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| Kazakhstan |
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| Kazakhstan Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see photo_6 Kazakhstan is a country in Central Asia. It borders on Russia , China , Uzbekistan , Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan . It is a beautiful country; however, it is yet undiscovered by tourists. It is the 9th largest country of the world with a little over 16 million people and a lot of places to visit. Those who might be interested in travelling to Kazakhstan should be able to understand its natural beauty, because even though its history is over a thousand years, the nomadic people of Kazakhstan have not left a lot of material evidence of their culture. Their culture, though, has been preserved in their folklore and traditions. I am sure that tourism to Kazakhstan should become more popular within several years, the outdoors lovers will be able to appreciate all the wonderful things that Kazakhstan has to offer. The old capital city of Almaty - a word, according to the most popular explanation, derived from "alma" (apple) - is a place most visited. It is a laid back city, with a nice atmosphere. From Almaty you can make excursions into the picturesque mountains nearby or visit the skating rink - one of the fastest outdoor tracks in the world. The new capital of Astana is not yet a true capital. It is situated in the windy steppes of the northern part of the country, and its climate is not very inviting. __________Economy Edit This Economy—overview: Kazakhstan the second largest of the former Soviet republics in territory possesses enormous untapped fossil fuel reserves as well as plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also has considerable agricultural potential with its vast steppe lands accommodating both livestock and grain production. Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and processing of these natural resources and also on a relatively large machine building sector specializing in construction equipment tractors agricultural machinery and some defense items. The breakup of the USSR and the collapse of demand for Kazakhstan's traditional heavy industry products have resulted in a sharp contraction of the economy since 1991 with the steepest annual decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97 the pace of the government program of economic reform and privatization quickened resulting in a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. The December 1996 signing of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium agreement to build a new pipeline from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oil field to the Black Sea increases prospects for substantially larger oil exports in several years. The emigration of large numbers of skilled Slavic managers and technicians from the northern industrial areas will hold back future growth. GDP: purchasing power parity—$50 billion (1997 est.) GDP—real growth rate: 2.1% (1997 est.) GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$3 000 (1997 est.) GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 12% industry: 25% services: 63% (1996 est.) Inflation rate—consumer price index: 12% (1997 est.) Labor force: total: 6.9 million by occupation: industry 27% agriculture and forestry 23% other 50% (1996) Unemployment rate: 2.6% includes only officially registered unemployed; also large additional numbers of unemployed and underemployed workers (December 1996 est.) Budget: revenues: $3 billion expenditures: $4.6 billion including capital expenditures of $40 million (1996 est.) Industries: oil coal iron ore manganese chromite 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 Industrial production growth rate: 3% (1997 est.) Electricity—capacity: 18.9 million kW (1995) Electricity—production: 61.7 billion kWh (1995) Electricity—consumption per capita: 3 800 kWh (1996 est.) Agriculture—products: grain mostly spring wheat cotton; wool meat Exports: total value: $5.6 billion (1996) commodities: oil ferrous and nonferrous metals chemicals grain wool meat coal partners: Russia Ukraine Uzbekistan Netherlands China Imports: total value: $6 billion (1996) commodities: machinery and parts industrial materials oil and gas partners: Russia Ukraine Uzbekistan Turkey Germany Debt—external: $3.3 billion (1996) Economic aid: recipient: ODA $10 million (1993) note: commitments 1992-95 $4 780 million ($1 795 million disbursements) Currency: 1 Kazakhstani tenge = 100 tiyn Exchange rates: tenges per US$1—76.4 (February 1998) 75.55 (January 1998) 75.44 (1997) 67.30 (1996) 60.95 (1995) 35.54 (1994) Fiscal year: calendar year Contributors January 08, 2005 change by andrushka ________People Edit This Population: 16 846 808 (July 1998 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 29% (male 2 486 607; female 2 413 207) 15-64 years: 64% (male 5 243 028; female 5 523 199) 65 years and over: 7% (male 393 950; female 786 817) (July 1998 est.) Population growth rate: -0.17% (1998 est.) Birth rate: 17.24 births/1 000 population (1998 est.) Death rate: 10.15 deaths/1 000 population (1998 est.) Net migration rate: -8.79 migrant(s)/1 000 population (1998 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female (1998 est.) Infant mortality rate: 58.25 deaths/1 000 live births (1998 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.59 years male: 58.12 years female: 69.33 years (1998 