Kazakhstan
Capital: Astana · Central Asia
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country situated primarily in Central Asia, with a portion of its territory extending into Eastern Europe.
Photo: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery, Attribution · source
Mausoleum to Khoja Ahmad Yasawi (UNESCO World heritage site), Hazrat-e Turkestan, Kazakhstan. Prime example of Timurid arhcitecture with biggest dome in Central Asia.
Photo: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Traditional Kazakh horseback game of "Catch the Girl" ( Kuuz Kuu )
Photo: SSGT JEREMY T, Public domain · source
Dinmukhammed Kunayev was a Kazakh Soviet communist politician.
Photo: EgemenMedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
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Kazakhstan is the world's ninth-largest country by land area and the largest landlocked country. Hilly plateaus and plains account for nearly half its vast territory, with lowlands composing another third; its southern and eastern frontiers are composed of mountainous regions. Kazakhstan has a population of 20.6 million and one of the lowest population densities in the world, with fewer than 8 people per square kilometre (21 people/mi2). Ethnic Kazakhs constitute a majority, while ethnic Russians form a significant minority. Officially secular, Kazakhstan is a Muslim-majority country with a sizeable Christian community.
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Battle between Timur and Toqtamish Khan in 1391. Zafarnama of 1436
Photo: 1436 painter, Public domain · source
Astana Arena from the back side.
Photo: ChelseaFunNumberOne, CC-BY-SA-3.0 · source
Batu Khan on the throne of the Golden Horde. Batu Khan was a Mongol ruler (1205 – 1255) and founder of the Golden Horde. Depicted by Rashid al-Din.
Photo: Rashid al-Din Hamadani, Public domain · source
Etymology
According to the most widely accepted theory, the word qazaq (Kazakh) derives from a Turkic root meaning "free", "independent", or "wanderer". The name Kazakhstan adds the word stan, meaning settlement.
The Turkic word qazaq (قازاق) was reliably recorded in 13th–14th century dictionaries, including the Codex Cumanicus and a Mamluk-Kipchak Arabic dictionary published by Martin Houtsma. In these sources, the word meant "unattached", "homeless", "loner", or "exile", and later acquired the meaning "free man".
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Esentai Park
Photo: Factchecker2k, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Approximate extent of the Eurasian Steppe grasslands ecoregion , and Eurasia cultural region. In northern Eastern and Central Asia , and westward into Eastern Europe ,…
Photo: Two-point-equidistant-asia.jpg : Mdf derivative work:…, Public domain · source
Photo: unknown author, Public domain · source
History
Kazakhstan has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era. The Botai culture (3700–3100 BC) is credited with the first domestication of horses. The Botai population derived most of their ancestry from a deeply European-related population known as Ancient North Eurasians, while also displaying some Ancient East Asian admixture. Pastoralism developed during the Neolithic. The population was Caucasoid during the Bronze and Iron Age period.
The Kazakh territory was a key constituent of the Eurasian trading Steppe Route, the ancestor of the terrestrial Silk Roads.
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The steppes of central Kazakshtan (Akmola Province), as seen from a train approaching Astana from the north. The picture taken about 30 min before reaching Astana…
Photo: Vmenkov, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Mausoleum of Dzhuchi khan near Zhezkazghan, Kazakhstan.
Photo: Aeon32, Public domain · source
Geography
Since it extends across both sides of the Ural River, considered the dividing line separating Europe and Asia, Kazakhstan is one of only two landlocked countries in the world that has territory in two continents (the other is Azerbaijan).
With an area of 2,700,000 square kilometres (1,000,000 sq mi)—equivalent in size to Western Europe—Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country and largest landlocked country in the world. While it was part of the Russian Empire, Kazakhstan lost some of its territory to China's Xinjiang province, and some to Uzbekistan's Karakalpakstan autonomous republic during Soviet years.
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Comparison of Aral Sea between 1989 and 2008
Photo: NASA, derivative work by Zafiroblue05 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · source
Government and politics
Officially, Kazakhstan is a democratic, secular, constitutional unitary republic; Nursultan Nazarbayev led the country from 1991 to 2019. He was succeeded by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The president may veto legislation that has been passed by the parliament and is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The prime minister chairs the cabinet of ministers and serves as Kazakhstan's head of government. There are three deputy prime ministers and sixteen ministers in the cabinet.
Kazakhstan has a unicameral parliament known as the Kurultai. The Kurultai has 145 members.
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Economy
In 2018, Kazakhstan had a GDP of $179.332 billion and an annual growth rate of 4.5%. Per capita, Kazakhstan's GDP stood at $9,686. Buoyed by high world crude oil prices, GDP growth figures were between 8.9% and 13.5% from 2000 to 2007 before decreasing to 1% to 3% during the 2008 financial crisis, and then rising again from 2010. Other major exports of Kazakhstan include wheat, textiles, and livestock. Kazakhstan is a leading exporter of uranium.
Kazakhstan's economy grew by 4.6% in 2014.
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Demographics
Kazakhstan had an estimated population of 20.8 million as of 2025. According to official statistics, the country's population surpassed 20 million in September 2024, compared to 17,280,000 a decade earlier. This reflects significant growth since independence in 1991, when the population was 16.4 million, before subsequently declining to 14.8 million by 2001, due mostly to emigration by ethnic Russians.
In contrast to most post-Soviet states, Kazakhstan has maintained replacement rate fertility since independence, with a total fertility rate of 2.53 in 2025.
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Culture
Before the Russian colonization, the Kazakhs had a highly developed culture based on their nomadic pastoral economy. Islam was introduced into the region with the arrival of the Arabs in the 8th century. It initially took hold in the southern parts of Turkestan and spread northward. The Samanids helped the religion take root through zealous missionary work. The Golden Horde further propagated Islam amongst the tribes in the region during the 14th century.
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