Kazakhstan: A Youthful Country with Ancient Roots

Here I am looking south toward the Tien-Shan Mountains, along the border

between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Each of the two peaks in front of

me has a greater elevation than Mt. Fuji.

This golden steppe eagle (with talons larger than my hands)

preys even on such large animals as foxes and wolves.

Dear Fellow Earthlings,

I have just returned from a short trip to Almaty, a city in eastern Kazakhstan.

The people there were very kind and friendly to me, their foreign guest.

President Nursultan Nazurbayev, who has been president for 27 years now, is very popular with his people -- and his enlightened rule is reaping benefits for his vast (9th largest nation in the world),

but sparsely populated (world rank 63rd of some 195 nations) homeland.

The government of Kazakhstan is encouraging its people to be able to handle three languages: Kazakh, Russian, and English.

Kazakh represents the country's main ethnicity; Russian links some 10 countries together in what would otherwise be a babel of central Asian languages, most of them not mutually intelligible. As for English, Nazarbaev realizes that to participate actively in the world of 2018, all nations need English.

How wonderful to see a country so ethnically diverse, so sparsely populated, so full of history, -- and with a bright future ahead!

By the way, the scenery of the mountainous area just to the south of Almaty is truly magnificent!

Long live the Kazakh people -- and long live Kazakhstan!

Steve Walker

Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.