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.12 children born/woman (1998 est.) Nationality: noun: Kazakhstani(s) adjective: Kazakhstani Ethnic groups: Kazakh (Qazaq) 46% Russian 34.7% Ukrainian 4.9% German 3.1% Uzbek 2.3% Tatar 1.9% other 7.1% (1996) Religions: Muslim 47% Russian Orthodox 44% Protestant 2% other 7% Languages: Kazakh (Qazaq) official language spoken by over 40% of population Russian official language spoken by two-thirds of population and used in everyday business Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 99% female: 96% (1989 est.) ::::::::::: Aksu-Zhabagly Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Zhabagly - home of tulips Zhabagly - home of tulips The home of tulips, Zhabagly village is a community-based ecotourism destination in Southern Kazakhstan . Lying at the foot of the West Tien Shan Mountains , Zhabagly is the gateway to Aksu-Zhabagly State Natural Reserve. It is located in the western extremity of Talasski Alatau ridge and ranges at elevations from 1100m to 4236m. The oldest protected area in Central Asia , Aksu-Zhabagly nature reserve is home for 1279 species of plants, 51 species of mammals, including the rare snow leopard, and tien-shan white-clawed bear, and many species of birds. Zhabagly is a part of Community-Based Ecotourism (CBE) development program in Kazakhstan . The CBE groups provide inexpensive, quality service and use part of their profits to protect the beautiful areas around them. Since the beginning, the Ecotourism Information Resource Center in Almaty has worked closely with the local people to help them manage and improve their own businesses. By choosing CBE holiday, you will be playing a small part in supporting these special places. CBE groups in Zhabagly offer homestay accommodation (with indoor facilities), guided treks and horse-back trips with optional camping, dombra (Kazakh national instrument) concert, kumiss (traditional drink of nomads – fermented mare’s milk) show. From Zhabagly you can go to: Red Hill and Stalactite Cave (1 day, 38 km). This place gets its name from the large numbers of flowering Greig Tulips that bloom from late April to early May. It is said that there can be up to 62 flowering tulips within 1 square meter. While spending the day, there are places for picnic. Also, with more than 2 km of underground roads, the stalactite cave is accessible. The cave is filled with both large and small halls of stalactites and an underground lake. Kshi-Kaindy Waterfalls Ulken Kaindy Gorge- Kaskabulak Petroglyphs (12 km, 1 day or 24 km, 3 days). A popular destination near Zhabagly, this site features one of the most impressive waterfalls in the area. It is possible to stay overnight near Kshi-Kaindy in the ranger cabin or camp outside. The following day, tourists will hike up to Ulken-Kayndy Gorge and beyond that to the petroglyphs which are found within the Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve, returning to camp again in the evening at Kshi-Kaindy. The third day is spent returning to the homestays in the village of Zhabagly . Aksu Gorge (38 km, 7 hours including 3 hours of hiking). This route leads up the mountains to Aksu Gorge (pictured to the right) which is over 500m deep. At the bottom of canyon there is a mixture of mulberry and ash trees with coils of forest grapes making their way up the walls. Within site from the gorge tourists can admire the snow-covered Ugamskii range with Sairamskii peak. Bokeitau Mountain (70 km, 2 days). The route introduces different landscapes and natural zones from semi-desert up to deciduous fruit forests. Along the journey, tourists will visit several caves, go swimming, try water that locals believe has healing powers, and see the paradise flycatcher. They will go up to highest peak of Boroldai range, Bokeitau Mountain , and will visit “ Spirit Valley ”. Interregional route “Zhabagly- Tonkeris- Kaskasu” (60 km, 3 or 6 days). From Zhabagly, tourist will travel along the Aksu River to lunch at Karalma Bridge . The trip then continues to the village of Tonkeris where tourists will stay for the evening and cultural show. In the morning, tourists go along the Sairamsu River where they will lunch before beginning their descent into Kaskasu village homestay in Ugam. There is an option of returning Karatau Mountains (different flora and fauna from that of the Tien Shan , Kornilovka Lake ), The bird ringing station at Chokpak (during the bird migrations), The Mausoleum of Kozha Ahmet Yassaui at Turkistan , The 13 th century ruins of Otyrar. :::::::::::Almaty Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see photo Almaty (uhl-muh-TEE, former Alma-Ata) is the former capital of Kazakhstan. It is the most populated city in Kazakhstan at present. Its population is almost two million people. Even though Astana (then Akmola) became the capital in 1995; Almaty is often called the Southern Capital. It can be rightfully called the most beautiful city in the country. The history of Almaty is not very long. In comparison with other cities in Central Asia it is quite young. It was founded in 1854 by Russians in the valley of Almaty and was just a fort at first. Its name was Zailisky, then it was named Verny. In 1921 it became Alma-Ata and in 1929 it became the capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1993 it became Almaty. The city is located at the foot of Tien Shan Mountains at the altitude of 1500-2000 meters above sea level. Unfortunately, because the city is located in a valley, smog easily