Kazakhstan at a glance

Location: The northern part of Central Asia, at the heart of the Eurasian landmass

Neighboring countries: Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan - through Caspian Sea with Iran and Azerbaijan. 

Area: 2 724 900 sq km

Climate: Extreme continental

Status: Republic

Population: approx 18 million (yes, all of Kazakhstan)

Life expectancy: around 70 years

Capital city: Astana (unfortunately it was renamed into Nur-Sultan illegally)

Big cities: Almaty, Astana, Shymkent, Aktobe, Karagandy, Taraz, Pavlodar, etc. 

Major exports: oil & gas, metall, minerals, wheat, etc. 

GDP: approx 250 billion USD as of January 2018

Main languages: Kazakh is a state language. Russian is an official language, and the language of interethnic communication. 

Religion: Sunni Islam, Russian Orthodox Christianity

Currency: Kazakh Tenge (KZT). 1 USD = 390 KZT as of December 2019.

National Airline: Air Astana

International phone code: +7

Time zone: GMT+5 & +6. 

Electrical voltage: 220 AC (50 Hz)

Weights & measure: metric

National sports: football (soccer), boxing, wrestling, cycling, etc. 

Public holidays: 1-2 January (New Year); 8 March (International Women’s Day); 22 March (Nowruz); 9 May (Victory Day); 16 December (Independence Day)