Table of Contents

Kazakhstan

Khan Shatyr

Khan Shatyr is a transparent tent in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, the largest entertainment and shopping center in Central Asia. It has been described as “the world's largest tent.” The 490-foot-high tent with an elliptical base and a 656 ft × 640 ft axis covers an area of 14 hectare. 1)

Almaty

Almaty was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 1998. Now the capital is Astana, but Almaty still has the largest number of Kazakhs (1.5 million). 2)

Tenge

Kazakhstan was one of the last CIS countries to introduce its own monetary unit. In 1995, Kazakhstan opened its own Banknote Factory. One Tenge is equal to 100 Tiyns. 3)

Tallest chimney in the world

The GRES-2 power plant is a thermal power plant located in Yekybastuz, Kazakhstan. It was built in 1987. The installed capacity of the power plant is 1000 MW. It has the tallest chimney in the world measuring 1,214 feet tall, which is higher than the Inco Superstack. 4)

Religion

For decades, when Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union, there were attempts to limit and eradicate the dominant Islam. After independence, there was a great revival of the national identity of Kazakhs combined with the revival of religion. In just a few years, the number of mosques in the country increased several times. 5)

Tenge

Kazakhstan was one of the last countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States to introduce its own monetary unit. The national currency of Kazakhstan is the tenge. 6)

1 BC

The history and culture of Kazakhstan date back to the 1st century BC. 7)

Semipalatinsk nuclear laboratories

Kazakhstan was the site of ambitious Soviet projects, such as the Semipalatinsk nuclear laboratories, nuclear weapons testing. 8)

Baikonur Cosmodrome

The Baikonur Cosmodrome, a Russian space launch complex was also located in Kazakhstan. 9)

Nur-Sultan

The capital of Kazakhstan is Nur-Sultan, the second most populous (after Almaty) city in the country. 10)

Khan Shatyr

Khan Shatyr was the second building designed by British architect Norman Foster after the Pyramid of Peace and Reconciliation. 11)

Implementing democratic reforms

Kazakhstan is considered to be the country that is making the most progress in implementing democratic reforms compared to other Central Asian countries. 12)

Uranium mining

Kazakhstan has ranked first in the world in uranium ore mining for several years, overtaking the long-time leader, Canada. 13)

Environmental disasters

Two major environmental disasters have been recorded within Kazakhstan's borders: the drying up of the Aral Sea and high radioactive contamination in areas of former nuclear testing. 14)

Turkic people

Kazakhs are descendants of early Turkic peoples, and their culture has been influenced mainly by Mongolian, Persian, Russian, and Arabic cultures. 15)

Landlocked

Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world. 16)

Charyn Canyon

In the southeastern region of Kazakhstan, near the Tienshan Mountains, there is a canyon of the Charyn River, reminiscent of the Grand Canyon of Colorado. 17)