The Republic of Kazakhstan is a country in Central Asia and Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world as well as the world's largest landlocked country, it has a territory of 2,727,300 km² (greater than Western Europe). It is bordered by Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and China. The country also borders on a significant part of the Caspian Sea. Vast in size, the land in Kazakhstan is very diverse in types of terrain: flatlands, steppes, taigas, rock-canyons, hills, deltas, mountains, snow-capped mountains, and deserts. Kazakhstan has the 62nd largest population in the world, with a population density of less than 6 people per square kilometer (15 per sq. mi.). Kazakhstan is ethnically and culturally diverse, in part due to mass deportations of many ethnic groups to the country during Stalin's rule. Kazakhs are the largest group, followed by Russians. Kazakhstan allows freedom of religion, and many different beliefs are represented in the country. Islam is the primary religion, followed by Orthodox Christianity. The official language is Kazakh, though Russian is still commonly used for everyday communication.

Geography

Five times the size of France and half the size of the USA, Kazakhstan is the second largest state in the Commonwealth of Independent States, and are bordered by the Russian Federation to the north and west, the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to the southwest, Kyrgyzstan to the south and China to the southeast. 90 per cent of the country is made up of steppe, the sand massive of the Kara Kum and the vast desert of Kizilkum, while in the southeast of the country the mountains of the Tian Shan and the Altai form a great natural frontier with tens of thousands of lakes and rivers. The Aral Sea and Lake Balkhash are the country’s largest expanses of water.

Official Language: Kazakh, Russian

Demonym: Kazakhstani

Currency: Tenge (KZT)

Time Zone: West/East (UTC+5/+6)

Summer (DST): not observed (UTC+5/+6)

Internet TLD: .kz

Calling Code: +7

Visa Formalities for Kazakhstan:

Passports
passport valid for at least six months beyond length of stay required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

Visas
Required by all nationals referred to U.K, U.S.A, Canadian, Australian, and Other EU.

Note: Nationals not referred in visa requirement line are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see General Info).

Visa Note
All nationals staying longer than five days must register with an OVIR office and pay a registration charge. Failure to do so will result in penalties on departure.

Types of Visa and Cost
Tourist: £23 (single-entry); £33 (double-entry). Business and Private: £33 (single-entry); £43 (double-entry); £73 (triple-entry); £133 (multiple-entry, up to one year); £263 (multiple-entry, up to two years). Transit: £13.

Validity
Tourist: 30 days (single-entry); 60 days (double-entry). Business and Private: three months (single-, double- and triple-entry); one or two years (multiple-entry). Transit: 72 hours.

Applications to:
The consulate (or consular section at embassy); see General Info. Applicants of Sweden and Denmark must apply to the Diplomatic Mission of the Republic of Kazakstan in Norway or make their applications through two specially nominated visa service agents based in London. Contact the embassy or see the website of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the UK for more information.

Working Days Required
One day. All applicants are strongly recommended to submit visa applications at least five days prior to date of departure.

Warning
Most visits to Kazakhstan are trouble-free but you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate international terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.

Attractions in Kazakhstan:

The Spas

Kazakhstan has a wide range of spas offering various treatments. There are 98 sanatoria holiday hotels and 115 preventative medicine sanatoria. Most are located in areas with much to interest the tourist, such as sports, cultural events, historical and archaeological sites, and offer developed excursion facilities. The most internationally renowned resorts include Sari Agach (in the south), Mujaldi (in the Pavlodar region), Arasan-Kapal (in the Taldikorgan region), Jani-Kurgan (in the Kzil-Orda region), Kokshetau and Zerenda (in the Kokshetau region) and those located in Zaili Alatau.

The South

South Kazakhstan is a focus of Central Asian history and culture and there are many famous monuments in the region. It is a scenically diverse region in which all four seasons can be experienced in the space of a day, as the snow-capped peaks, lakes and glaciers of the Tien Shan range give way to steppe and desert land which stretches for thousands of kilometers. The mountains serve as a center for mountaineering and skiing and there are resorts offering a wide variety of winter sports. The desert is home to the Singing Barkhan – a sand dune 80m (260ft) high and 3km (2 miles) long, which, as it crumbles and shifts, produces a peculiar sound reminiscent of loud singing.

Almaty

Almaty (formerly Alma Ata) enjoys a beautiful setting between mountains and plains. It is a city of modern architecture, wide streets, cool fountains, parks and squares and spectacular mountain views and, particularly in spring and autumn, is an attractive place despite the inevitable legacy of Soviet architecture. Attractions in the city include the Panfilov Park, which is dominated by one of the world’s tallest wooden buildings, built at the turn of the 20th century without using a single nail, and the Zenkov Cathedral. This served in Soviet times as a concert and exhibition hall, but is currently standing empty, whilst the Christians of Almaty worship at St Nicholas Cathedral. Other sights include New Square, which is usually the location for national ceremonies and parades and is overlooked by the City Hall (the President’s official residence) and the Obelisk of Independence. Almaty boasts several fine museums including the Museum of Kazakh National Instruments, the Central State Museum and the State Art Museum which has, among its exhibits, traditional Kazakh rugs, jewelry and clothing. The Arasan Baths, in the western area of Panfilov Park, have Eastern, Finnish and Russian saunas.

