Petropavlovsk travel guide

Kazakhstan, also spelled Kazakstan (Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn; Казахстан, Kazakhstán, kazəxˈstan), officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country in Central Asia and Europe. Ranked the ninth largest country in the world, it has a territory of 2,727,300 km² (greater than Western Europe). It is bordered by Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the People's Republic of China. 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. In terms of population, Kazakhstan ranks 62nd in the world, with a population density of less than 6 people per square kilometre (15 per sq. mi.). The total population has declined somewhat since independence, dropping from 16,464,464 in 1989 to about 15,300,000 in 2006. This is mostly due to the emigration of Russians and Volga Germans since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Kazakhstan, once the Kazakh SSR, is now a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States. (...) more....