Sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun with 32 rays soaring above a golden steppe eagle in the center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in gold.
Astana the government moved from Almaty to Astana in December 1998
Administrative divisions:
14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities* (qala, singular - qalasy): Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy*, Aqmola Oblysy (Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy*, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy*, Mangghystau Oblysy (Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy, Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Petropavlovsk), and Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz). Administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses). In 1995 the Governments of Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (Baykonyr, formerly Leninsk).
Population:
16,741,519 (July 2002 est.)
Languages:
Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the language of interethnic communication) 95% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates:
48° 00' N, 68° 00' E
Area total:
2,717,300 sq. km
Land area:
2,669,800 sq. km
Water area:
47,500 sq. km
Total land boundaries:
12,012 km
Borders with neighbor countries:
China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked) Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km)
Elevation extremes:
Vpadina Kaundy -132 m - Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m
Internet country code:
.kz
Currency:
tenge (KZT)
Name - conventional long form:
Republic of Kazakhstan
Name - conventional short form:
Kazakhstan
Name - local long form:
Qazaqstan Respublikasy
Name - local short form:
none
Former name:
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
Independence:
16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Constitution:
adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995, first post-independence constitution was adopted 28 January 1993