From a sport with a headless goat to a rich history of space exploration, these are the most interesting facts about Kazakhstan.
Fast facts
Official name: Republic of Kazakhstan
Capital city: Astana
Population: 19.5 million
Area: 2,724,900 sq km
Major languages: Kazakh, Russian
Major religions: Islam, Christianity
Time zone: UTC+5 / +6
Interesting facts about Kazakhstan
1. Kazakhstan is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Landlocked countries are completely surrounded by land and do not have access to the open sea.
2. Kazakhstan has been inhabited for thousands of years by nomadic peoples. Tribes have lived in the region since the 1st century BC.
3. At the UNESCO-listed site of Tanbaly, over 5,000 petroglyphs (rock carvings) dating from around 2000 BC have been discovered.
4. Kazakhstan was invaded by Genghis Khan and his Mongol tribes between 1219-24.
5. From the 18th century, Kazakhstan was ruled by Russia. In 1920, it became part of the USSR.
6. In 1991, Kazakhstan declared independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union and joined the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
7. Kazakhstan is the world’s 9th largest country and the largest country in Central Asia when measured by total surface area. It is also the largest of the former Soviet republics, excluding Russia.
8. As such, Kazakhstan is the world’s biggest landlocked country.
9. Russia and Kazakhstan share the world’s longest continuous land border. The border is 2nd longest in terms of total length, after the Canada–United States border.
10. Despite being landlocked, Kazakhstan has a navy which is based on the landlocked Caspian Sea. The Caspian Sea is also bordered by Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.
11. The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest inland body of water. At 386,400 sq km, it is larger than the area of Japan.
12. The Aral Sea, intersecting Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, was once a thriving body of water but was drained by the Soviet government for irrigation purposes in the 1960s.
13. There are similar concerns that Lake Balkhash is shrinking. One of the largest lakes in Asia, situated in east-central Kazakhstan, Lake Balkhash possesses a unique characteristic: one half of the lake is saline, while the other half is freshwater.
14. Kazakhstan can be literally translated as “land of the wanderers”. The name “Kazakh” comes from the ancient Turkic word qaz, which means “to wander”. The term “Cossack” is of the same origin. The Persian suffix -stan means “land”.
15. Kazakhstan is a diverse nation, with ethnic Kazakhs forming a small majority. The country is also home to various other ethnic groups, including Germans, Russians, Ukrainians, Uyghurs and Uzbeks.
16. Kazakhstan is rich in mineral resources. More than 99 elements of Mendeleyeev’s periodic table can be found in the country.
17. Kazakhstan also has vast oil reserves and was the world’s tenth-largest crude oil exporter in 2022. Kazakhstan is also a significant producer of natural gas and coal.
18. The USSR conducted 456 nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Polygon in Kazakhstan from 1949 to 1989.
19. Following independence, Kazakhstan was ruled by the same president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, for nearly 30 years.
20. Kazakhstan renamed its capital city Astana to Nur-Sultan in honor of Nur-Sultan Nazarbayev after he finally stepped down, aged 78, in 2019.
21. However, in September 2022, it reverted to Astana. As such, Astana is the Guinness World Record holder for having the most name changes of a capital city – five times in just six decades.
22. It is believed that apples originated in Kazakhstan. The city of Almaty, which means ‘father of apples’ in Kazakh, has long claimed the honor of being the birthplace of the apple, which was recently confirmed by DNA tests.
23. Wild apple trees and other fruit trees are at risk of extinction and are on Kazakhstan’s red list of endangered trees.
24. Kazakhstan is home to part of the Eurasian Steppe (sometimes called The Kazakh Steppe), the largest grassland in the world. It extends from Hungary to China and reaches almost one-fifth of the way around the Earth.
25. The historic Silk Road, the ancient trading route that connected China with Europe and the Middle East, runs through Kazakhstan. A network of Silk Road sites comprises one of the country’s five UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
26. The flag of Kazakhstan has a light blue background, representing the “Blue Horde” Turkic-Mongol people who used to fly the “Blue Banner,” as well as the great skies under which the nomadic people lived. In the centre is a golden sun and eagle which stand for the freedom and high ideals of the Kazakh people. Finally, along the edge of the flag is a band of traditional Kazakh ornamentation.
27. Kazakhstan is the birthplace of Sacha Baron Cohen’s fictional character in the 2006 satirical movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. The film is widely considered the highest-grossing mockumentary of all time, although it also caused some controversy.
28. In 2012, the film’s ‘fake’ comedy national anthem was played at an official medal ceremony instead of the real one. The false anthem praises Kazakhstan’s prostitutes and contains the line, “Kazakhstan, greatest country in the world, all other countries are run by little girls”.
29. Famed Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Crime and Punishment and The Idiot) lived in Kazakhstan from 1857 to 1859 while in exile. His house in the city of Semey is now a museum.
30. The world’s tallest chimney is in Kazakhstan. The GRES-2 Power Station chimney at Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan, is reputed to be the tallest in the world at 420m (1,379ft).
31. In Kazakhstan, the ancient nomadic game known as kokpar (roughly translated as “goat-grabbing”) is played by two teams of horseback riders (similar to polo) competing over a headless, freshly slaughtered goat. The sport is believed to have originated with Genghis Khan in the 13th century.
32. Horseriding is significant in Kazakh culture which also includes the traditional sport of kyz kuu, which translates as “girl chasing”. The sport is basically a form of “kiss chase” on horseback. A woman sets off on a horse chased by a group of men, also on horseback. The aim of the game is to catch the girl and kiss her while both are still at full gallop.
33. Horsemeat is a big part of Kazakh cuisine. Kazakhstan’s Olympic Games team even specially shipped their own horsemeat to the London 2012 Olympic Games. They also imported Caspian Sea caviar.
34. In 2015, a mysterious disease killed 200,000 critically endangered saiga antelope in Kazakhstan. The mass die-off has left only around 100,000 saigas alive in the world. Today, the animal population has increased to around 2.6 million, prompting the Kazakhstan government to cull up to 337,000 saiga antelopes.
35. Kazakhstan is the world’s leading producer of uranium, the heavy metal used widely in nuclear energy production. They contributed 43% of the world’s production in 2022.
36. In 2023, the European Union emerged as Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner, accounting for 37% of the country’s total exports and almost 30% of its trade.
37. The EU holds the title as the biggest foreign investor in Kazakhstan, contributing €54.8 billion EUR in foreign direct investment in 2022.
38. Kazakhstan holds a significant place in space history, being the launch site for both the first man in space and the first satellite. In 1957, the Baikonur Cosmodrome saw the launch of Sputnik 1, Earth’s first artificial satellite. Four years later, in 1961, Yuri Gagarin embarked on the first human spaceflight from the same location. Remarkably, this historic launch complex remains operational to this day.
39. Snow leopards can be found in Kazakhstan. The notoriously hard-to-spot endangered species – known as the “ghost of the mountains” – is an official symbol of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Only around 7,500 remain in the wild, with only about 150 believed to be in Kazakhstan.
40. Kymyz or kumis (fermented mare’s milk) is a popular mildly alcoholic drink in Kazakhstan. It’s recognized as the national drink both in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Shubat (fermented camel’s milk) is also available to buy.
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Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.