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Kazakhstan |
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Capital city: Astana
Ethnic groups that make up the population: Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Uighur 1.4%, other 6.6% (1999 census) Religions: Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7% Languages: Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 95% (2001 est.) Literacy rate (Definition: age 15 and over can read and write):total population: 98.4%; male: 99.1%; female: 97.7% (1999 est.) Legal system: based on civil law system, only seven parties in Kazakhstan have been registered under the new political party law passed in July 2002 Industries: Oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromites, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel, nonferrous metal, tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials; much of industrial capacity is shut down and/or is in need of repair. Agriculture: Main Crops: grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; wool, livestock. GDP: purchasing power parity -$120 billion (2002 est.) GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,200 (2002 est.) Currency: tenge (KZT) School system: The Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Article 30) states that: “Citizens are guaranteed free secondary education in the state-owned educational institutions. Secondary education is compulsory. The Basic goals of the educational system in the Republic of Kazakhstan are as follows: shaping up of general scientific and cultural training of students (resp. school children); social adaptation of school children for their life in the society; molding a sense of civic motivation and the love to the Motherland; meeting the society’s demand in qualified workers and experts; retraining and development of vocational competence thereof. System of education in the Republic of Kazakhstan includes the following:
Vocational-and-technical institutions provide vocational education. As a matter of fact it is combined with regular secondary education. Family unit (role of women and children): women have theprimary responsibility for the rearing and educating of children. One of the republic's goals must be to create an economy in which a mother can work at home, raising her children. Women's health issues have not been addressed effectively in Kazakhstan. A family of four might share a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and a living room that is also used for sleeping. Rural people live in brick houses, with electricity but often without running water. Women in urban areas often work outside the home, and they hold many of the country's senior jobs. Rural women usually work in the home. Farming couples work together and children are expected to do their share. Many families of Kazakh origin have a special bond with their grandmothers. Often the azjhe, as she is known, does the housework and takes care of small children while their parents are working outside the home. Kazakhs feel that the azjhes are the glue that holds their society together. According to Kazakh tradition, the youngest son is expected to look after his parents when they grow old. He and his family will live with them or in a nearby house or apartment. Women who marry into a Kazakh family are expected to show special respect for their husband's parents. Misc. interesting facts: In the past several years, the president has harassed the independent media, arrested opposition leaders, and passed a law making it virtually impossible for new political parties to form. Kazakhstan is famous for its uncalculated mineral wealth. There is a Kazak saying, "Kazaks' hearts are like the steppes - wide, kind and generous." A Yurta is transportable collapsible dwelling of a nomad. It consists of wooden framework, covered with felt. Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan 's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence has caused many of these newcomers to emigrate. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; achieving a sustainable economic growth outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers. Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union) National Holiday: Republic Day, 25 October (1990) Naurysz, celebration of the spring equinox March 21 st and 22nd Radio stations: AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 Handicrafts: From time immemorial they would manufacture (on the territory of Kazakhstan) small plastic articles made of stone, bone, ceramics, metal, table-ware molded of clay, cut of wood and leather, quite widespread were fretwork items made of wood, bone and stone, they would process and stamp leather and metals, weave all sorts of mats. Embroidery art is well known in Kazakhstan from ancient times. Carpet weaving is inseparable from ancient crafts of Kazakhs. Carpets that are prized as works of art have been made for centuries. They are brightly colored and intricately designed with birds, flowers, animals or geometric shapes. Kazakh music is complex. Musicians play bagpipes, wooden harps and horns, the two-stringed dombira (like a lute) and the three-stringed qobiz (like a viola). Among the country's composers are Kurmangazy Zhybanov, admired for his classical works, and Mukan Tulebayev, whose folk music is beloved. References: CIA Fact book http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
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