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Kazakhstan is the extensive region of Central Asia, bordering Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and China. Its territory is 2717,3 thousand square km, it is more than territory of Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Great Britain taken together. According to the modern administrative division Kazakhstan is divided on 14 districts and 83 cities. The Capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan is Astana, largest city is Almaty (ex-name Alma-Ata) - about 1.5 millions of people.
In 1998 the decision was made to change the name of the new capital Akmola to Astana, which translates from Kazakh language as "capital". At the present time the city of Astana is growing, changing, gaining power and enhancing its international prestige and reputation, becoming the symbol of the rapid renovation of Kazakhstan. Its territory
stretches almost 3000 km from west to east: from lowland of Volga
and Caspian sea to mountains of Altai and more than 1000 km from
north to south: from the West -Siberian plain to mountains of
Tian-Shan. About half of the territory of Kazakhstan are plains,
occupied by deserts, steppes and forest-steppes. These plains
become the extensive downturn in the west of the Republic - Caspian
lowland which separate parts are from -20 to-70 m below of the
sea level . The hollow Karaguie, situated in the same region,
has a minimal mark of 132 m. In the south and east of Kazakhstan
are located the mountain systems from 2000 - 4000m above a sea
level on Altai to 4000-5000m on Tian-Shan. Climate of Kazakhstan is sharply continental. Average January temperatures range from -18C in the north to -3C in the south, in July - from +19 in the north to +28-30 in the south. Levels of precipitations vary from 100 mm in the south and in a deserted part of Kazakhstan to 300 mm in north and in steppe, forest-steppe and in the mountains - near 1600 mm.
Kazakhstan
is the country with a rich historical past. The territory of the
modern Kazakhstan had been the house for the numerous tribes and
ethnical nationalities. Primitive tribes of stone century were
replaced by skythian, which in their turn had ceded a place to
the Turkic peoples. The Short-term Arabian conquest's campaigns
and the big migrations followed after the Mongolian invasion exerted
great influence on the map of the population of Central Asia.
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Astana
is the new capital of the Independent Republic of Kazakhstan.
In 1997 the President of the Republic made the decision to relocate
the capital of the country from Almaty to Akmola city. This was
a historical decision motivated by the advantageous geographical
and political location of the city in the heart of the country
and at the intersection of the country's main transport routes.
The
highest mountain of Republic located in Central Tian Shan, on
border with Kirghizia, is a peak Khan - Tengri of 6995 m. The
Caspian and Aral seas adjoin to Kazakhstan. There are over 48
thousand lakes in the territory of Republic, largest of them are
Balkhash, Zaisan, Alakol. There are more than 10 thousand rivers
in Kazakhstan, largest of them are Irtysh, Ural and Syrdaria.
The
large territory and original location at the centre of the Asian
continent give a unique variety of landscapes, flora and fauna
of Kazakhstan. It is possible to meet almost all landscape-ecological
complexes of Old World - from tundra and forest-tundra to northern
deserts and dry subtropics. There are a lot of vegetative species,
endemic to Kazakhstan i.e. you can not meet them anywhere in the
world. The fauna of Kazakhstan is also diverse. The list of the
vertebral consists of more than 800 species, including 488 species
of birds and 178 of mammals. Moreover, the profound zoological
researches of the last years add to the above-mentioned list 1-2
species every 3-5 years. Among various groups of animals of Kazakhstan
there are a lot of endemic ones. From the vertebral animals of
Kazakhstan 125 species are found in the Red Data Book of the Republic
of Kazakhstan, including 16 species of fishes, 3 species of amphibians,
10 species of reptiles, 56 species of birds, 40 species of mammals.
The national parks such as "Altyn-Emel", Ili-Alatau,
Bayan-Aulsky, "Kokshetau" and reserves Alma-Aty, "Aksu-Dzhabagly,
Alakolsky, Ustiuurtsky,Barsakelmesky, Kurgaldzhynsky, Naurzymsky,
West-Altaysky, Markakolsky are being created for protection of
the unique natural complexes and rare species of animals and plants
of Kazakhstan. 
The
monuments of ancient and medieval culture of the peoples of Central
Asia are well combined with the burial places of the petrified
rests of ancient animals and plants which age exceeds hundred
millions years. In West of Kazakhstan, near the Caspian Sea, you
can see the fortresses and the old settlements, the medieval underground
mosques, whimsical graves and mausoleums with a picture gallery
of ancient petroglyphs. You can see also the limestone's stratum
with the rests of the ancient sharks' teeth, sea hedgehogs. The
numerous burial skythian places - barrows are located in the south-east,
on the right bank of the Ili river. The height of the big barrow
is 15 m, and its age exceeds 2 thousand years.
