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Republic of Kazakhstan: An Overview
Located south of Russia in Central Asia, northwest of China, the Republic of Kazakhstan was the second largest of the former Soviet republics in size. The breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 led to sharp economic declines in Kazakhstan which contributed in turn to the large number of children abandoned and living in orphanages. Although the economy has improved in recent years due to economic reform and foreign investment, the number of children living in institutions has grown. More then 4,000 Kazakh children have been adopted by families in the U.S. since 1997.
The people include a mix of native Kazakhs and Russians who have migrated there since Russia conquered the area in the 18th century. Children available for adoption are usually of Russian and/or Asian background. Children adopted from Kazakhstan in 2004 were split between boys and girls and about one third were under a year old at the time of adoption. The Kazakhstan government requires adopting parents to spend at least two weeks visiting a child in his residence city before applying for adoption. Kazakhstani law also provides for a 15-day waiting period after the court hearing before the adoption becomes final.
Republic of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan Statistics
Land area: 1,030,810 sq mi (2,669,800 sq km); total area: 1,049,150 sq mi (2,717,300 sq km) Population (2006 est.): 15,233,244 (growth rate: 0.3%); birth rate: 16.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 28.3/1000; life expectancy: 66.9; density per sq mi: 15
Capital (2003 est.):
Astana, 288,200 (formerly Aqmola; capital since 1997)
Largest cities: Almaty (former capital), 1,045,900; Karaganda, 404,600; Shymkent, 333,500; Taraz, 305,700; Pavlodar, 299,500; Ust-Kamenogorsk, 288,000; Aqtöbe, 234,400
Monetary unit: Tenge
Languages:
Kazak (Qazaq, state language) 64%; Russian (official, used in everyday business) 95% (2001 est.)
Ethnicity/race:
Kazak (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Tatar 1.4%, Uygur 1.4%, other 4.9% (1999)
Religions:
Islam 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
Literacy rate: 98% (1999 est.)
Economic summary
GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $133.2 billion; per capita $8,800.
Real growth rate: 9%.
Inflation: 7.4%.
Unemployment: 7.6%
Arable land: 8%.
Agriculture: grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock.
Labor force: 7.85 million; industry 30%, agriculture 20%, services 50% (2002 est.).
Industries: oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials.
Natural resources: major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium.
Exports: $30.09 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): oil and oil products 58%, ferrous metals 24%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001).
Imports: $17.51 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and equipment 41%, metal products 28%, foodstuffs 8% (2001).
Major trading partners: Russia, Bermuda, Germany, China, France, Italy, Ukraine (2004).
Communications
Telephones: main lines in use: 1.92 million (2001); mobile cellular: 400,000 (2001).
Radio broadcast stations: AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998).
Radios: 6.47 million (1997).
Television broadcast stations: 12 (plus nine repeaters) (1998).
Televisions: 3.88 million (1997).
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 10 (with their own international channels) (2001).
Internet users: 100,000 (2002).
Transportation
Railways: total: 13,601 km (2002).
Highways: total: 81,331 km; paved: 77,020 km; unpaved: 4,311 km (2000).
Waterways: 3,900 km on the Syrdariya (Syr Darya) and Ertis (Irtysh).
Ports and harbors: Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk).
Airports: 488 (2002).
Modern History
The first half of the 20th century was a period of utter chaos. Intellectuals searched for a new philosophy to replace Confucianism, while warlords attempted to grab imperial power. Sun Yatsen's Kuomintang (KMT, or Nationalist Party) established a base in southern China and began training a National Revolutionary Army (NRA). Meanwhile, talks between the Soviet Comintern and prominent Chinese Marxists resulted in the formation of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1921. Hopes of the CCP aligning with the KMT were dashed by Sun Yatsen's death and the rise from the KMT of Chiang Kaishek in Beijing , who favored a capitalist state supported by a military dictatorship.
Enter the Bolsheviks (stage Left), who quickly liberated the Central Asians from any ideas of self determination. Although there were frequent demonstrations of discontent, these were quickly and soundly defeated by the communists. Meanwhile a charismatic young Turk named Enver Pasha had bent Lenin's ear and convinced the Soviet leader he could deliver him all of Central Asia and British India . In reality Pasha had decided to ditch Lenin and win himself a Pan Turkic state with Central Asia as its core. A large army and some clever concessions to the Islamic religion saw Pasha's support wane and Moscow 's reign prevail.
Kazakhstan 's traditional tribal divisions - the Great Horde in the south, the Middle Horde in the centre and northeast, and the Little Horde in the west - were pasted over by the Russians and simply ignored by the Soviets, but remained important as social and ethnic identifiers. In fact, nationalist confusion is one of the major legacies of Soviet rule. Since the republics of Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen and Uzbek began to be created in the 1920s each was carefully shaped to contain pockets of differing nationalities with long-standing claims to the land. The present face of Central Asia is a product of this 'divide and rule' policy.
