Specialized Sites Links

A large number of the links on this page go to foreign servers, which can be very slow to load. All links are external , unless otherwise noted, and open in the same window.

Banking and Finance

Banks

Citibank Kazakhstan has branches in Almaty, Astana, Atyrau, Aktau
Almaty Merchant Bank (http://www.atfbank.com/), this site comes and goes, last seen September 2007.
American Express has travel service offices in Almaty, Aktau, Astana, and Atyrau through Central Asia Tourism.
ABN-AMRO bank is Dutch; they have a main branch in Almaty. They operate in the US as Standard Federal Bank (CA, IL, IN, MI, MO, OH) and LaSalle Bank (IL, IN, MI).
Kazkommertsbank
HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is in Almaty. This corporation also has locations throughout the world, including the US (mostly in the northeast) and the UK.
Bank TuranAlem are all over Kazakhstan.
Eurasian Bank
Demir Bank
Exim Bank

Want to find out about Kazakh money?

World Paper Money Lots of images of coins and notes.
Banknotes.com has pictures of 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 2000, and 5000 tenge notes.
Banknotes of the Modern World has pictures of all paper money.
National Bank of Kazakhstan: Banknotes and Coins has pictures of coins, paper money, and commemorative coins.
For places to purchase bills, go to Banknote World, Morris World Paper Money, ATS notes, Currency of the World, Ala Carte Paper Collectables, and on eBay .
See the travel page for a online currency converter.

Kazakhstan Stock Exchange is in English.
Astana Finance, joint stock company

Education

Lesson Plans. Whether you are a teacher, an adoptive parent talking to their child's class, or you want to be able to provide material to your child's teacher, these may help get you started.

About Kazakhstan
- Glencoe
- Discovery School: Horse Warriors; grades 9-12, world history
- Who Pays the Price When a Sea Disappears? from National Geographic. Grades 6-8.
- What is happening to the Aral Sea?
- Kazakh Kids Video & Curriculum by the Caleb Project. The workbook is great. You need to be aware that this is of a religious missionary nature.
About Central Asia
- The Life and Legacy of Chingis Khan.
- Along the Silk Road: People, Interaction, and Cultural Exchange: A social studies unit recommended for grades 6-10. Developed by The China Project, Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE). 1993.
- Economics and Geography Lessons: The Silk Route from Montgomery County Public Schools (Maryland). A detailed lesson plan for grades 3-5 based on material in The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History by John S. Major with illustrations by Stephen Fieser (Harper Collins, USA, 1995). This site has a large selection of social study lesson plans.
- Was the Silk Road the Internet Highway of the Ancient World?: A unit intended mainly for secondary school, including a good lesson plan, a short text to read ("A Merchant's Tale") and four helpful maps. This is part of the American Forum for Global Education China Project, which may include other materials useful for teaching about the Silk Road.
- Teaching about Inner Asia ERIC Digest discusses reasons for learning about Inner Asia, how to include Inner Asia in the curriculum, and strategies for teaching.
- Silk Road Encounters Education Kit from the Silk Road Project.
- Silk Road Foundation has a large list of resources.
- Resources on the Silk Road is an extensive list of books.
- Imagination Celebration: Kyrgyzstan from the Kennedy Center.
- Snow Leopard Trust has several learning activities.
- Destination: Kyrgyzstan video from the Peace Corp.

Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) is an international environmental science and education partnership involving. The students collect data which are used in their own research activities and also by scientists around the world. In Kazahstan, there are 47 schools involved.

Coloring pages and arts/crafts activities.

Yurt Building for Everyone: model size
Coloring Book of Flags has small, medium and large sizes.
Kids Culture Center - Russia has several matroyshkas, dancer, St. Basil's, samovar, girl's outfit, and a musical instrument.
World Atlas outline map
Enchanted Learning outline map
Russian learning activities at Enchanted Learning.
Bactrian Camel at Enchanted Learning.
Snow Leopard at Enchanted Learning.
Bactrain camel coloring page
Pueblo Zoo bactrian camel
Animal Coloring Pages has 3 bactrian camels. This site also has some nice apple coloring pages.
Earth Day snow leopard
Crayola.com has a Kazakhstan flag/map, Mongolian Herders' Homes, and a picture of St. Basil's Cathedral.
Rainbow Kids now has a coloring section; includes a map, a few cultural pictures, and a flag ornament.
Kultura, a quarterly newsletter for kids adopted from Eastern Europe. This is a subscription, mailed out, newsletter that started in December 2006. It is published by DRT Press, who specialize in adoption and Eastern Europe.

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Government and Law

Government: Even if these sites have an English version, there is usually limited or no information available in English. They are often very slow to load. They also tend to come and go.

