Kazakhstan 🇰🇿
Kazakhstan is a country in Asia with a population of 19,397,998. Its capital is Astana. The official currency is KZT, and the main languages are Kazakh, Russian.
Quick facts
- Capital: Astana
- Continent: Asia
- Population: 19,397,998
- Area: 2,724,900 km²
- Density: 7.1 people per km²
- Currency: KZT
- Languages: Kazakh, Russian
- ISO code: KZ
Where Kazakhstan sits
Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Astana. It covers 2,724,900 square kilometres — 9th in the world — and is home to about 19,397,998 people, 66th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Kazakhstan compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Kazakhstan sits closest to Chile and Romania. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Argentina and Algeria.
At 7.1 people per square kilometre it is about 8.3 times below the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by area than by population, so it is more spacious than its population alone suggests.
Kazakh is listed as official in Kazakhstan alone. The KZT is used by Kazakhstan and no one else.
To see Kazakhstan next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Kazakhstan
Astana means 'capital' in Kazakh, so the name tells you what it is. The city lies on the Ishim River in the north of the country. For the flag, picture an eagle flying under the sun across a clear blue sky.
The flag of Kazakhstan: sky blue and gold
🇰🇿 The flag is a sky-blue flag with a gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle, and a gold national pattern down the side by the flagpole. Blue stands for the sky and water and for cultural and ethnic unity. The sun stands for wealth and plenty, with rays shaped like grain, and the eagle for freedom, power and the flight to the future.
Region and neighbours
Kazakhstan is a huge landlocked country in Central Asia, with a small part west of the Ural River in Eastern Europe. It shares land borders with 5 countries: Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Kazakhstan is landlocked, with no coast on the open ocean.
- Russia 🇷🇺 — capital Moscow
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
- Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬 — capital Bishkek
- Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 — capital Tashkent
- Turkmenistan 🇹🇲 — capital Ashgabat
Three facts about Kazakhstan
- Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world.
- Kazakhstan is the world's ninth-largest country by land area.
- Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, was the capital until 1997.
Sources: Wikipedia: Kazakhstan, Wikipedia: Flag of Kazakhstan, Wikipedia: Astana, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Kazakhstan
- Asian capitals quiz — match Kazakhstan to Astana
- Asian flags quiz — spot the Kazakhstan flag among its neighbours
- Landlocked countries quiz — Kazakhstan has no sea coast
Quizzes that include Kazakhstan
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Kazakhstan those are:
- Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Asia capitals quiz — match it to Astana
- Kazakhstan capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Kazakhstan
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Kazakhstan
- Capital of Kazakhstan: Astana — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 48 countries of Asia
Nearby countries
- Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
- Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
- Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
- Bahrain 🇧🇠— capital Manama
- Bangladesh 🇧🇩 — capital Dhaka
- Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
- Brunei 🇧🇳 — capital Bandar Seri Begawan
- Cambodia 🇰🇠— capital Phnom Penh
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
- Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
- India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
- Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Kazakhstan flag?
The flag of Kazakhstan is a sky-blue flag with a gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle, and a gold national pattern down the side by the flagpole. Blue stands for the sky and water and for cultural and ethnic unity. The sun stands for wealth and plenty, with rays shaped like grain, and the eagle for freedom, power and the flight to the future.
Which countries border Kazakhstan?
Kazakhstan shares land borders with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
How can I remember the capital of Kazakhstan?
Astana means 'capital' in Kazakh, so the name tells you what it is. The city lies on the Ishim River in the north of the country. For the flag, picture an eagle flying under the sun across a clear blue sky.