Soviet rule in Central Asia was a parade of ridiculous ideas: assimilating the region's ethnic groups, converting the steppe into a giant cotton plantation, using Kazakhstan as a 'secret' nuclear testing zone, etc. The political, social, economic and ecological disasters resulting from these experiments meant all five republics had little to lose by declaring their sovereignty when glasnost and perestroika led to the disintegration of the USSR in 1991. Later that year they joined with 11 other former Soviet states to form the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
In the same year Nursultan Nazarbayev, head of the Kazakh Communist Party since 1989, was elected president uncontested. He began imposing his peculiar ideas about democracy (weakened parliament, handy constitutional changes) on the country he hoped to turn into Central Asia 's economic tiger. In keeping with the ad hoc nature of the new republic, the nation's capital was moved from Almaty in the south to Akmola in the north and then re-named Astana in 1998. Nazarbayev's easy re-election in 1999 was aided by the banning of major opponents on frivolous grounds.
Astana
Current History
Intimidation of political opponents remains common, and in late 2004 the president's Otan party won control over parliament in elections that were independently deemed to be unfair. In December 2005, Nazarbayev again cruised to victory in a presidential election, setting the stage for another seven years in office. At 66 years of age, the president still has a few more years of political life in him, although observers suggest that questionable health could eventually put power in the hands of his daughter, Dariga, currently head of the official state news agency. Meanwhile, the Kazakh economy continues to grow at a rate of over 9% a year on the back of its oil and gas reserves, largely concentrated in the Caspian Sea region. Oil exports are increasingly headed for China , thanks to a new 962km (597mi) pipeline running the entire width of the country.
International disputes
Kazakhstan and China have resolved their border dispute and are working to delimit their large open borders to control population migration, illegal activities, and trade; delimitation of boundary with Russia is scheduled for completion in 2003—delimitations with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are complete with demarcations underway—delimitation with Kyrgyzstan is largely complete; equidistant seabed treaties have been signed with Azerbaijan and Russia in the Caspian Sea but no resolution has been made on dividing the water column among any of the littoral states; no resolution of Caspian seabed boundary with Turkmenistan.
Economy
Kazakhstan is considered a model transition economy in overcoming the legacy of the Soviet centralized command economy through sustained commitment to economic liberalization and maintaining an attractive investment environment through pragmatic policy choices and cooperation with the West. The International Monetary Fund, called Kazakhstan 's strict macroeconomic stabilization measures "appropriate and far-sighted." Of all post-communist economies, Kazakhstan is ranked first in foreign direct investment as a percentage of GDP and second only to Hungary in per capita FDI. Because of its successful reforms, liberal trade policies, and ability to attract international financing, Kazakhstan is poised to join the World Trade Organization
Map of Kazakhstan
Education
Education is universal and mandatory through the secondary level, and the literacy rate is 98.8%. Primary education lasts for four years preceded by one year of pre-school education. Secondary education consists in three main educational phases: primary education (forms 1-4), basic general education (forms 5-9) and senior level education (forms 10-11 or 12) divided into continued general education and professional education. These three levels of education can be followed in one institution or in different ones (e.g. primary school, then secondary school). Recently, several secondary schools, specialized schools, magnet schools, gymnasiums, lyceums, linguistic and technical gymnasiums, have been founded. Secondary professional education is offered in special professional or technical schools, lyceums or colleges and vocational schools.
At present, there are universities, academies, and institutes, conservatories, higher schools and higher colleges. There are three main levels: basic higher education that provides the fundamentals of the chosen field of study and leads to the award of the Bachelor degree; specialized higher education after which students are awarded the Specialist's Diploma; and scientific-pedagogical higher education which leads to the Master's Degree. Postgraduate education leads to the Kandidat Nauk (Candidate of Sciences) and the Doctor of Sciences.
Weather
Kazakhstan doesn't mess around when it comes to summer and winter. A July day in the desert will likely be around the 32°C (90°F) mark, plunging to about half that at night; fortunately the low humidity keeps the days from being too extreme. In winter the day might get to -9°C (16°F) before it dives to an icy -15°C (5°F) at night. Higher altitudes have little effect on the conditions, with barely warmer winters and cooler summers, though they do see more rainfall, particularly in the east around April-May. Snow starts to fall around November and the mountain passes fill with snow until April, sometimes even May.
Almaty
Family and Marriage
Foremost in Kazakh custom and tradition are the elements of family and marriage. The family was the cornerstone of nomad society. A strong family produced a strong society. In nomadic days, the elders of the extended family were tribal leaders. They put down a code of conduct and united with other tribal leaders to forge a unified Kazakh nation. According to the "way of the elders," older persons were honored and respected, their word law. They were put first, whether it be at meetings, during special occasions or festivities, when dividing military spoils, and at funeral ceremonies.
