Kazakhstan is situated in Central Asia and covers 2.7 million sq. kms, about the size of western Europe. It stretches from the east of the Caspian Sea and Volga plains to the mountainous Altay and from the foothills of Tien Shan in the south and southeast to the plains of western Siberia in the north. Kazakhstan shares borders with Russia to the north, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in the south and China in the east. It has a lengthy shoreline (1984 kms) on the Caspian Sea.

The official language is Kazakh. Russian is the most widely spoken language in Kazakhstan and is still used for administrative purposes. The national language, Kazakh, is a Turkic language and is thus akin to the Kyrgyz, Uzbek and Turkmen languages spoken in Central Asia.

More than half the 15.4 million people in Kazakhstan are ethnic Kazakhs. There is also a sizeable Russian community (30 per cent of the population) and smaller communities of Ukrainians (4 per cent), Germans, Chechens, Kurds, Koreans, Uzbeks and Tatars.

Almaty is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about two million. It is located on the south eastern border of the country close to both Kyrgyzstan and China. Long-distance rail connections include a daily Moscow-Almaty service and another line to Almaty from China via Urumchi.

Kazakhstan exports crude oil, base metals, chemicals, food and agriculture and commercial minerals. The main export industry is oil, while agriculture is another growing industry. Kazakhstan is the sixth largest producer of grain in the world. Chief livestock products are daily goods, leather, meat and wool. The country’s major crops include wheat, barley, cotton and rice. Wheat exports, a major source of hard currency, ranked among the leading commodities in Kazakhstan’s export trade. Nearly 160 deposits of oil and gas have been discovered on the country’s territory. Since independence, there has been major foreign investment in the Caspian oil sector.

Electricity
The power supply in Kazakhstan is 220 volts. Continental plug adaptors should be used.

Weather and Time
Almaty is situated at an altitude of 600-900 metres above sea level. The climate in the city is markedly continental. The average temperature in Almaty in May is 16 degrees Celsius and average precipitation are 106.7 mm. All the conference rooms are maintained at a temperature of approximately 24 degrees Celsius.

Almaty time is six hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+6).

Business and Shopping Hours
Offices are generally open from 0900 to 1800 hours, Mondays through Fridays and from 0900 to 1630 hours on Saturday. Shops and businesses are generally open from 1000 to 2100 hours daily.
The following malls/shops are near the designated hotels:
• Ramstor, Furmanova St. 226
• Promenade, Abay Ave. 44
• Zangar, Ablai Khan Ave. 62

Useful numbers

Emergency numbers
Fire Department: 01
Police: 02
Ambulance: 03

Taxi services
+7 (3272) 302203
+7 (3272) 555333
+7 (3272) 310184

Airport
International Airport of Almaty
+7 (3272) 703333

Airlines
Air Astana +7 (3272) 580950 or 584136
Aeroflot +7 (3272) 629638 or 399916
British Airways +7 (3272) 503628 or 503629
Iranian Airlines +7 (3272) 572827
KLM Airlines +7 (3272) 572205 or 572767
KLM City Office +7 (3272) 507747 or 509183
Lufthansa +7 (3272) 572813 or 505052
TransAero +7 (3272) 639506
Turkish Airlines +7 (3272) 506220 or 501067
Uzbek Airlines +7 (3272) 694057