President
Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan in English, Russian, and Kazakh.
Government is in Kazakh, Russian and English.
Supreme Court is in Russian.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in English, Kazakh and Russian, although the English version is not the same.
Ministry of Internal Affairs is in Russian and Kazakh.
Ministry of Defense is in Russian, Kazakh and English.
Ministry of Justice: is in Russian and Kazakh, English link does not work. Site loads slowly and comes and goes.
Ministry of Public Health is in Russian.
Ministry of Education and Science is in Kazakh, Russian and English.
Accounts Committee for Control over Execution of the Republican Budget. 4/08 site gone.
Committee on legal statistics and special acounts of the State Office of Public Prosecutor is in Russian.
Ministry of Internal Affairs is in Russian and Kazakh.
Office of the Publix Prosecutor is in Russian.
Police departments: Almaty, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Astana, South Kazakhstan (Shymkent, Kentau, Turkestan), Atyrau These sites are in varying langauges of Russian, Kazakh and English. Often the English didn't load for me.
Customs System and the Customs Control Committee.
The Agency on Statistics is in Russian, Kazakh and English.
Ministry of Finance is in Russian, Kazakh and English.
Constitutional Council is in Kazakh, Russian and English.
Human Rights Commission Digital Library has an introduction in English, but everything else is in Russian. It contains laws and decrees.
The Kazakhstan Mint
Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan is in Kazakh, Russian and English.
Kazakhstan coat of arms for the country and oblasts.

Law

Guide to Law Online: Kazakhstan from the Law Library of Congress, lots of links.
Legislation of Republic of Kazakhstan is in Russian; you can purchase documents thru their Online service.
Zakon has laws; in Russian. This may be from the above site, but it is much easier to read and navigate.
Kazakhstan Legal Information Institute Online Law Library in Central Asia. Page last updated in 1998.
Law Reform in Transition States: Index and listings are in English, although the text of the laws is in Russian.
Republican Center of the legal information from the Ministries of Justice, in Russian.

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History

Many of the sites on the General Information page contain notes on history. Other sites are

World History Archives history of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan History from Country Reports.
History of Kazakhstan from UNESCO.

Want to buy some fossil shark teeth from Kazakhstan? They are sometimes listed on eBay . You can also find information on fossil vertebrates and amphibians and reptiles; search the internet for other sources. Kazakhstan is rich in fossil fuels.

Petrogliphs of Semirechye.
Tamgaly Petroglyphs on the Stantours site.
Peter Tourtellotte's pictures of petroglyphs in Tamgali.
Petroglyphs in Southern Kazakstan survey of the site in 1998.
Petroglyphs of the Dzhungarian Alatau Mountains is a continuation of the above project.

Nature, Animals

Learn more about the nature of Kazakhstan. The following web sites go into a little more detail

State of Biological Diversity of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a fascinating site. It lists vanishing, declining, rare, uncertain, and restored species.
Nature of Kazakhstan from UNESCO.
Free Nature is a blog focusing on ecotourism in Kazakhstan.
Birding; many of these have links to other animals.
- Birding in Kazakhstan: links to other sources, including tours.
- Traveler's Roost
- Fat Birder
- Bird List.
- Avibase bird checklist; search for "Kazakhstan".
- Bird Links to the World - Kazachstan.
- Birds of Kazakhstan is in Russian and English. Has pictures and videos.
- Bird Forum occasionally has pictures posted of Kazakhstan birds.

Falconry in Kazakhstan has beautiful pictures, but the site does not always load.
Kazakh Eagle Hunters photo album and article (4/08 article gone) about the trip.
Ancient Falconry talks about archaelogical evidence of falconry.

Horses
Kazakh horse and Horses of Kazakhstan
Sandra Olsen is a research professor of anthropology with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. One of her interests is prehistoric horses.
Akhal-Teke, the only remaining pure strain of ancient Turkmen horse.

Did you know that there are two breeds of dogs native to Central Asia? The ovcharka and the tazi.

Ovcharka
- Ovcharka Dog Breeds Network
- Middle Asian Ovcharka
- Mid Asian Ovcharka
- The Ovcharkas
- CASSA: Central Asian Shepherd Society of America.
- Almaz the dogs of central Asia.
- Kavkazskaya Ovcharka Photo Project (Caucasian Ovcharka)
A tazi is similar to a greyhound, Afghanhound, and saluki.
- Mid Asiatic Tazi, more Tazi photos
- Crymky article on hunting with tazi.
- Tazi breed standard
- National Kazakh hunting with golden eagle and tazi (article).

Although I only list the snow leopard and Bactrian camel here (because they are better known and you can find toys and books), there are lots of creatures that are unique to Central Asia.

