Kazakhstan is a constitutional republic in Central Asia – the ninth largest country in the world and the second largest country in the former Soviet Union.

Kazakhstan’s location, between Russia and China, and its position as the most stable and economically developed state in the Central Asian region mean that it is well situated to develop the rich natural resources of the region and to serve the growing Chinese market.

Since 1991, economic and structural reforms have helped to revive Kazakhstan’s economy, with stable economic growth at over 9% for the last five years.  The most successful sectors are oil and gas, construction, real estate and financial services.

In September 2002, Kazakhstan became the first country in the former Soviet Union to receive an investment-grade credit rating.  It has now welcomed more than $40bn of foreign direct investment into its economy – $5.8bn in 2006 alone – with significant investors including Shell, Exxon Mobil, Chevron Texaco, Glencore and BG Group.

Kazakhstan possesses enormous oil and gas reserves as well as plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals, including chrome, iron-ore, alumina, lead, zinc, copper and manganese and precious metals. It also has a large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain.

The country is a leading producer of copper, zinc, tungsten, manganese, coal, uranium, lead and, to a lesser extent, gold and silver. Grain, wool and meat are also major exports.

Kazakhstan is also a major producer of coal. The extraction and production of oil and gas and the extraction and processing of minerals are the most significant industries in the Kazakhstan economy. Foreign direct investment, which reached 7.7% of GDP in 2004, remains overwhelmingly concentrated in these sectors.

More information about Kazakhstan is available from the website www.government.kz of the Government of Kazakhstan.