Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is located in the centre of the Eurasian continent occupying the ninth largest land area in the world. It is bordered by Russia in the North, China in the East, Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in the South, and the Caspian Sea in the West. The country ’ s landscape is diverse. The forest-steppes of the North become steppes, semi-deserts, and deserts in the South. Steppes account for about one third of the country ’ s territory, while the semi-deserts stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Altai Mountains constitute 15 percent of the land area. There are numerous rivers, the largest ones being Ertis, Esil, Oral (Zhaiyk) and Syrdaria. The climate is mostly continental with hot summers and cold winters. Different elevations result in wide variations in temperature and precipitation.