Kazakhstan - Travel Report

The Republic of Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in area in the world, but it has a relatively small population of 15 million. In 2000, the Government of Kazakhstan completed its move to the new capital, Astana. The U.S. Embassy is still located in Almaty, which remains the country's largest city, business center and transportation hub. Kazakh language is the state language, however Russian is used in everyday business. The average GDP is $105.3 billion (2003 est.). The major export products are oil and oil products, ferrous metals, chemicals, machinery, grain, wool, meat, and coal. The main trade partners are Russia, China, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and UAE. The predominant religions in Kazakhstan are Muslim and Russian Orthodox so most of the traditional Muslim and Russian Orthodox holidays are observed by the majority of the Kazakhstan population. Kazakhstan is still primarily a cash economy. Traveler's checks and credit cards are not widely accepted, except at large hotels and restaurants catering to international visitors. U.S. dollars can easily be exchanged for the local currency (Tenge) at local and authorized currency exchanges, but all denominations of U.S. currency except $1 bills must be new series (large portraits) and all must have been issued after 1995 and be in good condition (not worn or torn and without any writing or marks). There are no facilities for credit-card cash withdrawals anywhere in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan encompasses three time zones. The one reported previously is for the Eastern Time zone, which includes the city of Almaty. The Central Time zone is 11 hours ahead of U.S. Central Standard Time. The Western Time zone is 10 hours ahead of U.S. Central Standard Time. Kazakhstan, especially in the mountainous southeast region, is an earthquake-prone country. General information about natural disaster preparedness is available via the Internet from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at http://www.fema.gov.