Kazakhstan (Kazakh: зазақстан / Qazaqstan in Latin script, Qaragandı: ұғуҚазақштаны бгу / wğuQazaqştanı bgu), officially known as Respublikası Qazaqstan Federalsanı (Республикасы Қазақстан Федералсаны) is an Intercontinental country with a large part of the Central Asia region and a small part included in Eastern Europe. Its territory which stretches from the Altai Mountains in the east, to the Caspian Sea in the west, makes this country the 9th largest country in the world the second largest in the Soviet Union after Russia. Kazakhstan is often referred to as "Virgin lands", because some of its territories have not been touched at all. Most of the region is directly adjacent to Russia, especially in the north and west. To the east, it is directly adjacent to the People's Republic of China (Xinjiang province). To the south is bordered by Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and the Caspian Sea. In this country there are many ethnic Russians. The Russian space rocket launch site, Baikonur, is also located in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan proclaimed its independence on December 16, 1991. The Kazakhs were the largest ethnic group occupying the Kazakhstan region and were descended from the Turks and Mongols. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Kazakhstan was ruled by Russia. In the nineteenth century, with regions in Central Asia, Kazakhstan's religious tolerance was 70.2% of all Muslims, 26.6% were Christians, 0.1% were Buddhists, 0.2% were mostly Jews, and 2.8% were Atheists, while 0.5% chose not to answer, possibly Christians from mixed Russia or Europe.
When the communist revolution won in Russia and the Soviet Union was established, since 1920, Kazakhstan was made one of the 15 countries incorporated in the Soviet Union. Along with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan also liberated itself and became a Republican state. This country has a geographical advantage because it is located between Central Asia and Eastern Europe, so that it is geopolitically feasible.
Kazakhstan borders Russia in the north, China in the east, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in the South, and in the west with the Caspian Sea and Russia. Most of Kazakhstan's territory is geographically located in the southwestern part of the continent of Asia, and a small portion of its territory is on the European continent.
The area of Kazakhstan is 2,717,300 square kilometers which makes it the largest country in Central Asia, and the second largest after Russia among the Soviet Union's fractional countries.
Kazakhstan's land is dominated by desert and steppes or grasslands, although the boundaries of Kazakhstan in the East and South are mountainous.
Kazakhstan is one of the two landlocked countries in the world that have territory between two continents (the other is Azerbaijan). With an area of 2,700,000 square kilometers (1,000,000 sq mi), equivalent to the size of Western Europe, Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country and the largest landlocked country in the world.
The country has a border of 6,846 kilometers (4,254 miles) with Russia, 2,203 kilometers (1,369 miles) with Uzbekistan, 1,533 kilometers (953 miles) with China, 1,051 kilometers (653 miles) with Kyrgyzstan, and 379 kilometers (235 miles) with Turkmenistan the biggest cities there are Astana, Almaty, Karagandy, Shymkent, Atyrau and Oskemen. The country is located between latitudes 40 ° and 56 ° N, and longitude 46 ° and 88 ° E. In Kazakhstan there is the Charyn canyon, this canyon is located in Almaty, southeast of Kazakhstan in the north of the Tian Shan mountain range. This 80 km gorge is formed due to erosion of the Charyn river.