The Mountains

The 4000m- (1310ft-) high Zaili Alatau Mountains near Almaty offer numerous opportunities all year round for sports and recreation. The Medeu ice rink is situated 15km (9 miles) outside the city in a stunning gorge (see Sports and Activities section). There are large areas of unspoilt nature among the mountains which attract many walkers and climbers to the region in summer and skiers in the winter. The Tien Shan Mountains in the southeast of Kazakhstan stretch for more than 1500km (932 miles). The highest peaks are Pobeda Peak (7439m/24,406ft) and Khan-Tengri Peak (7010m/23,000ft), a snow-white, marble-like pyramid. The huge Inylchek Glacier, reaching almost 60km (37 miles) in length, splits the summits and the beautiful Mertzbakher Lake lies at its center. The Kolsai Lakes are three blue mountain lakes, known as the ‘pearls of the northern Tien-Shan’, that lie within the ridges of the Kungei Alatau range at heights of up to 2700m (8858ft) above sea level. The Khan-Tengri International Mountaineering Camp provides experienced mountain guides to take visitors on organized climbing and trekking programs. Other facilities include horse riding, a souvenir shop and bar.

Central Kazakhstan

Central Kazakhstan has one of the largest lakes in the world. The unique Lake Balkhash is half saline, half fresh water. Some archaeological and ethnographic sites have been preserved in central Kazakhstan. There are Bronze Age and Early Iron Age sites and New Stone Age and Bronze Age settlements in the Karkarala Oasis. The Bayan-Aul National Park has rock drawings, stone sculptures, clean, sparkling lakes and pines clinging to the rocks. The Baikonur Cosmodrome, located 5km (3 miles) from the garrison city of Leninsk and 230km (143 miles) from Kzil-Orda, is the Central Asian answer to Cape Canaveral – tours are available, during which visitors can witness space launches. It was from here, on 12 April, 1961, that Yuri Gagarin, the world’s first cosmonaut took off, and it is still a point of departure for space launches.

The North Kazakhstan

Astana was made Kazakhstan’s new capital in 1997, as its location was thought to be more accessible to the Russian Federation and less earthquake-prone than Almaty (the former capital), where foreign embassies and consulates are still based. Although a small and friendly town and an important center for the production of grain, it has little else to recommend it. The nature reserve of Kurgaldjino in the north of Kazakhstan houses the most northerly settlement of pink flamingoes in the world, while another nature reserve, Naurzum, offers a rich landscape of geographical contrasts – salt lakes ringed by forests, the remains of ancient pines strewn amongst sand dunes, pine forests growing out of salt-marsh beds, vast meadows, and rare animals such as hisser swans and grave eagles.

The West Kazakhstan

West Kazakhstan marks the southern convergence of Europe and Asia in the basin of the Caspian Sea. The region’s Karagie Depression, 132m (433ft) below sea level, is the lowest point in the world after the Dead Sea in Sinai. There are many architectural heritage sites in this region, including the subterranean cross-shaped Shakpak-Ata Mosque (12th-14th centuries) which is hewn out of rock.

The East Kazakhstan

East Kazakhstan offers a colorful landscape of snow-capped mountain peaks, plunging forested canyons and picturesque cedar forests. Lake Marakol rivals Baikal in beauty. It is 35km (22 miles) long and 19km (12 miles) wide and lies 1449m (4754ft) above sea level. The city of Semipalatinsk, 30km (19 miles) from Siberia, was a Russian place of exile; Dostoyevsky was exiled here from 1857-1859 and his house is preserved as a museum – exhibits include notes for Crime and Punishment and The Idiot. Other museums in the city include the Abai Kununbaev Museum, commemorating the Kazakh poet, and the History Museum. Nuclear tests were carried out southwest of Semipalatinsk until 1990, although background radiation today is easily within reach of internationally accepted levels. The town of Ust-Kamenogorsk is a mining and smelting town and is the gateway to the Altai Mountains. Occupying the central point of the continent, these gentle mountains are covered with meadows and woods and stretch for 1000km (620 miles) into Mongolia. Rakhmanovski in the Altai Mountains offers a turbaza and is renowned for its cross-country skiing.

Hiking and Trekking

Due to the country’s rugged landscape and incredible mountain ranges, mountain climbing and trekking are becoming increasingly popular with visitors. The best season for trekking is between June and September. Horse riding is also popular in Kazakhstan. Visitors may either take part in or view competitions of the many Kazakh equestrian sports, such as baiga, kiz-kuu and kokpar.

Winter Sports

Near Almaty, 12km (7 miles) from the city center, surrounded by mountains, the Medeu ice-skating rink is the largest speed-skating rink in the world and is very popular with all the inhabitants of the capital. Over 120 world records in ice skating and ice hockey have been set at Medeu. A comfortable hotel, restaurant and cafe are located nearby. Ice hockey games can be viewed at the rink in Ust-Kamenogorsk. On a spur of Zaili Alatau, 7km (4 miles) to the south, the wintersports complex of Chimbulak offers some of the finest skiing in the CIS and many ski competitions take place here. Skis and boots can be hired, but they are not up to Western European or US standards. Costs are minimal. Shymbulak is a popular ski resort, located near Medeu ice rink, with a 1.6km- (1mile-) long chair lift.

Water Sports

All the regional centers boast sport complexes, swimming pools and training halls. Rafting and canoeing can be easily arranged through local travel agents. The Ili River between Lake Qapshaghay and Lake Balhash is a good place for this.

Climate of Kazakhstan:

This is a land of climatic extremes -- hot as an oven in the summer and bitterly cold in the winter. The best time to visit most of the country is April-June or September-October, when the day temperatures are cool. Hikers and mountain climbers will want to go in summer: While the rest of the country is burning up in the summer, the mountains are at their best.