Form of state:
Unitary, secular, democratic, lawful and social. Head of state - President, electing by way of universal, equal and direct voting. Parliament consists of two chambers : Senate and Mazhilis. Head of government - Prime Minister. President appoints the Prime Minister and approves the structure of the government.


Language:
The official state language is Kazakh, a Turkic language closely related to Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Turkmen and Turkish. Russian is the language of inter-ethnic communication, widely spoken in urban areas, whereas people from rural regions tend to speak more Kazakh. English is used by international organizations and the foreign business community in Kazakhstan. Uygur, Korean and other ethnic minorities speak their national regional languages and dialects.


Religion:
Sunni Islam is the major religion. The Russian Orthodox Church is the dominant Christian denomination. There are also Protestant, Roman Catholic and Jewish communities.


Official Holiday :
1-2 January - New Year
8 March - International Women's Day
22 March - Nauryz (New Year in Central Asia)
1 May - Day of Unity of Peoples of Kazakhstan
9 May - Victory Day
30 August - Constitution Day
25 October - Republic Day
16 December - Independence Day


Theaters:
43, concert organizations - 24, libraries - 3500, museums - 88, memorials of antiquity - 27 000, schools - 7500, Universities - 60.


Foreign tourists:
140 000, Kazakhstan tourists - 600 000.


Diplomatic relations:
120 countries. Missions - in 42 countries, 50 foreign representative offices - in Kazakhstan. Member - UN, OSCE, OIC, Cooperation Council of NATO, World Bank, IMF, European Bank, Shanghai Organization on Cooperation and other international organizations. Main principal of building equal relations with the outside world - concept of a multi-vector foreign policy.



Vast natural resources:
99 elements of Mendeleev's chemical table. Textiles, metallurgy, heavy engineering, instrument - making, petrochemical production are all well developed within the industrial sector. The leaders in attraction of direct foreign investments are oil-and-gas sector, enterprises of black and nonferrous metallurgy, energy, food - processing, communication and mining industries. Large manufacturer and exporter of agricu1tural production, in particular, grains, wool, meat.


Turnover with China:
3 bln. US $ export - black and nonferrous metals, including steel, scrap metal, copper and a copper breakage; import - techniques, equipment, textiles, knitted products, consumption goods and chemical production. 676 enterprises - with Chinese capital. Priority in cooperation - oil-and-gas sphere. Long term plan - to construct pipeline, from oil rich Westem Kazakhstan to China. Big opportunities - railway, motor - car, air Europe-Asia transit transportations.

Anniversary of Astana