Kazakhstan landscapes and cultural heritage

Kazakhstan offers a diverse range of landscapes, extending beyond its well-known steppes to include the Altai and Tien Shan mountains, alpine meadows, glacial lakes, deserts, and wetlands. While tourism in the country is still developing, the variety of terrain allows for seasonal activities such as hiking in the mountains during summer or skiing near Almaty at the Shymbulak resort during winter.

As the world’s largest landlocked nation, Kazakhstan has a population of over 20 million with a diverse ethnic makeup, including Kazakhs, Russians, and Uzbeks. The country’s history is marked by its nomadic traditions and its period as a Soviet Republic, which included a period of forced agricultural collectivization in the 1930s. Since gaining independence in 1991, the nation has seen significant development, exemplified by the modern architecture of its capital, Astana.