Even my mother has asked me about Borat and Kazakhstan! So, I thought a little information would help to erase the Borat image from readers' minds-- and show you what a beautiful and varied country Kazakhstan is.
Kazakhstan is located in central Asia, south of Russia and northwest of China. (I am going to post a map, too-- but I'm still not too good with the pics) And for those of us who had never heard of Kazakhstan before I started this quest, it isn't because this is one of those little countries-- it is the 9th largest country in the world! Kazakhstan used to be part of the Soviet Union, having gained independence in 1991. The area the country emcompasses is four times the size of Texas-- roughly the same size as all of Western Europe. The terrain is quite varied, with mountains, forests, and deserts dotting the landscape-- and the wildlife & plant life is as diverse as the region itself. Just about 15 million people call Kazakhstan "home"-- most are Kazakh, but more than 100 ethnicities/nationalities constitute the rest, including Russians, Ukrainians and Germans. The official language is Kazakh, but most people also speak Russian-- so I'm brushing up on my Russian! The economy is going strong, with large oil and mineral reserves paving the way. The region I will travel to is called "Karaganda", and I am told it is a proverbial "college town."
As developed of a country as Kazakhstan is today, historically, the native Kazakhs were nomads, living in felt tents called "yurts." This tradition was squelched in the 1930's-- the nomads were forcibly made to settle, with approximately 1 million Kazakhs dying in the process. And there are so many legends that go along with the Kazak tradition, including stories of Kazakhstan being the burial place for Genghis Khan and home to the Amazon warriors (think "Zena, Warrior Princess) thousands of years ago. One website I found referred to Kazakhstan as "the cradle of the world's cultural heritage and of human mankind." I can't wait!
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