The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Kazakhstan:. The country also borders on a significant part of the Caspian Sea. Vast in size, the land in Kazakhstan is very diverse in types of terrain: flatlands, steppes, taigas, rock-canyons, hills, deltas, mountains, snow-capped mountains, and deserts. Kazakhstan declared itself an independent country on December 16, , the last Soviet republic to do so.
Its communist-era leader, Nursultan Nazarbayev , became the country's new president. Since independence, Kazakhstan has pursued a balanced foreign policy and worked to develop its economy , especially its hydrocarbon industry. While the country's economic outlook is improving, President Nazarbayev maintains strict control over the country's politics.
Several opposition leaders and journalists have been killed in recent years, and Western observers generally do not consider Kazakhstan's elections to be free and fair.
Nevertheless, Kazakhstan's international prestige is building. In , it formed a customs union with Russia and Belarus. Kazakhstan is ethnically and culturally diverse, in part due to mass deportations of many ethnic groups to the country during Stalin's rule.
Kazakhs are the largest group, followed by Russians. Kazakhstan allows freedom of religion , and many different beliefs are represented in the country. Islam is the primary religion, followed by Orthodox Christianity. The official language is Kazakh , though Russian is still commonly used for everyday communication.
