republic · Central Asia and the Steppe

Kazakhstan

1991 CE – present · capital Astana

The world's largest landlocked country, a resource-rich steppe state that built a new capital at Astana and balances between Russia, China and the West.

Origins

The Kazakh SSR was the last Soviet republic to declare independence, on 16 December 1991, under Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had led it since 1989. The new state inherited the Semipalatinsk test site, which was closed, and a large nuclear arsenal, which it gave up by 1995.

Rule and society

Nazarbayev ruled as president for nearly three decades, building a strong presidential system with little political competition. Oil from fields such as Tengiz and Kashagan, gas, uranium and metals brought rapid growth. The capital moved from Almaty to Astana in 1997. The state promoted Kazakh language and culture while keeping Russian widely used and managing a large ethnic Russian minority in the north.

To the present

Nazarbayev resigned in 2019 in favour of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev but kept influence until the January 2022 unrest, when protests over fuel prices turned violent and Russian-led troops were briefly deployed. Tokayev then curbed Nazarbayev's family and introduced constitutional changes.

Lineage

Kazakh SSR 1936 CE – 1991 CEKazakhstan

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kazakhstan. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kazakhstan
MLA
“Kazakhstan.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kazakhstan. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kazakhstan.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kazakhstan.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kazakhstan’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kazakhstan (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