Kazakhstan

The largest landlocked country in the world

Kazakhstan is our northern neighbour and the 9th largest country in the world — 6 times bigger than Uzbekistan! Most of it is endless steppe, where nomads rode horses in ancient times — the horse was first tamed right here. The first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, launched from Baikonur. The capital, Astana, is a modern city where winter hits −40 °C. The flag shows a golden sun and an eagle.

Capital: Astana. Language: Kazakh, Russian.

Kazakhstan covers 2.72 million km² (9th in the world) with 20 million people (density 7 per km² — very sparse). It lies in both Europe and Asia (the part west of the Ural River is European). Nature: steppe (60%), deserts, the Altai and Tian Shan mountains (Khan Tengri 7,010 m), the Caspian and Aral seas, Lake Balkhash. The Botai culture (3500 BC) was the first to domesticate the horse. The Kazakh Khanate (1465), Russia (18th–19th centuries), independence in 1991; in 1997 the capital moved from Almaty to Astana. The Baikonur Cosmodrome (1955) launched Sputnik 1 and Gagarin and is now leased by Russia. Economy: oil (Tengiz, Kashagan), uranium (1st in the world, 40%), wheat, copper. National dishes: beshbarmak and kumis. The dombra is the national instrument. The border with Uzbekistan is 2,330 km long.

Fun facts

• The horse was first ridden 5,500 years ago on the Kazakh steppe.
• Kazakhstan mines 40% of the world's uranium.
• The first satellite and the first human in space launched from Baikonur.