Economy of Kazakhstan  
Kazakhstan's economic development

Kazakhstan is important to world energy markets because it has significant oil and natural gas reserves. With sufficient export options, Kazakhstan could become one of the world's largest oil producers and exporters in the next decade. But Kazakhstan's strategic aspiration is to become a modern, diversified economy with a high value added and high-tech component, well integrated in to the global economy.

The energy sector is viewed as a good basis to achieve this goal.

The perspective of the Economy of Kazakhstan is closely connected with further integration into international economic relations, utilization of unique reserves of energy and mineral resources, vast possibilities to export industrial and agricultural products, optimum employment of country's transit potential and also with availability of highly qualified specialists in different spheres.

During the Soviet period Kazakhstan was an agrarian, raw materials supplier of the former Soviet economy, where the military industry played the major role. The main economic content of more than 10 years of independence has become transition from the central command planning to a market system. During these years, Kazakhstan has made considerable progress in implementing complex political, economic and social reforms to establish a democratic state with a market economy. While the country has not experienced political disturbances during the transition period, it has faced numerous economic, social and environmental challenges.

The first few years of Kazakhstan's independence were characterized by an economic decline (mostly due to the destabilizing force of disintegration of the Soviet Union): by 1995 real GDP dropped to 61,4% of its 1990 level. This economic deterioration exceeded the losses experienced during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The wide-ranging inflation observed in the early 1990s peaked at annual rate of up to 3000% in mid-nineties. Since 1992, Kazakhstan has actively pursued a program of economic reform designed to establish a free market economy through privatization of state enterprises and deregulation and today is generally considered to be more advanced in this respect than most other countries of the CIS. Kazakhstan remains one of the most successful reformers in the CIS, though its record is less strong when compared with more advanced transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and it has the strongest bankin 
 
 
 
 

Geographical situation

Kazakhstan is located on the junction of two continents - Europe and Asia, between 45 and 87 degrees of east longitude, 40 and 55 degrees of northern breadth. The geographical center of the European-Asian subcontinent is in Kazakhstan (on an intersection 78 meridians with 50 parallel) - in epicenter of former Semipalatinsk nuclear zone. Kazakhstan occupies a square equal to 2724,9 thousand sq. km. (1048,3 thousand sq. miles) also is stretching to east from the Caspian sea and Volga's of plains up to mountain Altai from Tjan-Shan foothills in the south and southeast up to the West-Siberian lowland in north. The extent of it's territory exceeds 3000 kms from west to east (1150 miles), from the south to north - 1700 kms (650 miles). Kazakhstan is on the ninth place in the world considering the territiry occupied, i.e. USA, Brazil, Australia, India and Argentina enter the top ten of largest states of the world - after Russia, Canada, China. On Kazakhstan's territory can contain seven largest European states as France, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Italy and Great Britain, or such states of Asia, as Pakistan, Turkey, Iraq, Japan and Vietnam taken together. Only this can testify the huge potential possibilities of the this region on the globe. 
East, North and Northwest parts of Kazakhstan bound with Russia (extent of boundary is 6477 kms), in the South - with the states of Central Asia - Uzbekistan (2300 kms), Kyrgyzstan (980 kms) and Turkmenistan (380 kms), and in the Southeast - with China (1460 kms). The general extent of boundaries of Kazakhstan is almost 12,2 thousand kms, including 600 kms in the Caspian sea (in west).

Culture of Kazakhstan 
Kazakh culture and national traditions

The Kazakh people are rich in traditions. From birth through old age and death, every step of their lives has historically been marked with celebration. Even their funeral ceremonies have their own special symbolism.  
 
Unfortunately, many rich and interesting traditions and customs of the Kazakh people have been forgotten throughout the past century. Real sovereignty is just now being reestablished in Kazakhstan due to the process of democratization. These abandoned traditions are just now being rediscovered by the Kazakh people. These traditions include being respectful to old people; being patriotic to the motherland; being honest; and learning to love mankind.  
 
Traditionally every guest is offered Kazakh cuisine at the dastarkhan (the low table) in a yurt. 
 
The yurt is one of the most sensible types of movable house. It is a comfortable and practical home, ideally suited to local conditions and ways of life - one of the greatest inventions of the Eurasian nomads.