accumulates here. However, a little higher in the mountains the air is crystal clear and many people have “dachas” (a small garden or an orchard with a small hut or a house) there. A dacha is not only a source of various fruits and vegetables, it is also a place to relax and enjoy the fresh air. The city has a lot of unique architectural sites. Among those are the bath-house Arasan, the Otrar Hotel, the Cathedral in the Park of the 28 Panfilov Soldiers, and many others. The architectural sites of Almaty are comparatively modern because of the destructive earthquakes that happened in Almaty in 1887 and 1910. A lot of buildings were destroyed at that time. The climate of Almaty is quite mild. It is never as cold here as in the northern parts of the country and you can easily survive without a fur hat and a fur coat. However, because of higher humidity it may seem a little colder in winter than it is in fact. ::::::::::Aqtau Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see photo The city of Aqtau ("White Cliff"), formerly Shevchenko, is situated on the east coast of the Caspian Sea. Aqtau hosts a harbour for ferries and cargo ships, an international airport, a train station, quite some western standard hotels, and is characterized by the boasting oil and gas fields in the "outback" being exploited by Qazaq and western companies. Most of the town had been built last century by the soviets, and there are overwhelmingly many concrete buildings there. The most charming place there seems to be the nice beach in summer... ::::::::::::Astana Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Astana, November 2005 Astana, November 2005 Douglas W. Jones Astana (us-tuh NUH) is the capital of Kazakhstan. The name of the city is translated from Kazakh as ‘the capital city’. It became capital in September of 1995. The population of the city is 350 thousand people. Like many cities in Kazakhstan, Astana changed its name several times. In the 1800s it was called Akmola, according to the most popular version it means ‘a white tomb’. The name was given by the Russians who founded a fortress with this name. By 1870s Akmola was a place where merchants from Russia, China and central Asia came to trade cattle and agricultural products. It is worth mentioning that the city is located on the legendary Silk Road. After the Great October Socialist Revolution and establishment of the Soviet power the name was russified and Akmola became Akmolinsk. In 1961 Khrushchev insisted on changing its name to Tselinograd (the city of virgin lands) because at that time a lot of young people according to the plans of the Communist Party were sent to Northern Kazakhstan to explore the rich steppes of Kazakhstan to increase production of wheat in the Soviet Union. In 1992 after Kazakhstan became independent, the city regained its original name Akmola, and in 1998 it received its new name Astana. The government, especially the president are trying to make Astana a true capital of the huge country. Their efforts sometimes lead to a lot of waste. The climate is very harsh; the humidity is high because of the underground waters. Therefore, special materials are needed, but it is not always considered. Astana is still remaining just a political center of the country. It will probably take a while before it becomes a major tourist attraction. However, the potential of the former capital Almaty was almost exhausted (the valley where it is situated is too small to accommodate the growing population and business community) and transferring the capital to Astana was quite reasonable. :::::::::::Atyrau Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see i Atyrau (uh-tee-RUH-oo) is a port on the Kazakh coast of the landlocked Caspian Sea. Named Guryev until 1992, it was an inner port of the Soviet Union. It has become an international port but is not as significant for Kazakhstan as Aktau, through which the country exports sizeable quantities of crude oil on the first stage of a complex route to Western markets. The city is very important strategically for Kazakhstan since the country is landlocked. However, through the Caspian Sea and various channels ships from Kazakhstan could potentially sail to the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. At this point, ships from Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia sail to Atyrau. :::::::::::Karagandy Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Karagandy is the second big city in Kazakhstan after Almaty. The name of the city "karagandy" which means "black" was called so becouse of the coal industry. Karagandy has become a title of city in February 1932. Karagandy is called to be the city of students, there are some very important universities in Kazakhstan like Karagnada State Unuversity named after Buketov, Karaganda State Technical University, Karaganda State Medical Academy and many others. Karaganda is administrative centre of the biggest region in Kazachstan. There are other very important locations in Karaganda region like Balchash with copper-smelting works, Zheskasgan and Satbayev with the richest natural minerals, the title of town Satpayev was called after the Honoured Academician Kanysh Satpayev. Baikonur Cosmodrome is also situated in Karaganda Region. :::::::::Khan Tengri Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Khan Tengri Khan Tengri This Mountain, called "Celestial Emperor", on the border between Kazakhstan and Kyrgistan, near their respective borders