Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is a Central Asian country located between Russia, China, and the Caspian Sea. It has a population of over 20 million people, most of whom are Kazakhs, a Turkic-speaking people who are the region’s original inhabitants. Other ethnic groups include Russians, Ukrainians, Uzbeks, and Germans. Kazakhstan is the world’s ninth largest country in terms of area, covering an area of 1,052,090 square miles (2,724,900 square kilometers). Its capital and largest city is Nursultan.
Kazakhstan is mainly comprised of steppe and desert lands in western and central regions, with mountains in the southeast along the border with Kyrgyzstan and China. The highest point is Mount Khan-Tengri, at 22,949 feet (6,995 meters). The main languages are Kazakh and Russian, while Islam and Christianity are the predominant religions.
Agriculture is intensively developed, while much of the land is used for livestock grazing. Sheep and goats are the primary animals, while steel and cast iron are manufactured, and oil drilling is an important industry. The currency is the Kazakhstani tenge and has a current exchange rate of 1 USD to 457.994 Kazakhstani tenge.
Kazakhstan is a unitary republic with a parliament consisting of two chambers. The head of state and government is the president, assisted by the prime minister. The life expectancy at birth is 66.5 years for males and 76.5 years for females, while the literacy rate is 100% for both genders. The gross national income per capita is 8,680 U.S. dollars.