FANTASIA -> Kazakhstan

KAZAKHSTAN

A huge territory encompassing 2 time zones and covering 2.7 million sq km, Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world, about the size of whole Western Europe, stretching from Russia in the north to China in the South and Caspian Sea in the west. It is also potentially the richest of all the Central Asian countries with huge mineral and oil reserves and the least densely populated having an ethnically mixed population of 17 million people of Kazakhs, Russians, Ukrainians, Uzbeks, Tatars, Germans and others.

Kazakhstan borders the Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China. For many centuries, Kazakhstan's vast steppes were home only to nomadic people and they are still virtually empty. The Kazakh-distantly related to Chingiz Khan hordes emerged as a nationality in the 15th century. By the 17th century the Russians had arrived and in 1848 all of Kazakhstan was under the Russian rule. Fort clay Verny was established by Russians in 1854 and later become Almaty-the capital of Kazakhstan. Most settlements are concentrated in the southeast and the east of the Republic. By 19th century Kazakhstan become the part of Soviet Union until 1991 when it gained its independence. South Kazakhstan is a focus of Central Asian history and there are many famous monuments in the region. It is a scenically alpine region where the snow-capped peaks, multicoloured lakes and pristine glaciers of the Tian Shan mountain kingdom give way to vast steppe and desert. This is the home of abundant wildlife including almost 200 species of mammals and 480 species of birds.

Kazakh dishes include kazi, chuzhuk, suret and besbarmak made from horse meat or lamb will leave you with deepest satisfaction of local cuisine.

Climate- Kazakhstan has different climactic zones, but for the most part the climate is continental.
Official language is kazakh.

Aliases: Khazakhstan, Kazahstan, The Republic of Kazakhstan.