Marriages were arranged to cement tribal bonds. The Kazakh saying "the matchmaking lasts a thousand years, while the son-in-law lasts only a hundred" signifies the importance of a relationship created between the two tribes. The process of marriage arranging can still be a lengthy and complicated one. Family elders meet a number of times, following a prescribed pattern of the groom's father and selected male relatives going to the bride's house and vice versa. Gifts of livestock are exchanged, be it cattle and sheep and horses, cattle and sheep, or cattle alone, depending on the wealth of the families.
Special foods, such as sheep's liver, are eaten by the fathers and other men of the family, to bind promises and forge bonds. The entire process may last 40 days. Another element that figures prominently in most Kazakh celebrations is the horse. Kazakhs were, and still are, superb horsemen. Few people know that stirrups and chariots originated with the Kazakhs. They also perfected the technique of shooting an arrow with surprising accuracy while atop a galloping horse. In the past many Kazakh children, it is said, learned to ride before they walked. At the center of most Kazakh festivals is the horse in some form, be it the meat on the table, the drink (koumyss), or the entertainment.
Flag of Kazakhstan
Culture and Traditions
Kazakhstan stepped into the world arena as an independent republic in 1991. It is a new nation in transit, charging forward to join the ranks of a world en the threshold of the 21st century. Yet at its heart lies a history rooted in antiquity and a culture suffused with tradition. It boasts a nomadic past and warrior legacy stirring up images of Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan.
The ethnic Kazakhs, who now account for a half of Kazakhstan 's population, were primarily pastoral nomads until the middle of the last century. Depending on the climate and nature of the land, they might have easily traveled hundreds of miles, migrating from rich summer pastures to warmer winter quarters, accompanied by their horses, sheep, cattle, goats, and camels. They lived in yurts - portable, dome-shaped tents of felt made from boiled camel's wool. Even the word "kazakh", meaning "independent," "free," "wanderer," depicted their nomadic existence long before it became an ethnic connotation. Today the Kazakh is settled in cities and villages. Many live an agricultural life, although few still roam the arid steppe and mountain valleys in search of pasture for their herds. The traditions and folkways of these people have come with them into their contemporary homes, intermingling with the routines of modern life.
Many festivals will feature a traditional horse race. As many as 200 participants, mostly young boys riding bareback, will race their horses around a mile track in the middle of the steppe for about 30 laps. In this case it's not the fastest who wins, but the most enduring. Many will drop out before the end of the race and it's not unlikely that a horse or two drop dead before it's over. The Kazakh today is no longer a nomad in the literal sense. Yet the traditions that have evolved over centuries, virtues necessary to survival, are not particularly superfluous today. Strong ties to family, respect for elders, competitiveness, and a high regard for courtesy to others are traits which may well ensure the continued survival of a people in a time of reformation of its statehood, economy, and culture.
Almaty
Food
Traditional Kazakh food reflects the customs of the nomadic peoples and also Middle Eastern influences. The nomads feasted on mutton, milk, cheese and bread. To these basic Middle Eastern methods of preparing rice, savory seasonings, vegetables, legumes and yoghurt have been added. The many Russians in Kazakhstan eat a more typically Russian diet, with meat, potatoes, dumplings and vegetables. At a traditional meal, tea, called chai , is served first, with breads, nuts and sweets, as an appetizer. The main dish may be boiled mutton. Foods for special occasions include cold noodles with a horsemeat sausage called qazy , a rich mutton stew known as kuyrdak and a meat-and-noodle stew called besbarmak . Pulau is a much-loved mixture of rice, fruit and spices. Noodle soup with radishes and peppers is called kespe .
Yogurt, known as katyk , is often used in cooking. Cookies, halva, raisins, nuts and fresh fruit are enjoyed for dessert. Milky drinks are popular. Koumyss is fermented mare's milk and shubat is fermented camel milk. Vodka toasts at celebrations are part of Kazakh and Russian custom. In a traditional Russian meal, cold dishes like smoked fish, pickles and onions might be served first. These cold dishes are called zakuski . Beet soup (borscht) might come next. Meat or fish with potatoes may follow, with lots of hearty bread. Dessert pancakes called blini are filled with jam or cream. Black tea and kvas , which is made with malt, are favorite drinks. "Come to my dastarkhan " is an invitation to a table spread with a Kazakh feast. Welcoming guests warmly and making them comfortable is very important to Kazakhstanis. People love to visit and share good food, especially in the winter, when they may dine with friends and relatives almost every night of the week
Friends of the
Adopting,
Dr. Ken and Lynn Brown
“Let
the little children come unto me, and do not hinder them, for the
kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Matthew 19:14
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