London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Get to know Kazakhstan

In this brief video you can find seven little known facts about Kazakhstan. If you ask yourself where is Kazakhstan, it is a Eurasian country, with much of its land on the Asian continent. It used to be part of the USSR, but today it’s becoming a booming oil based economy.The capital of Kazakhstan is Astana, but Almaty used to hold that title before 1997.

More information about the video content bellow:


1. Astana is one of the world’s newest and most futuristic capital cities. Astana literally means ‘capital city’ in Kazakh. And the capital is the second coldest capital city on earth, with temperatures dipping to -40 Celsius in the winter.

2. Kazakhstani people celebrate three New Year’s Eves. Two official ones, which are the 1 January by the Gregorian Calendar and the 22 March, "Nauryz" – the spring equinox or renewal of nature and 14th of January by the Julian Calendar is the legacy of the Soviet times. This day is called "the Old New Year". Old or new, they celebrate three times a year.

3. It is the largest landlocked country in the world, stretching from Siberia to the desserts of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and from China to the Caspian Sea. It is so large that distance from one end to another is about the same as London Istanbul route. Here one can find practically all climatic zones: from the torrid deserts through steppe and forest to eternal snows of the mountain heights reaching beyond the clouds.

4. The metro in Almaty (former capital until 1997) took 23 years to build and opened in December 2011. This is not because construction was slow, but because funding problems happened after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. But it is finally open and expansion is constantly taking place.

5. Fifty years ago the Aral Sea was the world's fourth inland sea, after the Caspian Sea, Lake Superior and Lake Victoria. It started shrinking due to Soviet irrigation projects, its surface area declining by more than 50 percent, to 30,000 square km from 67,000 square km, between 1960 and 1996.

6. Kazakhstan is unique in that its people, the Kazakhs, did not form the majority of the population upon independence in 1991. Currently the northern part of the country is populated mostly with Ukrainian and Russian majorities while Kazakhs are more prevalent in the south.

7. Located in Kazakhstan, Lake Balkhash is the 12th largest lake in the world, but that characteristic is hardly what makes it interesting. This lake is bizarre because the western part of the lake consists of freshwater and the eastern half is saltwater. Balkhash maintains this unlikely balance in part because the two halves are joined by a narrow straight that is 3.5 kilometers wide and six meters deep.

More Info:
https://www.teachaway.com/2014/06/18/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-kazakhstan
http://www.travelandtalk.info/kazakhstan.htm
http://www.meganstarr.com/2014/03/random-facts-almaty-kazakhstan.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/06/24/idUSL23248577
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/kazakhstan.html
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/photos/13-of-the-most-bizarre-lakes-in-the-world/lake-balkhash


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Challenge Trump's Leadership
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Germany Holds First Veterans Celebration Since WWII
U.S. Health Secretary Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×