with China. One of the most famous of the peaks in the Tien Shan, Khan Tengri is reported to be 6,995 or 7.010 meters by different sources. It is an ideal destination for those who are addict to extreme summits. From time to time, an international speed climbing festival is held to honour the mountain. :::::::::Kyzylorda Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Typical Kyzylorda street scene Typical Kyzylorda street scene Radim Kolarsky KYZYLORDA is a city in Southwestern Kazakhstan, only 400 kilometers far from the infamous Aral Sea. The name of the city, according to the local people, is translated as Red Center . The city is located in a vast semidesert that might remind you of some places in Utah or Nevada. In spring, the lands near Kyzylorda are covered with a beautiful carpet of flowers, among which wild tulips are the most beautiful. The landscape is quite flat, which is very representative of Southern Kazakhstan. One of the most constant features of Kyzylorda is the wind. As one of my acquaintances said, it only blows twice a year: six months in winter and six months in summer. It blows salt from the Aral Sea to the city, and as you take a ride to the north, you can easily see salty crust on the sand. The first thing that attracts your attention when you go to the city from the airport is the Syr-Darya, or the Syra, the river from the Kazakh folk tales. It is amazing that a river can flow so far through the sands without drying. At some point in history, it supplied fresh water to the people who lived on its banks. However, at present nobody uses its water anymore. As it runs from the south, on its way there are fields that need a lot of water and from which various toxins such as pesticides pour into it. Presently, people have to drill wells to have fresh water supply. The region is rich in oil. To the north of the city there are numerous oil fields operated by Russian, Canadian and Chinese oil companies. This gives hope that some day this place might become one of the richest in Kazakhstan, although given the pervasive corruption in all levels of government and local business this is uncertain. Oil profits tend to flow to Almaty and Kyzylorda has seen much less than it should. A major recent development is the introduction of natural gas. For decades the gas that comes out of the reservoirs along with oil in all the central Kazkh fields has been burned off. This is because there historically was no local market and no infrastructure to transport it to China or Europe. A gas pipeline has been built into the city and local infrastructure project was started in 2005 to distribute natural gas to local homes and apartments. Natural gas will replace mazut (heavy fuel oil) as a means of heating, thus helping to clean up the air. It usually does not get extremely cold in the city, if not to take wind-chill factor into account. However, only two hundred kilometers north temperatures can drop down to -30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) in winter. In Kyzylorda, the last few winters (except for 2004-2005) have indeed been mild, comparable to winters in the U.K. The 2004-2005 winter, however, saw several weeks in January when temperature dropped to -20c (-8F), with wind-chill of about -30c. The winter of 2005/ 2006 has been the coldest for 15 years (say the locals) with nightime temperatures dropping to minus 33 deg C. With windchill the teperature has plummetted to minus 50. Summers are hot and dry, reminiscent of southern Arizona or southern New Mexico. The peak summer temperature in 2005 was 50c in July (130F). Kyzylorda can be a fun place. One has to get over the shabby Stalin-era prefab apartment buildings, adorned with ubiquitous satellite dishes, clotheslines and pieces of sheetmetal hanging from the balconies. Kyzylorda has many good pubs and clubs (Traktir, Kyz-Zhybek, Prival, Baron) and a great disco (The Paluba). The best sashlik can be had at the Baron. There is also the Britannica, a somewhat overpriced western-style restaurant with a central bar and pool tables. Most of the local pubs have Shymkentskoye beer on tap, a very good smooth-drinking brew made fresh in the Shymkent brewery 5 hours away. Prices are about a dollar for 1/2 liter glass. Other beers one can find are Derbes and Tien-Shan from Almaty and Baltica and Stary Myelnik from Russia. All are quite good, and the western expats living in town have overwhelmingly preferred them to the overpriced and generic-tasting $5-Heinekens and weak $7-margaritas at the Britannica. For a great night out, go to the Paluba after 10 pm and enjoy a heavy dose of techno dance music and great looking women. Kyzylorda has public busses and abundant taxis. Just about any car can be stopped and asked for a ride. Negotiate the price before getting in as there are no meters and one can potentially get into an unpleasant confrontation with the driver at the end of the ride. A typical ride half-way across town should not cost more than 300 Tenge ($2). :::::::::::Lake Markakol Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Markakol is a mounatin lake located in Eastern Kazakhstan. The easiest way to go there is by helicopter. A car trip might be a little dangerous because of the road conditions. However, if you like roller coasters, you will get the feeling. You will have a steep mountain slope on one side and an abyss on the other. Half way to the top you will see the Chinese border which is covered with sand and looks like a