Wikijunior:Asia/Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan is a country where the nomads roam freely on their homeland. In fact, the word "Kazakh" means "a free and independent nomad" in ancient Turkish. It is also known as the largest landlocked country (29 million km²) in the world.

Nur-Sultan previously known as Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. Tenge is the currency of Kazakhstan.

Where is Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan is bordering Russia to north, southwest to Uzbekistan, southeast to Kyrgyzstan and China and to the east of Mongolia.

How many people live in Kazakhstan?

According to the 2018 census, there are an estimated 18.2 million people living in Kazakhstan. The people living in Kazakhstan identify themselves as Kazakhs. The ethnic Kazakhs are 63% of the population. Due to the proximity to Russia, about 23% of population which consider themselves as ethnic Russians. The rest of 14% consists of ethnic minority such as Tatars, Ukrainians, Uzbeks, Belarusians, Uyghurs, Azerbaijanis, Poles, and Lithuanians.

What are the most common languages in Kazakhstan?

The Kazakh language, spoken by 65% of the population, has the status of the "state" language, while Russian, which is spoken by almost all of the population is an official language of "interethnic communication".

What is the most common religion in Kazakhstan?

The most common religion practiced in Kazakhstan is Islam (70%) followed by Eastern Orthodox Christianity (26%). The other 4% are practicing Roman Catholic, Protestant Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Baha'i Faith, and other beliefs.

What is the sport of Kazakhstan?

Kyz Kuu in action

In Kazakh language kyz kuu literally means "catch the girl". This national game is regarded as a piece of fun than serious competition.

Two horse riders (a man and a woman) participate in it. To start the competition, a female rider stands at a certain distance behind a horseman. She starts riding at full speed and, as soon as she reaches him, the male rider moves. Both race towards the finishing line. Along the race, the female rider whips the male until she is caught. If the male catches the female he is then rewarded with a kiss.

If the man wins he has the right to kiss the girl.

What are some important sites?

Tamgaly-Tas in Kazakhstan

Tamgaly-Tas - It literally means ‘written rocks’ as the rocks here are inscribed with beautiful images of Tibetan scriptures and the Buddha. The site is marked with thousands of rock paintings and carvings dating from the Bronze Age onward. The carvings shows the hunting scenes and animal figures, Buddha, Buddhist mantras in Sanskrit and pictures of important Buddhist teachers.

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