Location: Central Asia with a part of it (west of Ural River) extending into East Europe, sharing land borders with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan with the Caspian Sea to its west.
Capital: Astana
Tourist attractions: Though its landscape is predominantly arid endless steppe, Kazakstan has several places that are worth visiting. The Köl-Say Lakes, in the midst of the steep forested foothills of the Küngey Alatau offer tourists some great opportunities for camping and trout fishing, while the 4000m high Zailiysky Alatau, with its glaciers, wild rivers and steep valleys is great for hiking. Tourists must visit Almatinsky Nature Reserve for its rugged beauty and the Kozha Akhmed Yasaui Mausoleum built in the honor of the renowned Sufi teacher.
Access: Air Astana connects Kazakhstan with all its neighboring countries, as well as with Dubai, China, Turkey, Thailand, Britain, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, South Korea, Pakistan and India. One can enter Kazakhstan by train, on the daily Moscow-Almaty rail service and the Almaty-China rail service. Visitors can also cross over the border from China at Khorgos and Zharkent.
Climate: The climate is continental in nature with hot summers and cold winters. The presence of deserts makes it very cool in the nights, be it in summers or winters. The climate remains the same in regions of higher altitude, except that they receive more rainfall. Snowfall begins from November.