🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country — 2.7 million square kilometers (the size of Western Europe) with just 19.5 million people. GDP is about $220 billion. The country has massive oil reserves (the Kashagan field in the Caspian is one of the largest discoveries in decades), the world's largest uranium production (43% of global output), and significant reserves of chrome, zinc, and rare earths. The Baikonur Cosmodrome, leased from Kazakhstan by Russia, is the world's oldest and largest space launch facility — every astronaut going to the ISS launches from here. Nur-Sultan (now Astana again) is a purpose-built capital with futuristic architecture rising from the steppe.

Oil and gas account for about 60% of exports and 40% of government revenue. Uranium, metals, and grain are the other major exports. China, Russia, and Italy are the top trade partners. The country has a sovereign wealth fund (Samruk-Kazyna) managing about $70 billion in assets. GDP growth has been around 4-5%. Kazakhstan has been trying to position itself as a regional financial hub, with the Astana International Financial Centre operating under English common law — unique in Central Asia.

Kazakhstan is where apples originated — the wild apple forests near Almaty are the genetic ancestors of every apple variety in the world. The name "Almaty" means "father of apples." The country's Aral Sea, shared with Uzbekistan, was once the world's fourth-largest lake — Soviet-era irrigation projects reduced it to 10% of its original size, one of the worst environmental disasters in history. Kazakhstan's steppe is home to the saiga antelope, with its bizarre bulbous nose, one of the world's most endangered large mammals.

Kazakhstan is Central Asia's anchor economy, and the uranium position is increasingly strategic as nuclear energy revives globally. The challenge is the same as every petro-state: diversifying before the oil runs out.