Kazakhstan

Asia

Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural (Zhayyq) River in eastern-most Europe.

48 00 N, 68 00 E

President Nursultan Nazarbayev	Prime Minister Karim Massimov

Capital
Astana

Government
Presidential republic

Religion
Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%.

Population
15,460,484

Ethnic group
Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Tatar 1.7%, Uighur 1.4%, other 4.9%.

National Language                   
Kazakh
          
National Day
16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Anthem
Meniñ Qazaqstanım (My Kazakhstan)

Currency
Tenge  (KZT)

Attractions
Aisha-Bibi,  Babdja Khatun,  Charyn canyon

 

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Art & Cultural

The ICON

The Baikonur Cosmodrome     The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppes of Kazakhstan, about 200 kilometers (124 mi) east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr  Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 metres above sea level. It is leased by the Kazakh government to Russia (currently until 2050) and is managed jointly by the Russian Federal Space Agency and the Russian Space Forces. The shape of the area leased is an ellipse, measuring 90 kilometres east-west by 85 kilometres north-south, with the cosmodrome at the centre. It was originally built by the Soviet Union in the late 1950s as the base of operations for its ambitious space program. Under the current Russian space program, Baikonur remains a busy space port, with numerous commercial, military and scientific missions being launched annually. Vostok 1, the first manned spacecraft in human history, was launched from one of Baikonur's launch pads, which is presently known as Gagarin's Start.