It is easily taken apart (it is said that a Kazakh woman can do it in half an hour) and carried by horses and camels. The yurt consists of three main elements: an extensible trellis base (the kerege), a dome made of poles (the uyk) and a round top (the shanyrak).

In ancient times Turks were reputed as the most skillful felt-makers. These days the Kazakhs use felt to cover the yurt and for its internal decoration, as well as to make carpets, dresses and shoes. The Kazakhs live surrounded by ornaments. They richly decorate their yurts with wall carpets and multi-colored embroideries.

Handicrafts - harnesses, felt mats (tekemets), and articles made of wood, bone and metal - are lavishly decorated. Headdresses, dresses, bags and saddle-cloths are beautifully embroidered. They use traditional designs and carvings to make and decorate the wooden cups, large bowls and ladles used to serve kumis (fermented mare's milk).

The horns of mountain rams and goats are used to decorate beds and caskets. Leather is used to make quivers, belts, harnesses and flasks (torsyks) for water and kumis. Kazakh artisans are also very skillful jewelers.

Steppe zergers (jewelers) favor white silver. Traditional Kazakh bell-shaped earrings, original bracelets (blezics), or the traditional bracelet linked to three rings with fine chains will certainly impress you.

Kazakh national dress varies by regions. Men wear chapans, a kind of dressing gown with a belt, made of velvet and richly embroidered. They cover their heads with a soft skullcap (tobetai), a tall felt cap (kalpak) or a fox-fur hat with earflaps (malakai).

The women's national costume consists of a white cotton or colored silk dress, a velvet waistcoat with embroidery and a cap or a silk scarf. Elderly women wear a hood made of white cloth with a hole for the face (the kimeshek). Brides wear a tall pointed, richly decorated hat, topped with feathers (saukele).

Kazakh music and musical instruments: The Kazakhs love the art of wordplay and their akyns (poets), who improvise at public competitions (aitys) accompanied by Kazakh stringed musical instruments: the dombra or the kobyz.

Nauryz (Islamic New Year) is one of the biggest holidays in Central Asia. In Kazakhstan it is celebrated on the day of the spring equinox, March 22. On that day, the streets of villages and towns are transformed. Guests are hosted in beautiful yurts with the traditional Nauryz kozhe dish made of seven traditional ingredients. People respecting this nearly month-long holiday forgive each others' debts and offences.

National games: these are usually performed on horseback and are an opportunity to witness the Kazakhs' outstanding riding skills. Kazaksha kures (Kazakh wrestling), baiga (horse racing over 25, 50 or 100 km), kokpar (a sort of polo game played with a dead goat), kyz-kuu (catch the girl) and alty bakan (six-pole swing).

About Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is a Muslim state, situated in the geographic center of Eurasia. It has been known since the times of Silk Road. Today, just as in that distant epouch, it combines features that are remarkable for their contrasts: East and West, modernism and archism, impetuous youth and the said wisdom of ancestors.

EDUCATION IN KAZAKHSTAN

In recent years, the Government of Kazakhstan has been showing a particular concern for education. The top leadership of the country is perfectly aware of the fact that in the age of the global, scientific and technological revolution and knowledge form the most important element of the strategy of social development. It is impossible to build an independent competitive economy (which is the objective of Kazakhstan) without having trained people in the country. The intellectual potential capable of tackling this task on the basis of modern high technologies. The basic features of the education reform in the Republic of Kazakhstan can be presented in the following ways:

• The structure of educational facilities is being transformed under consideration of the condition and needs of a market economy.
• New educational structures are going to be setup.
• The approach to the transformation of diverse stages of education is differentiated to a considerable extent, much more attention being paid to the reformation of its higher stages.
• The economic base of education is changing.
• International student exchange is being actively supported by the Government of Kazakhstan.

Foreign Students:

At present more than 50,000 foreign students from 43 countries of the world studying at different Universities of Kazakhstan.

Accreditations:

The Universities of Kazakhstan in the medical field is recognized from WHO (World Health Organization) while the engineering & other programmes are also widely acceptable around the world.

Migration:

Kazakhstan Universities has articulation agreements with Ukrainian, German, Japanese, French & U.S.A Universities. Students can get their credit transfer & post graduation programmes afterwards.