Official Name: Republic of Kazakhstan
Capital: Astana
Total area: 2 724 900 km2
GDP per capita: $13,892
Native Language: Kazakh, Russian
Government: Dominant-party unitary presidential state
Population: 16,967,000
Major Religion: Islam, Christianity
Monetary Unit: Tenge (KZT)

Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country in Central Asia, with its smaller part west of the Urals in Eastern Europe. Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world in terms of area and the ninth largest country in the world; Its territory of 2,727,300 square kilometers (1,053,000 square miles) is larger than Western Europe. It is bordered clockwise from the north by Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, and also borders much of the Caspian Sea. The terrain of Kazakhstan includes flatlands, steppe, taiga, canyons, hills, deltas, snow-capped mountains and deserts. With 17 million inhabitants (2013 estimate), Kazakhstan has the 62nd largest population in the world, although its population density is less than 6 people per square kilometer. The capital is Astana (formerly Almaty).

Economy
Spurred on by high world crude oil prices, GDP growth ranged from 8.9% to 13.5% from 2000 to 2007, before falling to 1 to 3% in 2008 and 2009 and then increasing again from 2010 onwards. Other main exports from Kazakhstan include wheat, textiles and cattle. Kazakhstan predicted to become a leading uranium exporter by 2010, which has actually come true.

The inflation figures are high: 2005, 7.6%; 2006, 8.6%; 2007, 18.8%; 2008, 9.5%; 2009, 6.2%.

Since 2002, Kazakhstan has been trying to cope with strong foreign exchange inflows without sparking inflation. However, inflation was not strictly controlled and was 6.6% in 2002, 6.8% in 2003 and 6.4% in 2004.

In 2000, Kazakhstan became the first former Soviet republic to repay all of its debts to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) seven years ahead of schedule. In March 2002, the US Department of Commerce granted Kazakhstan market economy status under US trade law. With this change of status, essential market-economy reforms in the areas of currency convertibility, wage rate determination, openness to foreign investment and state control over the means of production and the allocation of resources were recognized.

In September 2002 Kazakhstan became the first CIS country to receive an investment grade rating from a major international rating agency. At the end of December 2003, Kazakhstan's gross foreign debt was around $ 22.9 billion. National debt totaled $ 4.2 billion, 14% of GDP. The debt-to-GDP ratio has decreased noticeably. The ratio of total national debt to GDP was 21.7% in 2000; In 2001 it was 17.5% and in 2002 it was 15.4%.

http://www.immigration-residency.eu/counsel/europe/kazakhstan/