Description

Kazakhstan is a landlocked country that lies in northern and central Eurasia and bordered by Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and People's Republic of China. This country is ranked the ninth largest country in the world but in terms of population ranks 62nd in the world. The population has decreased since independence and the population density is less than 6 people per square kilometers.

The Kazakh Steppe, the world's largest dry steppe is located in Kazakhstan and occupies one third of the countries land. The climate is humid continental, which includes hot summers and cold winters. Kazakhstan is a constitutional republic, with the president as head of state, commander in chief of the armed forces and may veto legislation passed by the Parliament. The prime minister serves as head of government and chairs the Cabinet of Ministers. The cabinet includes three deputy prime ministers and 16 ministers. The bicameral Parliament is made up of a lower house consisting of 67 seats and an upper house with 39 members.

The state language of Kazakhstan is the Kazakh language, spoken by 64 % of the population. Russian, however is spoken by almost all Kazakhstanis and is declared the official language of the country. Previously to the Russian conquest, the Kazaks had a well expressed culture based on their nomadic economy. The original beliefs were that separate spirits inhabited and animated the earth, sky, water, and fire, as well as domestic animals. Even today, honored guests are treated to a feast of freshly killed lamb and are even asked to bless the lamb before it is sacrificed. Because of their nomadic practices and customs relating to livestock, when a person first meets someone they will inquire about the health of the man's livestock, even before they have any questions regarding human aspects of his life.

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