30+ Interesting Facts About Kazakhstan

  1. Kazakhstan is a transcontinental country in Central Asia. It is the largest and 2nd most populous country in Central Asia.
  2. The Kazakh steppe is the world’s largest dry steppe region. It covers almost the entire northern part of Kazakhstan. (Source)
  3. Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, is the 2nd coldest capital city in the world. Here, the winter temperature can fall to -35 Celsius. (Source)
  4. Medeu in Almaty, Kazakhstan, is the world’s highest ice skating rink. This athletic and recreation facility is located 1,691 m above sea level and was constructed in 1949. (Source)
  5. Kazakhstan is the world’s largest landlocked country, with an area of more than 2.7 million sq. km. It is overall the 9th largest country in the world. (Source)
  6. Kazakhstan has the 2nd lowest population density in Asia. Its population density is seven people per sq. km, which is only above Mongolia (2 people/ sq. km). (Source)
    A Kazakh man performing on two horses
    Domestication of horses started in Kazakhstan

  7. According to a genetic study, Kazakhstan was one of three countries (along with Ukraine and Russia) where the domestication of horses started around 6,000 years ago. (Source)
  8. Around 67% population of Kazakhstan is ethnic Kazakh, while 20% are Russians. 70% of the population follows Sunni Islam, and 26% are Christians. Kazakhstan has the highest Christian population in Central Asia.
  9. The Kazakh famine of 1932-33 was the deadliest in its history. Between 1 and 2 million Kazakhs and many people from other ethnicities died during this famine. It was the result of the Soviet collectivization policy. (Source)
  10. Islam arrived in today’s Kazakhstan by Arab invaders during the 8th Century. It became a prominent religion in the country in the 10th Century. 
  11. Kazakhs established their distinct ethnicity after founding the Kazakh Khanate in the 15th Century.
  12. The Kazakh Khanate was disestablished in 1848 after its occupation by the Russian Empire. It became part of the USSR in 1920.
  13. Kazakhstan declared its independence from the Soviet Union on 16th December 1991. It was the last Soviet republic to declare independence.
  14. USSR conducted its first nuclear test in 1949 at Semipalatinsk Test Site, northeastern Kazakhstan. More than 110 above-ground nuclear tests were conducted at the same site between 1949 and 1963. Later, an unknown number of underground tests continued till 1989. Radiation from these atomic bomb tests increased the incidents of cancer and cardiovascular diseases in this region for several generations. (Source)
  15. A vast prison system, known as KarLag, was established in Kazakhstan during the Soviet era. The authorities put more than 1 million people in these labor camps between 1931 and 1959. The prisoners included political figures, authors, doctors, scientists, and other opponents of the regime. (Source)
  16. Kazakhstan had 1,410 Soviet strategic nuclear warheads on its soil at the time of independence. The Central Asian country voluntarily transferred all nuclear weapons to Russia by April 1995.
  17. The first Kazakh president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, retained his position from 1991 to 2019. He remained Chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan until 5th January 2022. 
  18. Kazakhstan changed its capital city from Almaty to Astana in 1997. The name of Astana was changed to Nur-Sultan in 2019 to honor the country’s first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. (Source)
  19. Kazakhstan and Russia have the 2nd longest land border in the world. The length of this border is 7,644 km. (Source)
    Baikonur Cosmodrome
    Sputnik-1 was launched from Kazakhstan

  20. Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan was the launch site of earth’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1. The first human in orbit, Yuri Gagarin, was also launched from the same site. All other Russian crewed missions to space have launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome. (Source)
  21. Baikonur Cosmodrome is one of the four launching sites for human space flight. The other three sites are in the USA and China.
  22. The chimney of GRES-2 Power Station in Kazakhstan is the tallest in the world. The height of this chimney is 419 m (1,377 ft.). (Source)
  23. Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan is the largest lake in Central Asia. It is a unique lake because the water in the western part of the lake is fresh, while it is salty on the eastern side. (Source)
  24. Despite being a landlocked country, Kazakhstan possesses a Navy. The purpose of this navy is to protect its interests in the Caspian Sea.
  25. According to DNA analysis, apple fruit originated in the mountains of Kazakhstan. This area still supports the growth of wild apples. (Source)
  26. Anatoli Boukreev was a Russian-Kazakhstani mountaineer known for climbing 10 of the 14 above 8,000 m peaks. He died in 1997 while climbing Annapurna I in Nepal.  
  27. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are the only two transcontinental-landlocked countries in the world.
  28. There are more than 100 ethnic groups in Kazakhstan. Most non-Kazakh people were driven here by Stalin and other communist leaders as political persecution. (Source)
  29. Kazakhstan has the highest GDP per capita in the Central and South Asian regions. Its GDP is the 3rd highest in this region after India and Pakistan. (Source)
  30. Kazakhstan has five sites on World Heritage List. Three of these are cultural sites, while the other two are natural sites. (Source)
  31. Kazakhstan is the largest producer of uranium in the world. The Central Asian country had a 45% share of world uranium production in 2021. (Source)
  32. Kazakhstan also has the largest reserves of chromium in the world. The country holds around 230Mt (metric tons) of chromium. (Source)
  33. Kazakhstan has four official time zones thanks to its vast distance from West to East. But practically there are just two times with one hour difference. (Source)

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