Kazakhstan gained independence on 16 December 1991 and is now a young and rapidly developing state.
Kazakhstan is positioned at the junction of two continents – Europe and Asia – and, globally, due to its area of 2,724,900 square km, it is ranked ninth. In the north and west Kazakhstan borders Russia (the longest continuous onshore borderline on Earth), in the east – China, and in the south – Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The total length of Kazakhstan onshore borders is 13,392.6 km.
Kazakhstan is the largest country in the world which does not have a direct access to the global ocean. Despite its remote distance from the oceans, Kazakhstan has two inland seas: the Caspian Sea, known for its rich deposits of oil, and the Aral Sea, which is an example of negative human impact on the environment.
Capital City
The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan by his Decree dated 10 December 1997 moved the capital from Almaty to Akmola, later renamed Astana and now Nur-Sultan. However, Almaty remains the country’s major city and has become its financial, business and cultural centre.
Currency
The national currency of Kazakhstan is the Kazakhstan tenge. Coins in circulation have denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 tenge. Banknotes are issued in denominations of 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000 and 20000 tenge. Today, the Kazakhstan tenge has 18 levels of protection, and is included in the list of the most protected currencies of the world.
Population
According to the country’s official statistics, as at 1 January 2022, the population of Kazakhstan is 19,125,620.
Kazakhstan is a multi-ethnic territory inhabited by over 100 national and ethnic groups. More than 50% of the population are ethnic Kazakhs. Russians are the second largest ethnic group.
Religion
Kazakhstan is a secular State where more than 40 confessions coexist in peace. The major religion is Sunni Islam.
Languages
Kazakh, being the largest in the Turkic group of languages, is the official language of Kazakhstan, while Russian is the language of interethnic communication.
Russian is officially used by central government and local government authorities on equal terms with Kazakh.
Public and National Holidays
Kazakhstan has the following holidays:
New Year – 1 and 2 January;
International Women’s Day – 8 March;
Nauryz Meiramy - 21-23 March;
Kazakhstan People’s Unity Day - 1 May;
Defender of the Fatherland Day – 7 May;
Victory Day - 9 May;
Capital City Day - 6 July;
Constitution Day - 30 August;
Kazakhstan First President’s Day - 1 December; and
Independence Day – 16-17 December.
The above holidays are non-working days in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In pursuance of Kazakhstan labour law, the following days are also deemed to be non-working days in Kazakhstan:
Orthodox Christmas – 7 January; and
Kurban Ait (the first day celebrated under the Islamic lunar calendar) – 9 July in 2022.
The Kazakhstan climate is sharply continental and strongly seasonal. The average temperatures in January range between -19°C (in the North and North-East) and +1°C (in the South), and the average temperatures in July range between +17°C and +31°C, respectively.
Kazakhstan is a country with a diverse range of natural resources. Out of 110 elements on the periodic table, 99 have been discovered in the bowels of Kazakhstan, 70 of which have been explored and over 60 are being produced.
To date, there have been discovered 493 deposits containing 1,225 minerals. Kazakhstan ranks the first worldwide by the proven reserves of zinc, tungsten and barite, the second – by silver, lead and chromite, the third – by copper and fluorspar, the fourth – by molybdenum, and the fifth – by gold.
Presently, Kazakhstan has 14 prospective oil basins located virtually throughout its entire territory where only 160 oil and gas fields have been explored. According to the latest prospecting data, Kazakhstan has 300 major deposits of gold, of which 173 have been explored in detail. To date, Kazakhstan has explored over 100 coal deposits, including the biggest Ekibastuz deposit and the Karaganda coal basin.
Kazakhstan is pursuing a development strategy named Kazakhstan 2050: New Political Course of the Established State the key objective of which is the entry of Kazakhstan to the club of top 30 most developed countries of the world before 2050 and further implementation of such major projects as Kashagan and Karachaganak.
According to the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business 2020 ranking, Kazakhstan ranks the 25th among 190 countries.
