ABSTRACT

Kazakhstan is the largest of the group of so-called Muslim republics of Central Asia that have emerged as independent countries following the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Kazakhstan exists in its contemporary political form as a result of its territorial acquisition by tsarist Russia at the end of the nineteenth century. The Kazakhs identify themselves with the Sunni branch of Islam, although the strength of their commitment has varied over time. Islam was expanding into the cities in southern Kazakhstan by the eighth century. In 1991, Kazakhstan had a territorial extent of 2.7 million square kilometers, the largest of the ex-Soviet republics after Russia. Detailed census data for Kazakhstan have revealed concentrations of Kazakhs and Russians in particular regions of the country. With high mountain barriers to the east and south, Russian Siberia to the north, and the vast Russian steppes to the west, Kazakhstan has a very continental climate.