Things You Always Wanted to Know About Kazakhstan (but were afraid to ask)

When I mention that I am adopting from Kazakhstan the first reaction I get normally has something to do with Borat (which BTW wasn’t even filmed in Kazakhstan). So I thought it might be helpful to include some information about the country.

Kaz is the ninth largest country in the world. Located in central Asia it is bordered by Russia to the north, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in the south and part of Turkmenistan in the west (see the map below). It has almost 1,177 miles of coastline on the Caspian Sea.

Kaz is part of the former Soviet Union and became an independent nation on December 16, 1991. The majority of the population in Kaz are ethnic Kazakh. The other ethnic groups that make up the population include Russian, Ukrainian, Uzbek, German and Uyghur. Two languages are spoken in Kaz - the Kazakh language which is the "state" language and Russian which is the "official" language (i.e., it is the language that is used in business).

Kaz geography is very diverse in terms of terrain: flatlands, steppes, taigas, rock-canyons, hills, deltas, mountains, snow-capped mountains, and deserts. It has the 62nd largest population in the world but a population density of less than 15 people per square mile. Kaz has cold winters and hot summers. I can’t wait to be there in the winter – not!

The word "Kazakh" means "independent" or "wanderer". Until the middle of the 20th century the Kazakh people were nomads. They lived in yurts (which are portable, domed tents made of felt) and traveled with their livestock from summer pastures to warmer winter lands.