Kazakhstan is a Central Asian country that shares
its borders with Russia and China. It consists of vast flatland, bordered
by a high mountain belt in the southeast that stretches over 2000 miles.
Much of Kazakhstan has limited or irregular rainfall creating a desert like
environment. The summers are ferociously hot and winters are bitter
cold. In the spring the desert blooms and the landscape explodes in
brilliant reds, oranges and yellows.The emergence of native Kazakhs as a distinct people occurred at the end of the 13th century when Turkic and Mongol tribes migrated into the region. Although they rarely united as a single nation, they formed one of the world's last nomadic empires. They are most known for excellent horse-mastery and cattle-breeding. Even today many Kazakhs maintain a seminomadic existence, moving with herds and flocks from their collective farms to summer pastures every year.
Kazakhstan was conquered by Russia in the 18th century and became a part of the Soviet Republic in 1936. The Russian conquest intertwined two cultures that now share a common history of this Central Asian land. Today Russians represent 40% of the population. The majority are city dwellers living in the northern portion of the country.
In 1991 Kazakhstan declared its independence from the Soviet Union. As a result the the people have experienced a decline in their standard of living. But with an abundance of natural resources the country has the promise of a bright future in the years to come.