limitless desert. Once you are on the top, you will see beautiful forests and will breath clean air drenched with the smell of pines and fur-trees. The plain that you left behind was dry and hot, and dusty. Here you have calm, moisture and cool air. From there, it is about an hour to the lake which looks like a beautiful pearl set among steep slopes of the high mountains. The lake is really worth seeing even if you go there for a couple days. However, please make sure that you get a pass from the OVIR in Kazakhstan (there are offices in Ust-Kamenogorsk) to go to the lake. Even citizens are required to have a pass if they don’t reside in the villages close to the border. Also please avoid approaching the Chinese border and going beyond the barbed wire to the neutral territory if you don’t want trouble. You can make pictures of barbed wire in other parts of the world under much safer conditions. :::::::::::: Semipalatinsk Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Semipalatinsk also known as Semey is the location of a former Soviet Nuclear Testing Area. The Semipalatinsk Test Site was founded in 1948 with the first nuclear explosion tested in 1949 and the last in 1989. Of the 467 nuclear detonations conducted there, 346 were underground, with the first of these underground experiments conducted in 1961. A total of 87 atmospheric and 26 surface nuclear detonations were also performed at the site between 1949 and 1989. Some tests involved multiple weapon detonations. During the early days of the atomic energy program in the former Soviet Union, some unfortunate events occurred. The country's first atomic test in Semipalatinsk in 1949 exposed over 25,000 people downwind from the blast to significant doses of fission products, especially 131I. Along with the problem of economic development, Kazakhstan must cope with some of the some of the worst prevailing conditions of environmental pollution in the world, existing pollution inherited from the Soviet era. Major current environmental problems in Kazakhstan include radioactive and toxic chemical sites associated with former defense industries and test ranges which are found throughout the country, posing health risks for humans and animals. :::::::::::Sharyn Canyon Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see i This is, geologically speaking, "Gran Canyon's little brother", but be aware that Sharyn Canyon has a very special flair. You reach it only by car, and as I am told it should be an offroad vehicle, at least for the last part of the trip. Traveller, when you come as far as Almaty, do not return home without visiting this fascinating place. ::::::::::Shimkent Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see The southernmost city of this beautiful country hosts the Al-Farabi International University. In Summer, you might have to survive 41 centigrades (in the shade, if you find any), so it might be advisable to go there in April. Winter can be considered as modarately cold. Train station and airport make this city relatively accessible. The mountain range north of Shimkent shows fantastic landscapes. The area is reported to be a biker's paradise. :::::::::::Turkestan Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Turkestan is about a 3.5 hour "fear factor" drive from Kyzylorda, or 2.5 hour drive away from Ugam. 1500 years old, Turkistan is famous for the great Mausoleum built in the late 14th century. Thus great emir Timur honored an outstanding poet and sufisheikh, Hodja Akhmed Yassawi. The mausoleum was later also used as a Kazakh khan's (king's) palace and a place for burial for the noble men. ::::::::::Ust-Kamenogorsk Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Central Square and Mosque Central Square and Mosque Ust-Kamenogorsk has two main variations of its name. In Russian transcription (its official name) it is Ust-Kamenogorsk (pronounced oost-kah-mee-nah-GORSK), in Kazakh transcription it is Oskemen (pronounced os-keh-MEN). If you are ever in Kazakhstan, please use the Russian name since it is more common and people might not understand you if you use the Kazakh equivalent. Ust-Kamenogorsk is the capital city of Eastern Kazakhstan Region. It is located exactly on the 50th parallel. If you don’t see it on your map, look for the Irtysh or the Ulba(both rivers in the east) and find where they cross the 50th parallel, this is the exact location of the city. The city is located where the Ulba river and the Irtysh meet. The city itself is not a big tourist attraction. However, the region is one of the most beautiful in the country. The greatest attractions are the coniferous forests and mountains. It is a city of some 750,000 people, many employed in the regions mining and smelting industries, of which there are several. The city has movie theatres, nightclubs, restaurants and bars, and the people are friendly once you have broken the ice. Americans are disliked, Australians are loved, and an attempt to speak the Russian language will be warmly recieved. The food is great, the beer is cold, and if you are a vodka lover the best in the world can be found here. To the south from Ust’-Kamenogorsk is Lake Zaisan. To the southeast you will find the beautiful Lake Markakol. Northwest is covered with coniferous forests. To the east next to the Russian border is the sacred Mount of Belukha, the highest point in Eastern Kazakhstan (4,506 meters, which is 14,725 ft). Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: personal visit |