Kazakhstan
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Name: The Republic of the Kazakhstan Introduction: The Kazakhi ruled this state during 1470 but the invasion of the Calmucchi destroyed the reign of Kazakho, but inspite of these invasions they maintained their influence and in 1718 after the death of the last Kazaki women Tyoka, the power came in the hands of Khan coming from the Mongole steppes. From 1781 various groups fought for independence which they got in Dec 1917, but total freedom came in May of 1919. Then on 25 October 1990 Kazakhstan declared their independence and proclaimed their sovereignty on 16 Dec 1991 which caused many of the newcomers (from Russia) to emigrate. Location: In between Central Asia and Europe; coastline on the Caspian Sea. Borders: Russia, China and the Central Asian countries; Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Terrain: The terrain extends west to east from the Caspian Sea and Volga to the Altay Mountains and north to south from the plains of Western Siberia to the oases and deserts in Central Asia. It is rocky and little mountainous, the greater part in the center of the country is barren and is also called a territory of Steppe of the Hunger. Climate: Continental climate with torrid summers and cold winters. Rainfall is less and insufficient for vegetation. Ethnic Group: Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Tatar 1.7%, Uygur 1.4% and other 4.9% Religion: Muslim (mainly Sunni) 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2% and other 7%. Area: 2,717,300 sq km Capital: Astana Currency: Tenge Kazako (KZT) Life Expectancy: 67.22 years Population: 15,284,929 (July 2007 est.) Language: Kazakh (Kazakh) is the state language and Russian is the Official language Literacy: Total – 98.4%, male – 99.1% and female - 97.7% (1999 est) Internet TLD: .kz Calling Code: +7 Nationality: Kazakhstani Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union) Government: Constitutional Republic (authoritarian presidential rule). Constitution: Adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995, this increased the power of the president. Executive Branch: President is the Chief of the State and Prime minister is the head of the Government, president is elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (two term limit). The Cabinet consists of the Council of Ministers appointed by the President. Legislative Branch: Kazakhstan has a bicameral Parliament, made up of the lower house, the Majilis with 67 seats and upper house, the Senate with 39 seats; 7 senators are appointed by the president; other members are elected by local government bodies, 2 from each of the 14 oblasts, the capital of Astana, and the city of Almaty, to serve six-year terms. Judiciary Branch: Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members) Military Branch: Ground Forces, Naval Force, Air and Air Defense Forces, and Republican Guard Legal System: Based on civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal National Flag: It was adopted on 4 June 1992 has a sky blue background representing the endless sky and a steppe eagle beneath a gold sun with 32 rays in the center and a web-like pattern (national ornamentation) in gold colour running down on the hoist side. National Anthem: My Kazakhstan; written in 1956 and was adopted as new anthem with modified lyrics on Jan 7 of 2006. National Holiday: Independence Day, 16 December (1991) Coat of Arm: It has a similar design as that of the National Flag and is located on a shield in the center. Laurels surround this shield. Economy: Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in territory, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves and plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. Its economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states combined. It also has a large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain. Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and processing of these natural resources and also on a growing machine-building sector specializing in construction equipment, tractors, agricultural machinery, and some defense items. Aided by strong growth and foreign exchange earnings, Kazakhstan aspires to become a regional financial center and has created a banking system comparable to those in Central Europe. GDP Total: $ 125.5 billion (2005 est.) GDP Per capita: $ 9,100 (2006 est.) GDP Growth Rate: 8.5% (2006 est.) Agricultural Products: Grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton and livestock. Export: Oil and oil products 58%, ferrous metals 24%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat and coal. Import: Machinery and equipment 41%, metal products 28% and foodstuffs 8% (2001 est). |