Kazakhstan

American  

[kah-zahk-stahn] / ˌkɑ zɑkˈstɑn /

noun

1. a republic in central Asia, NE of the Caspian Sea and W of China. 1,049,155 sq. mi. (2,717,311 sq. km). Akmola.

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Kazakhstan British  

/ -ˈstɑːn, ˌkɑːzɑːkˈstæn /

noun

1. a republic in central Asia: conquered by Mongols in the 13th century; came under Russian control in the 18th and 19th centuries; was a Soviet republic from 1936 until it gained independence in 1991. It has rich mineral deposits and agriculture is important. Official language: Kazakh. Religion: nonreligious, Muslim, and Christian. Official currency: tenge. Capital: Astana (formerly Akmola, Akmolinsk, or Tselinograd); capital functions moved from Almaty (formerly Alma-Ata) in 1997. Pop: 17 736 896 (2013 est). Area: 2 715 100 sq km (1 048 030 sq miles)

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Kazakhstan Cultural  

1. Republic in west-central Asia, bordered on the northwest and north by Russia, on the east by China, on the south by Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and on the west by the Caspian Sea. Its capital and largest city is Alma-Ata.

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Discover More

This former member of the Soviet Union declared its independence in 1990. It possesses valuable oil reserves.

Example Sentences

Beijing may think it has alternatives in pipelines it has financed across Kazakhstan and Myanmar specifically to reduce dependence on the Gulf.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

On this year's show five intrepid teams embark on the journey through eight countries - Italy, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and finally Mongolia.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Malinin had no rematch with Mikhail Shaidorov, the skater from Kazakhstan who won the Olympic gold, because he opted against competing again this season.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

Announcing the amendments in February, he said that "Kazakhstan is once and for all moving away from a super-presidential form of rule and transitioning to a presidential republic with a strong parliament."

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

In 1932 and 1933 it took away the food crop harvest and next season's seed in the Soviet states that produced most of the nation's grain—Ukraine, the Caucasus, and Kazakhstan.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein