GEography
Natural Geography
Kazakhstan is located in Central Asia, northwest of China, however, the area of the country that is west of the Ural River is geographically (although not politically) in Europe. The country covers 2,724,900 square kilometres, and is the 9th largest country in the world. It is bordered by China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It is completely landlocked, although there are some large bodies of water in the country, including part of the Caspian Sea. The country has many natural resources, and some specialists say that almost all elements on the periodic table could be found in Kazakh land. Kazakhstan has a diverse landscape: deserts and semi-deserts can be found in the South-West, the Central, East and South-East regions have many mountains, and steppe and forest-steppe zones can be found to the North.
About 48,000 lakes can be found in Kazakhstan, the largest ones being the Caspian Sea, the Aral Sea, Balkhash lake, Zaysan lake, Alakol lake and Tengiz lake. There are also more than 7,000 rivers in the country, the main ones being Ertis (Irtysh), Esil (Ishim), Ural, Syrdariya and Ili. The majority of rivers in Kazakhstan belong to the basins of the Caspian and Aral Seas, and Balkhash and Tengiz lakes.
Kazakhstan has a dry continental climate, meaning the winters are quite cold (lows can hit -20 degrees Celsius), and summers are quite warm (highs can reach 30 degrees Celsius), although the summers are mild compared to some neighbouring countries.
About 48,000 lakes can be found in Kazakhstan, the largest ones being the Caspian Sea, the Aral Sea, Balkhash lake, Zaysan lake, Alakol lake and Tengiz lake. There are also more than 7,000 rivers in the country, the main ones being Ertis (Irtysh), Esil (Ishim), Ural, Syrdariya and Ili. The majority of rivers in Kazakhstan belong to the basins of the Caspian and Aral Seas, and Balkhash and Tengiz lakes.
Kazakhstan has a dry continental climate, meaning the winters are quite cold (lows can hit -20 degrees Celsius), and summers are quite warm (highs can reach 30 degrees Celsius), although the summers are mild compared to some neighbouring countries.
Human Geography
Kazakhstan has a population of 17,948,816 people, and is a mainly Muslim country - 70.2% of it's population identify as following this religion. Other religions followed in the country include Christianity, which is mainly Russian orthodox (26.2%), Buddhism (0.1%) and Atheism (2.8%).
The ethnic groups that live in Kazakhstan are Kazakh (63.1%), Russian (23.7%), Uzbek (2.8%), Ukrainian (2.1%), Uighur (1.4%), Tatar (1.3%), and German (1.1%). Other ethnic groups make up 4.5%.
The official language of the country is Russian, which is used in everyday business and is the designated "language of interethnic communication". The state language is Kazakh. Kazakh is written in the Cyrillic alphabet, which is a reminder of previous Russian domination.
The capital city of Kazakhstan is Astana, which has a population of 390,000.
The life expectancy in Kazakhstan is 70.24 years. There are 3.84 doctors per 1000 population, and 7.6 hospital beds per 1000 population. Kazakhstan also has a literacy rate of 99.7%.
The ethnic groups that live in Kazakhstan are Kazakh (63.1%), Russian (23.7%), Uzbek (2.8%), Ukrainian (2.1%), Uighur (1.4%), Tatar (1.3%), and German (1.1%). Other ethnic groups make up 4.5%.
The official language of the country is Russian, which is used in everyday business and is the designated "language of interethnic communication". The state language is Kazakh. Kazakh is written in the Cyrillic alphabet, which is a reminder of previous Russian domination.
The capital city of Kazakhstan is Astana, which has a population of 390,000.
The life expectancy in Kazakhstan is 70.24 years. There are 3.84 doctors per 1000 population, and 7.6 hospital beds per 1000 population. Kazakhstan also has a literacy rate of 99.7%.