Did you know that Lake Balkhash - one of the largest lakes in the world - is half fresh water and half salt? Or that the Russian word "money" comes from the word "tenge" - the name of the currency of Kazakhstan? Or that the height of each of the four minarets of Hazrat Sultan (the largest mosque in Kazakhstan in Astana) is 77 meters. Or that Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, was built from scratch right in the middle of the bare steppe? Read more amazing facts about Kazakhstan further in our article.
Kazakhs by nationality are the indigenous population of Kazakhstan. Kazakhs also live in neighboring regions of China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia. Currently, Kazakhstan is going through a period of national revival.
Alma-ata, a city that reached the mark of a million people in 1981, remains the cultural, economic and financial capital of Kazakhstan. Since the late 1990s, it has experienced an investment and construction boom, the city has changed significantly.
Not so long ago, Kazakhstan celebrated the 20th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. It is located on the border of the East Kazakhstan, Pavlodar and Karaganda regions, about 130 km north-west of the city of Semey. The main attraction of the region is the "atomic" lake, which is located at the "Balapan" training ground. It was formed as a result of the explosion of a thermonuclear warhead with a yield of 140 kilotons in 1965. The diameter of the lake is 500 meters; the depth from surface to bottom is about 80 meters. At that time, the radiation hazard was not known as well as it is now. Using nuclear explosions, Soviet leaders planned to build reservoirs in the arid regions of the Soviet Union, which seemed very reasonable at that time. Fortunately, these plans never materialized.
1. Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world and the largest landlocked country.
2. Despite the fact that Kazakhstan has no outlet to the ocean, it has a navy, which is based on the Caspian Sea, which does not have an outlet to the ocean.
3. The chimney of the Ekibastuz GRES-2 is the highest in the world (420 meters)
4. The national drink of Kazakhstan is called kumis and is made from sour mare's milk.
5. Kazakhstani athletes have applied to the IOC with a request to allow them to bring horse meat to the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
6. The border between Russia and Kazakhstan is the longest continuous land border in the world (7,512.8 km).
7. It is believed that apple trees first appeared in the area of the capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty. The name Almaty means "place of apples".
8. Medeo is the highest mountain skating rink in the world. The mountainous terrain and clear mountain water make the ice conducive to high performance in speed skating. 170 world records were set here.
9. Kazakhstan produces more uranium than any other country. In 2009, Kazakhstan ranked first in the world in the production of uranium (14,020 tons); In 2011, the country produced 19,450 tons of uranium (35% of world production). Kazakhstan possesses the second largest uranium reserves in the world.
You can find out more about Kzakhstan in the Arys news on Tengrinews.
10. The first man in space (Yuri Gagarin) and the first artificial satellite (Sputnik 1) were launched from a cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
