Russian (official, used in
everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic
communication") 95% (2001 est.)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.4%
male: 99.1%
female: 97.7% (1999 est.)

Government Kazakhstan

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan
conventional short form: Kazakhstan
local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy
local short form: Qazaqstan
former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power
outside the executive branch

Capital:
name: Astana
geographic coordinates: 51 10 N, 71 30 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: Kazakhstan is divided into three time zones

Administrative divisions:
14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities* (qala,
singular - qalasy); Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy*, Aqmola Oblysy
(Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy*, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys
Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy*, Mangghystau Oblysy
(Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy,
Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys
Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy
(Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses); in 1995, the Governments of
Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would
lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the
Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr
(Baykonur, formerly Leninsk); in 2004, a new agreement extended the
lease to 2050

Independence:
16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 December (1991)

Constitution:
first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new
constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the
Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December
1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Karim MASIMOV (since 10 January
2007); Deputy Prime Minister Aslan MUSIN (since