
U.S. trade law. This 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 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, has 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.
Raiffeisen Zentralbank and
UniCredit have both recently entered the Kazakhstan's financial services market through acquisitions and
stakebuilding.
Agriculture
Agriculture accounted for 10.3% of Kazakhstan's GDP in 2005.
Grain (Kazakhstan is the seventh-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.
Kazakhstan is thought to be one of the original homes of the
apple, particularly the wild
ancestor of
Malus domestica,
Malus sieversii. It has no common name in English, but is known in Kazakhstan, where it's native, as '
alma'. In fact, the region where it's thought to originate is called
Almaty, or 'rich with apple'. 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, 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. Perhaps most significant for economic development, Kazakhstan also currently has the 11th largest proven reserves of both
oil and
natural gas.
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's exported to Russia. In 2006, Kazakhstan was producing approximately of oil daily and 23.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually.
Foreign relations
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. The nations of Kazakhstan, Russia,
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. On the December 1 of 2007, it was revealed that Kazakhstan has been chosen to chair
OSCE for the year 2010.
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.
(External Link
)
In September 2006, President Nazarbayev visited the United States. 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
The
US Census Bureau International Database list the current population of Kazakhstan as 16,763,795, while
United Nations sources such as the
World Bank give a 2002 estimate of 14,794,830.
The ethnic
Kazakhs represent 59.2% of the population and ethnic
Russians 25.6%, 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 the country. 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.
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
Russians and
Volga Germans, 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. This has recently sparked some criticism in the Parliament of Kazakhstan, due to the concerns about safety and treatment of the children abroad and the questions regarding the low level of population in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhs and Kazakhstanis (terminology)
The Kazakh term
қазақстандықтар (Russian: казахстанцы) (Kazakhstanis) was coined to describe all citizens of Kazakhstan, including non-Kazakhs. The word "Kazakh" is generally used to refer to people of actual Kazakh descent (including those living in China, Afghanistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and other 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".
Religion
Islam is the largest religion in Kazakhstan, followed by
Russian Orthodox Christianity.
According to the
CIA World Factbook and other latest sources from
U.S. Department of State; 47% of Kazakhstan's population follow the
Islam (mostly
Sunni Muslim), 46% are
Christians (including
Russian Orthodox 44%,
Protestant 2%) and other 7% (including
Atheist,
Shamanist,
Buddhist,
Bahá'í, etc).
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. The 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 ethnic identity – in part through 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 other religious structures 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.
However, some reported occurrences of persecution against Hare Krishnas and Jehovah's Witnesses for proselytizing has raised concern in the international community. Despite popular belief, the 'persecution' amounts to nothing more than legal action caused by questionable documentation related to the houses which were built by the groups.
Education
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 (for example 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.
The Ministry of Education of Kazakhstan runs a highly successful
Bolashak scholarship, which is annually awarded to approximately three hundred applicants. The scholarship funds their education in institutions abroad, including the prestigious
Oxford and
Ivy League universities. The terms of the program include mandatory return to Kazakhstan for at least five years of employment.
Culture
Tengriism. Traditional Kazakh 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 Kazakh culture.
Traditional moral values of Kazakhs are respect of the elders and hospitality to strangers.
In the national cuisine, livestock meat can be cooked in a variety of ways and is usually served with a wide assortment of traditional bread products. Refreshments often include black tea and traditional milk-derived drinks such as
ayran,
shubat and
kymyz. A traditional Kazakh dinner involves a multitude of appetisers on the table, followed by a soup and one or two main courses such as
pilaf and
besbarmak.
Because livestock was central to the Kazakhs' traditional lifestyle, most of their nomadic practices and customs relate in some way to livestock. Kazakhs have historically been very affectionate about horse-riding. 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. Even today many Kazakhs express interest in equestrianism and horse-racing.
Kazakhstan is home to a large number of prominent contributors to literature, science and philosophy:
Abai Kunanbaiuli,
Al-Farabi,
Mukhtar Auezov,
Gabit Musrepov,
Kanysh Satpayev,
Mukhtar Shahanov,
Saken Seifullin,
Zhambyl Zhabaev, among many others.
Kazakhstan has developed itself as a formidable sports-force on the world arena in the following fields: boxing, chess, kickboxing, skiing, gymnastics, water-polo, cycling, martial arts, heavy-athletics, horse-riding, tri-athlon, track-hurdles, sambo, greco-roman wrestling, billiards. The following are all well-known Kazakhstani athletes and world-championship medalists:
Bekzat Sattarkhanov,
Vassili Zhirov,
Alexander Vinokourov,
Bulat Zhumadilov,
Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov,
Olga Shishigina,
Andrey Kashechkin,
Aliya Yusupova,
Dmitriy Karpov,
Darmen Sadvakasov,
Yeldos Ikhsangaliyev,
Aidar Kabimollayev,
Yermakhan Ibraimov,
Vladimir Smirnov, among others.
Kazakhstan features a lively music culture, evident in massive popularity of
SuperStar KZ, a local offspring of Simon Fuller's
Pop Idol.
Almaty is considered to be the musical capital of the Central Asia, recently enjoying concerts by well-known artists such as
Deep Purple,
Tokyo Hotel,
Atomic Kitten,
Dima Bilan,
Loon,
Craig David,
Black Eyed Peas,
Eros Ramazzotti,
Jose Carreras,
Ace of Base among others.
During the recent years, Kazakhstan has experienced somewhat of a revival of the Kazakh language, which is returning into mainstream usage both in media, law, business as well as the general society. This is widely approved by Kazakh people and the international organisations as a way of preserving the national identity and culture, but has in some cases caused anxiety among Russian-Kazakhstanis, Russia-sponsored special-interest groups in Kazakhstan and some high-ranking politicians in Russia.
The Parliament is considering the introduction of Latin based
Kazakh alphabet to replace Cyrillic based. The reasons that are popularly cited are cultural considerations and the Turkic nature of the Kazakh language. Turkic languages such as Turkish and Uzbek use the Latin alphabet. However, the imposition of the Latin alphabet in Kazakhstan would involve massive costs of translation and replacement of the vast Kazakh literature.
Public holidays
Further Information
Get more info on 'Kazakhstan'.
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