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Kazakhstan is by far the biggest Central Asia's states of the previous USSR. It has boundaries with Russia, China, and the Central Asian countries of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It is the world's ninth largest country by size, and it is more than twice the size of the other Central Asian states combined. Its lack of important historical sites and endless featureless steppe have put many off Kazakhstan, while many still are enthralled by the blankness and mystery of this giant state. It will be many travelers' first port of call on their Central Asian adventure, and there is much for the fearless traveler to enjoy. Talk: The Kazakh language is very hard to understand and to speak, though it is notably easier than some other regional languages like Kyrgyz. Actually, traveler’s expert in Turkish might be able to get by. If you speak and/or understand the Russian language, then you should be fine. But still Russian is careful to learn (grammatically speaking). Many people under age 20 will know some English. Most customs officials and airport people know English. It is hard to get around the country without some Russian or Kazakh language skills.

Eat & Drink: Meat, potatoes, rice and pasta. And lots of it. If you are vegetarian be cautious, because if it doesn't have meat in it, it was almost surely cooked on meat stock. If you're a vegetarian, you're possibly thinking there's nothing for you in Kazakhstan. If you plan on eating dog meat, you better go to a Korean restaurant. But this kind of meat is not permissible in Kazakhstan, so you will have to do some researches before finding a restaurant serving you dog meat. Inexpensive alcoholic drinks can be found at every little corner shop (called the astanovka). The juices, in cartons, are tasty, especially peach juice. Sleep: There are several hotels, from very cheap ones (10 euro per night) to the deluxe ones. You wouldn't find the cheapest ones on the web, the only way to book them is to call directly, but in that case you'll have to talk Russian at the least.

Work: Not impossible to find. English teaching schools are sprouting up all over. The English department at KIMEP might be an excellent place to start, depending on qualifications and experience of course. Buy: Even for people who are not big shoppers, the wonderfully crafted felt items will appeal. They are also simple to carry, and economical to post. Religion: Islam is the main religion in Kazakhstan, followed by Russian traditional Christianity. By custom the Kazaks are Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi School, and the Russians are Russian traditional. In 1994, some 47 percent of the population was Muslim, 44 percent was Russian traditional, and 2 percent was Protestant, mainly Baptist. Based on a 2007 data of, The Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the UK, Islam was practiced by 57% of the population, Christianity 40% and other religions 3%.