Yearbook 2010
According to COUNTRYAAH, Kazakhstan has a population of 18.28 million (2018). Kazakhstan became President of the OSCE at the New Year, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The role of Kazakhstan was questioned in many Member States because of the lack of democracy and the suppression of human rights. President Nursultan Nazarbayev, on the other hand, described the presidency as a recognition of Kazakhstan’s international authority.
The Presidency of the OSCE may have had an impact on a verdict in February, when a ban on media criticism by President Nazarbayev’s son-in-law was lifted. The ban had been severely criticized by the OSCE. The son-in-law Timur Kulibayev is one of Kazakhstan’s most powerful businessmen and is mentioned as a possible successor to Nazarbayev.
After the bloody fighting in southern Kyrgyzstan in the spring, the deposed Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakijev fled to Kazakhstan but then traveled to Belarus.
The uprising in Kyrgyzstan led the Kazakh president to strengthen his power. In May, Parliament decided to grant Nazarbayev greater powers and, moreover, immunity from prosecution for both himself and his family. He also got a new title, Elbasy (country father). In addition, it became illegal to distort images of the president.
- Abbreviation Finder: Check to see how the two letter abbreviation of GOK stands for the country of Kazakhstan in geography.
Nazarbayev, who according to the Constitution can candidate as many times as possible, announced in the fall that he plans to run in the 2012 presidential election and intends to stay until at least 2020.
After severe drought, this year’s cereal harvest was about one-third less than normal. According to softwareleverage, Kazakhstan is one of the world’s largest grain producers, and the mist growth helped raise world market prices for cereals, flour and bread.
When President Nazarbayev turned 70 in July, the world’s largest tent was erected in the capital, Astana, at a cost of more than SEK 1 billion. The tent, or the steel and plastic building, reached 150 m in height, and on the ground there was a business gallery and adventure palace.
At the end of the year, Kazakhstan entered into a new customs union with the Russian Federation, but Belarus, which would also have been involved, chose to stay outside.
In December, President Nazarbayev hosted the OSCE Summit, held in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana. Some countries, such as Sweden and the United States, questioned Kazakhstan’s role as OSCE chairman and did not allow themselves to be represented by the heads of government.
Country data
Area: 2,724,902 km2 (world ranking: 9)
Population: 18,038,000
Population density: 7 per km2 (as of 2017, world ranking: 65)
Capital: Astana
Official languages: Kazakh, Russian
Gross domestic product: US $ 159.4 billion; Real growth: 4.0%
Gross national product (GNP, per resident and year): 7890 US$
Currency: 1 Tenge (T) = 100 Tiyn
Embassy
Nordendstr. 14/17, 13156 Berlin
Telephone 030 47007111,
Fax 030 47007125
www.botschaft-kasachstan.de
Government
Head of State: Nursultan Ä. Nazarbayev, head of government: Baqytschan Sagyntajew, exterior: Qairat Abbdirachmanow
National holiday: 16.12.
Administrative division
14 areas, 2 cities with special status (Almaty and Astana) and special area Baiqongyr (Baikonur)
State and form of government
Constitution of 1995
Presidential republic
Parliament: Lower House (Majlis) with 107 members (98 directly elected, 9 indirectly elected representatives of ethnic minorities), Election every 5 years; Senate with 47 members (32 elected for 6 years, 15 appointed by the State President), partial election every 3 years,
direct election of the head of state every 5 years (one-time re-election); Re-election restrictions do not apply to President Nazarbayev’s
right to vote from 18 years.
Population: Kazakhs, last census 2009: 16,009,597 pop.
63.1% Kazakhs, 23.7% Russians, 2.8% Uzbeks, 2.1% Ukrainians, 1.4% Uyghurs, 1.3% Tatars, 1.1% Germans; 4.5% Chechens, Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Kyrgyz people, Greeks, Koreans, Turks and others
Cities (with population): (as of 2018) Almaty (Alma-Ata) 1,801,713 residents, Astana 1,032,475, Schymkent 951,605, Qaraghandy 501,097, Aqtöbe 420.151, Taras 356.461, Pawlodar 334.906, Öskemen 329.048, Semei 321.842, Qostanai 239.532, Atirau 237.298, Qyzylorda 236.087
Religions: 70% Muslims (especially Sunnis), 26% Christians (especially: Orthodox);
languages (
Kazakhstan, 2006), etc. Languages of the minorities
Employed by economic sector: Agriculture. 18%, industry 21%, business 61% (2017)
Unemployment (in% of the labor force)
2017: 4.9%
Inflation rate (in%): 2017: 7.4%
Foreign trade: Import: 29.3 billion US$ (2017); Export: 48.3 billion US $ (2017)