At the present time in Kazakhstan, more and more standard bus stops of the same type appear along the highways crossing the endless steppes. These new bus stops do not differ from each other.

The situation was different when Kazakhstan was the part of the Soviet Union. Bus stops were often built with a personal touch to their appearance, local artists helped to create designs of the stops. Here you can see several of these art objects as long as they do not disappear. Photos by Timur Zhansultanov for voxpopuli.kz

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Tags: steppes

NASA Flight Engineer Joseph Acaba, Russian Soyuz Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Sergei Revin lifted off for the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft will dock the space station today, May 17. They will join Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Flight Engineers Don Pettit of NASA, and Andre Kuipers of the European Space Agency. The six astronauts and cosmonauts will work together for about two months.

Tags: Baikonur city · cosmodrome · launch · space rocket

Almaty (also known as Alma-Ata), the ex-capital of Kazakhstan, is located in the southeastern part of Kazakhstan at the foot of Zailiski Ala-Tau mountain system at an elevation of 2,300-3,000 feet (700-900 meters).

Today the city extends about 12.5 miles (20 km) in all directions from its center and is considered one of the most beautiful cities of Kazakhstan, with regular planning, wide, tree-lined streets, numerous parks and orchards, and a backdrop of mountains.

Tags: Almaty city · time-lapse

During Soviet times the volume of production of salt in Kyzylorda oblast of Kazakhstan reached 600,000 tons annually, ensuring the needs of all 15 republics of the USSR.

Today the region produces about 250,000 tons of salt that is used only for the needs of domestic market. Salt reserves in this area are about 11 million tons, enough to continue production for the next 40-50 years. Photos by voxpopuli.kz

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Tags: Aralsk city · Kzyl-Orda oblast · salt

Semey (former Semipalatinsk, renamed in 2007) is a city of East Kazakhstan oblast standing on Irtysh river banks. It is one the most ancient cities of Kazakhstan.

There are a lot of objects in the city which refer to architectural and historical monuments as well as a lot of statues to outstanding personalities linked with the city. But the following video is not about the monuments but about spring weather coming to the city.

Tags: East Kazakhstan oblast · Semey city · spring

March 25, 2012 the Proton Breeze M rocket successfully launched the Intelsat 22 satellite from the Baikonur Cosmodrome located in Kazakhstan. The satellite, weighing 6199 kg, was released into supersynchronous transfer orbit at 65,000 km apogee.

The Proton Breeze M vehicle is built by Khrunichev State Research and Space Production Center of Moscow. Proton has a heritage of 374 missions since its maiden flight in 1965.

Tags: Baikonur city · cosmodrome · launch · space rocket

The Palace of Peace and Accord because of its characteristic form is simply called the Pyramid. It is one of the most recognizable, interesting and controversial buildings of Astana – the new capital city of Kazakhstan.

The pyramid was built in 2006 (architect Sir Norman Foster). The dimensions of the palace: length – 62 meters, width – 62 meters, height – 62 meters. The concept of the palace is tolerance and unity of different religions. Photos by Pavel Kremnev.

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Tags: Astana city · pyramid

Kazakhstan is known for incredible diversity of natural landscapes that can be found on its vast territory.

The following beautiful photos were taken during trips to Karaganda and East Kazakhstan regions of the country at different times of the year by photographer Constantine Kikvidze for voxpopuli.kz

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Tags: East Kazakhstan oblast · Karaganda oblast · landscapes

Atyrau oblast is situated in southwestern Kazakhstan. The region is generally flat with Ural as main river. The mainly sandy terrain is interspersed with salt marshes.

The oblast is located in Pricaspian lowland, to the north and east of the Caspian Sea. The sea close to Atyrau oblast is less than 50 m deep.

Tags: Atyrau oblast

Akorda is the residence of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan located on the left bank of the River Ishim in Astana – the capital city of the country. Official presentation of the new palace of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan was held December 24, 2004.

Next to the residence the Parliament, the Government, the Supreme Court, and the House of the Ministries of Kazakhstan are located. The residence is depicted on the banknote of 10,000 tenge. Photos by Karla Nur for voxpopuli.kz

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Tags: Akorda · Astana city