In the first two months of 2022 Kazakhstan GDP grew by 3.5%. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, in February 2022, the average monthly nominal wages were KZT272,968. At the year-end, the unemployment rate remained the same, i.e. 4.9% of the total economically active population.
According to the Kazakhstan National Bank, in the first 6 months of 2021 foreign direct investment (FDI) increased by 30.4% and reached 11.1 bln US dollars. As at 1 January 2022, 25.3 thousand foreign-invested companies were operating in Kazakhstan (i.e. 13.5% more than at 31 December 2020). In Q4 2021, gross direct investment in Kazakhstan economy made up 18.75 bln US dollars, including 9.08 bln US dollars (i.e. 48.4%) in the mineral sector, in particular, 6.47 bln US dollars in oil and gas production (i.e. 34.5%)
1. The President is the head of State and the executive branch and is elected in general election for a 5-year term. The presidential candidate must be a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan. All former Presidents of the Republic of Kazakhstan, except abdicated presidents, hold the title of an ex-President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
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appeal to the people and government authorities/officers of Kazakhstan with regard to the most important issues of the national building initiative, domestic and foreign policies, and national security that are subject to compulsory consideration by appropriate government authorities and officers; and
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address the Parliament and Houses of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan when discussing the most urgent national issues; and be a member of the Constitutional Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
5. The Parliament is the supreme legislative and representative body of the country. The Parliament adopts laws that have the supreme legal force, approves the State budget and controls the Government. The Parliament has two chambers, the Senate and Majilis. Deputies of the Majilis are elected by general direct election for 5 years by party lists presented by political parties or from independent candidates who must be citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 9 deputies of the Majilis are elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan.
Deputies of the Senate are elected by local representative bodies for 6 years. 15 deputies of the Senate are appointed by the President and are called to represent in the Senate certain national, cultural and other material interests of the society.
The election and dismissal of the Chairman and judges of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on the recommendation of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, are reserved to the Senate.
7. The Constitutional Council: (i) resolves disputes arising out of or in connection with the election of a President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Members of the Parliament, and the national referendum; (ii) prior to Presidential approval, reviews all laws adopted by the Parliament for their compliance with the Kazakhstan Constitution; (iii) reviews all resolutions adopted by the Parliament and its Chambers for their compliance with the Kazakhstan Constitution; (iv) prior to ratification by the Republic of Kazakhstan, reviews all international treaties for their compliance with the Kazakhstan Constitution; (v) issues official interpretation of the Constitution provisions; and (vi) issues opinions to the extent provided by the Constitution. In pursuance of the Constitution, the Constitutional Council considers state-of-the-nation addresses and court requests and, having reviewed the constitutional proceedings for the past year, issues a message to the Parliament with regard to the constitutional compliance in the country. The Constitutional Council consists of 7 members, 3 of whom (including the Chairman) are appointed by the President, 2 are appointed on the recommendation of the Upper House of the Parliament and 2 are appointed on the recommendation of the Lower House of the Parliament. Besides, all ex-presidents of the Republic of Kazakhstan are life members of the Constitutional Council.
8. The Security Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan (the “Security Council”) is an advisory and deliberative body set up by the President for coordination of government policy in such domains as national security and defence for the sake of domestic political stability and protection of constitutional civil rights and freedoms, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and national interests of the country in the international arena.
The Astana International Financial Centre (the “AIFC”) is not part of the courts system and enjoys a special status. The AIFC adjudicates on disputes between members, bodies and/or foreign employees of the AIFC. The AIFC Court applies the civil procedure rules of England and Wales and/or standards/requirements of the leading international financial centres. The AIFC Court Chairman and judges are appointed and dismissed by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the recommendation of the AIFC Governor.
10. Local authorities are Maslikhats, representative bodies, and Akimats, executive bodies. Akims of oblasts (provinces), major cities of national status and the capital city are appointed by the President upon approval from Maslikhats of oblasts, cities and the capital city. Deputies of Maslikhats are elected locally by the population of respective regions.
