Republic of Kazakhstan

Total Area: 2,717,300 sq km

Land Area: 2,669,800 sq km

Water Area: 47,500 sq km

Highest Point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m

Lowest Point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m

Capital City: Astana

Independence Day: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Currency: tenge (KZT)

Industries: oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials

Exports: oil and oil products 58%, ferrous metals 24%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal

Import: machinery and equipment 41%, metal products 28%, foodstuffs 8%

Time: Three time zones:
Eastern/Main Zone: GMT+6 (GMT+7 from March 28 to October 26).
Central Zone: GMT+5 (GMT+6 from March 28 to October 26).
Western Zone: GMT+4 (GMT+5 from March 28 to October 26).

The Republic of Kazakhstan lies right in between Europe and Asia, between 45° and 87° of East longitude, 40° and 55° of North latitude. Kazakhstan represents the geographical centre of the European and Asian subcontinent (the crossing of the 78 meridian with 50 parallels in the epicenter of the former Semipalatinsk atomic proving ground. The territory stretches from the east of the Caspian Sea and Volga plains to the mountanious Altay and from the foothills of Tien Shan in the south and south-east to the West-Siberian lowland in the north. The extent of the territory from the west to the east is more than 3000 kilometres (1 150 miles) and from the south to the north is 1700 kilometres (650 miles).
The size of the territory places Kazakhstan ninth in the world, after Russia, Canada, China, USA, Brasil, Australia, India and Argentina. Such seven largest European countries as: France, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Italy and Great Britain or such Asian countries as: Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Japan and Vietnam could be placed together on the territory of Kazakhstan. Only this is the evidence of the enormous potentiality of that region of the globe.

The land of Kazakhstan is rich in different soils. The greater part of forest-steppe zone are chernozems which turn to dark-chestnut, light-chestnut and brown soils in the south. There are grey-soil lands in the deserts and semideserts which are replaced by the mountain soils.
Crossing the territory of Kazakhstan from north to south one can get into different climatic zones, so as various areas with its own flora and fauna (one can meet the north representative - Russian birch, the plant of desert - saxaul and the tree of the south countries - walnut.
The desert of Kazakhstan is the arid area. The climate of that area is characterized by the extreme rare rains and high temperature in summer, severe and intensely cold weather in winter. There are often winds which cause sandy storms. The air is extremely dry and the temperature in summer is sharply varies even during twenty-four hours.
In the south and south-east of Kazakhstan the sands reach the mountains, i.e. the ridges of Tien Shan mountain system, which stretches for 2400 km and the main part of which covers our territory. The main ridges are: Barlykskiy, Dzhungarskiy Ala-Tau, Zailiiskiy Ala-Tau, Talasskiy Ala-Tau and Ketmenskiy (the highest point of the high mountain ranges is Peak Han-Tengri is 6992 metres high over the sea level). The South Altai reaches Kazakhstan in the east. The whole mountain system of Kazakhstan is rich for its mineral springs. In future the health - resorts and sanatorium's will develop in Kazakhstan. The numerous mountain glaciers supply the rivers of Kazakhstan area.

The largest rivers of Kazakhstan are: Irtysh, the length of which is 4248 kilometres and in Kazakhstan is over 1700 kilometres, Ishim (2450 and 1400 kilometres). Ural (2428 and 1082 kilometres), Syr Darya (2219 and 1400 kilometres). Ili (1001 and 815 kilometres), Chu (1 186 and 800 kilometres), Tobol (1 191 and 800 kilometres), Nura (all 978 kilometres are on the territory of Kazakhstan).
Kazakhstan has the considerable part of the world turnings of cooper, polymetallic ores, nickel, tungsten, molybdenum, and another rare metals and rare earths. Now Kazakhstan holds one of the leading places in the world in iron ore, manganese and chromite ore reserves.
Covering the big territory, Kazakhstan is one of the sparsely populated country in the world - 6,1 persons per 1 square kilometre. There are 16,5 million inhabitants in Kazakhstan today (the fiftieth place in the world): 48% of population are Kazakhs, 34% - Russians. In addition to the two indicated main ethnic groups over 120 nations and nationalities live in Kazakhstan. Among them, there are more than 800 thousand Ukranians, 500 thousand Germans, 400 thousand Uzbeks, more than 300 thousand Tatars. Nearly 56 per cent of the people live in towns and workers' settlements, the rest 44 per cent are the rural population. Among two thousand nations and nationalities, Kazakhs take the seventieth place in the world (more than 11,5 million people). Nearly 8 million Kazakhs live in Kazakhstan now.
In the Kazakh national cooking as in a mirror found reflections the people's nature, its history, customs and traditions.
Since olden times hospitality has been the most distinctive feature of the Kazakh people. The dear guest was given a cordial welcome, he was offered the place of honour and entertained heartily.
In the first instance the guest was treated to kumys, shubat or airan, then to tea with milk or cream, baursaks, raisins, irimshik, kurt. Then followed appetizers made of horseflesh or mutton - kazy, shuzhuk, zhal, zhaya, sur-yet, karta, kabyrga. Flat cakes made of flour were sewed without fail.
The adomment of any dastarkhan and the most popular dish among the Kazakhs has always been meat in the Kazakh manner. Boiled meat was usually sewed in large pieces. The host cut the meat treating every guest to dainty pieces: the pelvic bones and shin were given tc elderly guests of honour, thc brisket - to the son-in-law or daughter-in-law, the cervical vertebra - to girls and so on. To the guest of honour ranklng highmt among the others the host handed over the sheep's head cooked in a special way. This guest had to distribute it among those present observing a certain ritual which reflects the ancient custom of respectful regard for guests - old men, children, close and distant mlatives.