Geography

Kazakhstan is nestled in Central Asia along the northwestern region in China. Expanding to the northern and central Eurasia, a portion of the area rests along the Ural River towards the western afront along the eastern most end of Europe. The country covers a total land area of about 2.7 million square kilometers and stands in the ninth position as the largest nation in the world. It can be compared to Western Europe as far as size is concerned. Kazakhstan is engulfed by Russia, the People's Republic of China, and by Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, with coastline bordering along the Caspian Sea. Some of the prominent cities within Kazakhstan are Astana, Almaty, Karaganda, Shymkent, Semey and Turkestan.

One third of the terrains of Kazakhstan are covered with the Kazakh Steppe or semi-desert steppe region comprising mostly of grasslands and sand all over. Some of the major rivers include the Aral Sea, Irtysh River, Ishim River, Ili River, Lake Balkhash, Lake Zaysan, and many others.

Time Zone

Kazakhstan lies within three different time zones. Eastern Standard Time is 4 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+4). Central Standard Time is 5 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+5). Western Standard Time is 6 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+6).