Nice video about the main reasons to invest in Kazakhstan.

According to the officials they are: ample natural resources, favorable location, political stability, favorable business climate, investor protection, availability of transnational corporations, foreign direct investments, economic growth, customs union markets, industrial and innovative development.

I am not sure, if watching the video is enough to make the decision, but at least it gives some info to think about.

Tags: investment

Picturesque Ushkonyr plateau is located about 45 km west of Almaty. The average height above sea level is about 2000 meters. Ushkonyr is one of the main hang-gliding places near Almaty.

There is a gravel road leading to the plateau. Soon it will become paved. The entrance to Ushkonyr is not free (the fee is 2000 tenge or about 15 USD per each car), because the land is privately owned. And here is the map location of Ushkonyr plateau. Photos by Aidar Ayazbayev

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Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

Kazakhstan has an extensive railway network with a total length of about 15,000 kilometers. Due to geographical features, trains play a crucial role in the life of the country.

More than 68% of the total turnover and over 57% of the country’s passenger traffic is made by railways. More than 125,000 people, accounting for nearly 1% of the population of Kazakhstan, are employed in the railway industry.

Railway transport is the main way to travel in Kazakhstan. Thanks to the following video you can see how traveling by train across Kazakhstan from south to north (from Almaty to Petropavl) looks like.

Tags: railway

In late August, large wildfire occurred in the Ile-Alatau National Park located near Almaty in the close proximity to the “Medeo” sports complex. The flames swept over twenty hectares of mountain slopes.

Large wildfire in the natural park was predicted a year ago – then the environmentalists, the rescuers and the authorities were deciding what to do with the trees felled by storm.

Recently, the works to dispose dead trees were carried out in these places but unfortunately not all the fallen trees were removed. Photos by Grigoriy Bedenko.

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Tags: Almaty oblast · fire

July 6, 2012 the largest mosque in Kazakhstan and Central Asia “Hazrat Sultan” was opened in the capital city of the country Astana.

The building is constructed in the classic Islamic style using traditional Kazakh ornaments. The mosque standing on the right bank of the Yesil River is located near the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, and a monument “Kazakh Eli”. Photos by voxpopuli.kz

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Tags: Astana city · mosques

One hundred fifteen athletes from Kazakhstan took part in twenty sports at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. In total, the national team won 13 medals (7 gold, 1 silver, 5 bronze).

Gold medals were won in the following disciplines: cycling (Alexander Vinokourov), weightlifting (Zulfiya Chinshanlo, Maya Maneza, Svetlana Podobedova, Ilya Ilyin), athletics (Olga Rypakova), boxing (Serik Sapiyev).

Thanks to all the athletes for their efforts!

Tags: athletes · Olympic games

Kazakhstan is usually associated with the endless steppes and semi-deserts but the south-eastern part of the country is bordered by Tien-Shan mountain range.

This region is known for its breathtaking landscapes, beautiful flora and fauna. Photos by Gregory Bedenko

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Tags: landscapes · Southern Kazakhstan

Almaty (Russian spelling – Alma-Ata) is Kazakhstan’s largest city. It is also known as the “Southern Capital” of the country. According to officials the population of Almaty is about 1.4 million people.

Unofficially (with the migrant workers) the population of the city is more than 2 million people (about 13% of the total population of Kazakhstan).

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Tags: Almaty city · night

The tram was opened in Almaty on November 7, 1937. At best times, the number of routes reached ten, but with the collapse of the Soviet Union trams as public transport became unprofitable and the number of routes was rapidly reduced.

Since 1999, there are only two routes that are served by one depot, which is the oldest one, located at the intersection of Ahmed Baitursynov Street (former Cosmonauts Street) and Gogol Street.

Tags: Almaty city · trams

The construction of subway (metro) in Almaty began back in 1988 and was conducted irregularly because of the finance problems. Finally, December 1, 2011 the first line of the subway was opened.

This is the first subway in Kazakhstan, the second in Central Asia (after Tashkent subway) and sixteenth in the former Soviet Union. Hours: daily from 06:30 to 23:30. The total length of the two lines will be about 45 km.

Tags: Almaty city