CLASSROOM COUNTRY PROFILES (Qazaqstan)

Kazakhstan is the largest of the former republics of the and the world’s largest landlocked nation. Located in North Central Asia, the Kazakh national project began to devel- op under the control first of Tsarist and then of Soviet . Due to its small territorial holdings west of the Ural River, Ka- zakhstan, like Turkey and Russia, can claim to be a truly Eura- sian country. Nursultan Nazarbaev, the leader of the Republic of Kazakhstan for over 25 years, is one of the strongest propo- nents of the Eurasian Economic Union which came into official existence in 2014 and touts itself as an economic regional alter- native to the European Union. Kazakhstan is mostly steppe land, with hilly plains and grassland plateaus. It is roughly four times the size of Texas. Population: 17,948,816 (2014 est.) Area: four times the size of Texas Capital: Astana (650,000 pop) In 2009, 96% of Kazakh people identified with a religion. Primarily Islam Languages: Qazaq (official), Russian (70.2%) and Orthodox Christianity (23.9%). Sunni Islam of the Hanafi school is the primary confession of Kazakh citizens. Other Islamic affilia- tions are often held by ethnic minorities in the country, such as the Che- Kazakh culture is derived from a number of tradi- chens. Ethnicity and religious identity are closely linked in Kazakhstan, tions: Russian, Uighur, Mongol, etc. Historically as elsewhere. During the Soviet period, the “Virgin Lands” project inject- nomadic, Kazakh customs are often related to a ed a large Russian minority into the territory, offsetting the Kazakh eth- migratory way of life, however, many Soviet influ- nicity and providing the quarter of the population that identify with Ortho- doxy. Since 1991, many ethnic have left Kazakhstan and ences have left their mark as well. Prominent Cen- many have been repatriated returning Kazakh and Islamic tral Asian food staples, like horsemeat, fermented prevalence. Nevertheless, Russian is still spoken by a wider swathe of sheep’s milk and plov are mixed with Russian style people in the country than Kazakh and is the “official language of busi- pelmeni and blini. Soviet influence means that ness and interethnic dialogue.” women are more prominently represented in the workforce and other public settings than in most primarily Muslim countries. Kazakhs tend to have Kazakhstan boasts a 99.8% literacy rate and government protected rights to kindergarten, primary and secondary education. Primary and more children than Russians, although household Secondary school curriculum is state mandated and does not allow for sizes vary significantly. significant variation between individual schools. Like most countries with a Soviet heritage, Kazakhstan divides secondary education into two sec- tions between 9th and 10th grade. After 9th, a student has a number of options which include entering a vocational school, continuing on a uni- versity oriented track or terminating their education. In order to meet goals set by the Bologna Accords, Kazakhstan is pursuing the goal of extending primary and secondary education from a total of 11 years to 12. The two most important institutions of higher education in Kazakh- stan are al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Almaty and L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University in Astana.

Updated: 7/24/17 Traditional Kazakh Dress

Kazakhstan has found itself in a unique political position since the end of the Soviet Union. A large republic, situated between two much larger superpowers (China and Russia) Kazakhstan has also never had the option of seriously courting European economic or political patronage.

While the Baltic states scrambled to join NATO and the European Union Church of the Transfiguration, Karelia, Russia moved slowly but steadily east during the two decades following Soviet col- lapse, Kazakhstan has been a vocal advocate for alternative and, some might say, nostalgic reconstitutions of regional alliance and power. Since 1989, Kazakh is a Turkic language and many of the Nursultan Nazarbayev has been at the helm of Kazakhstan’s government, win- popular names in Kazakh society are related ning his most recent election in April 2015 with a typical 97% vote and 95% to names one may find in other Turkic lan- turnout rate. In 1997, he moved the capital city to the newly-named Astana guage speaking nations. However, two cen- which is rapidly growing and is considered to have some of the largest-scale turies of Russian rule have introduced many and most architecturally grand buildings in the world. Economically, Kazakh- slavicisms into the language, affecting stan primarily exports crude oil to China (20%) and Russia (9%) while it im- names as well (name endings -ev -ov). ports cars, freight cars, and packaged medicaments.

Kazakhstan has inherited a significant role in post-Soviet space programs, providing many of the launching grounds and landing sites for cosmonauts Famous people of Kazakh descent include: shuttling back and forth between the International Space Station and Earth. Timur Bekmambetov, a Russian-Kazakh, Kazakhstan has also had to deal with the legacy of significant nuclear weapons whose science-fiction/fantasy vampire series, testing in its backyard, causing significant radiation challenges and higher rates Night Watch and Day Watch brought him of birth defect. international acclaim; Talgat Musabayev, a Kazakh cosmonaut who flew on three space- flights to the Mir and International Space Sta- tions and is currently the head of KazCos- mos; and Zhansaya Abdumalik, the 15 year old chess prodigy who achieved Woman Grandmaster status at age 11 and has an

Moscow metro station Elo rating of 2379.

Welcome….……………………(Qoş, keldiñiz!) How are you?(frm)…………..(Qalıñız qalay?) How are you (informal)...... (Qalıñ qalay?) I’m from……..…………………………(Men ...) The Kazakh people are very minimally represented in the U.S. popula- Thank you..………………………….(Raxmet!) tion, (the 2000 U.S. Census puts the number at less than 300, while in Help!...... (Kömektesiñiz!) China the Kazakh ethnicity is claimed by over 1 million people). More recent data estimates somewhere between 23,000-25,000 people of Goodbye...………………………(Saw bolıñız!) Kazakh descent live in the United States today. Reston, VA is a locus Hello………...………… (sah-lem-met-siz be?) of Kazakh immigration. Many Kazakh immigrants have arrived in Amer- Yes……..………………...... (ee-ah.) ica by way of Turkey or China. American families have adopted a sig- No…………………………………………. (joq.) nificant number of Kazakh orphans as well since the 1990’s, swelling the population.

The flag has a light USEFUL LINKS blue background and a yellow sunburst with a http://www.everyculture.com/Ja -Ma/Kazakhstan.html

golden steppe eagle. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the -world -factbook/ The hoist side displays the “koshkar-muiz” pattern.