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Kazakhstan, also spelled Kazakstan or Khazakhstan,
(Kazakh: Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, IPA [qɑzɑqˈstɑn]; Russian: Казахстан,
Kazakhstán, IPA [kəzʌxˈstan]), officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a
country that stretches over a vast expanse of northern and central Eurasia.
A small portion of its territory west of the Ural River is located in
eastern-most Europe. It has borders with Russia, the People's Republic of
China, and the Central Asian countries Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and
Turkmenistan, and has a coastline on the Caspian Sea. Prior to independence
the territory comprising Kazakhstan existed as the Kazakh SSR republic in
the Soviet Union. It is now a member of the Commonwealth of Independent
States. |
