Full country name: Republic of Kazakhstan
Area: 2.7 million sq km
Population: 16.8 million
Capital city: Astana (formerly Aqmola) (pop 1.2 million)
People: 46% Kazakh, 34.7% Russian, 4.9% Ukrainian, 3.1% German, 2.3% Uzbek, 1.9% Tatar
Languages: Kazakh, Russian
Religion: 47% Muslim, 44% Russian Orthodox, 2% Protestant
Government: Republic
President: Nursultan Nazarbayev
Prime Minister: Kasymzhomart Tokayev

GDP: US$53 billion
GDP per head: US$3,100
Inflation: 10%
Major 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, grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton, wool, livestock
Major trading partners: Russia, UK, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, the Netherlands, China, Italy, Germany, Turkey, South Korea