Snow Leopard
- Race for the Big Cats : your free click generates a donation from their sponsors.
- International Snow Leopard Trust has facts about snow leopards, a slide show, or buy a toy, shirt or poster. Also has links to other sites.
- Adopt a cat is a program for WildLife on Easy Street in Tampa, FL, a permanent retirement home to exotic cats.
- Search Education Planet for links for Snow Leopard.
- Snow Leopard Photo Essay by Mark B. Bartosik.
- Snow Leopards: Overview
- Snow Leopard Conservancy does not have a program in Kazakhstan, but contains lots of information.
- Snow Leopards by Nicole Poppenhager, ages 4-8, published October 2006, "This picture book combines fact with fiction as the author presents the life of two young snow leopards. The siblings' mountain terrain is harsh and their daily forays into the ice and snow make hunting especially challenging. On one particular venture with their mother, Simi is lost in an avalanche. Alone and exhausted, he is able to drag himself to safety, but worries about how he'll ever locate his family. Siri continues to look for her brother, but a hunter's trap impedes her search. Eventually, they are reunited. This story is filled with details of the animals' existence, and its lovely, soft-focus artwork depicting their home and environment are lively and dramatic. An informative endnote gives additional facts about this endangered species.-Andrea Tarr, Corona Public Library, CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information."
- The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, published June 1996. "When Matthiessen went to Nepal to study the Himalayan blue sheep and, possibly, to glimpse the rare and beautiful snow leopard, he undertook his five-week trek as winter snows were sweeping into the high passes. This is a radiant and deeply moving account of a "true pilgrimage, a journey of the heart."
Bactrian Camel
- Wild Camel Protection Foundation is a UK based charitable trust fund established for the protection of the wild Bactrian camel.
- Brent Huffman info on bactrian camels; lots of links to other sites.
Becca's Workshop has several stuffed camels and stuffed leopards .

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Organizations

United Nations (UN) related sites

Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the UN in New York City.
UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) in Kazakhstan.
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child Concluding Observations: Kazakhstan, October 7, 2003. Available in PDF.
Central Asian Gateway from the UN Development Program; poverty reduction, health, education, environment, civil society, democratic governance.

SOS Children's Villages in Kazakhstan. "SOS Children's Villages provide orphaned and destitute children - regardless of race, nationality and creed - a new and permanent home, preparing them for an independent life as adults. In more than 131 countries SOS Children's Villages family is still considered to be the best alternative to the conventional orphanage system." In Almaty, Astana and Temirtau.

Soros Foundation is a public, non-governmental, charity organization. "The main goal of the Foundation is to assist the process of open society establishing and developing in the Republic of Kazakhstan." In Russian and Kazakh.

Asian Development Board activities and programs in Kazakhstan. "ADB is a multilateral development finance institution dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific."

USAID (United States Agency for International Development) in Kazakhstan. Links, country profile, overview of USAID focus, contacts.

American International Health Alliance is an organization that establishes partnerships between health care entities in the US and foreign countries. Current ones in Kazakhstan are: Astana/Pittsburgh, Almaty/Richmond VA, Semey/Houston, and Almaty/Tucson.

Children Against Terrorism was formed "to give some support to American chidren who suffered from the terrorist acts on the 11th of September." This was an art contest in Shymkent; the entrants are exhibited on the web site.

Religion

International Reiligious Freedom annual reports, by the US State Department.

Folk Islam.

Russian Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan is in Russian.

History of the Greek Catholic Church in Kazakhstan.

Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Russian Federation and other states; in Russian and German.

Roman Catholic Church in Kazakhstan and Catholic Church in Kazakhstan; links to dioceses in Astana (parishes: Astana, Kamyshenka, Makinsk, Pavlodar, Shuchinsk), Almaty (parishes: 2 in Almaty, Kapshagau, Talgar, Taldikorgan, Taraz, and Shimkent), Atyrau, and Karaganda (Temirtau, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Balchash, Zhezkazgan).

Jewish Community in Kazakhstan; Taraz, Almaty, Uralsk, Astana, Aktau, Aktobe, Atyrau, Karaganda, Kostanay, Pavlodar, Kzyl-orda, Petropavlovsk, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Shymkent. Also Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS.

Missions Atlas Project gives an excellent overview on religion in Kazakhstan.

Miscellaneous

These sites don't really fit into any of the other categories.

History of Coca-Cola in Kazakhstan.

Are you interested in stamp collecting?

Kazakhstan Postal Service allows you to order them online.
BiStamp has stamps from Kazakhstan (select "Browse by country) dating back to 1992.
Former Soviet Union stamps also has stamps dating back to 1992.
You can find them for sale on eBay .

Zastavka Kazakhstan driving rules and roadmaps.

Football Union of Kazakhstan (soccer)

Planetary Researches in Kazakhstan.

HiPP organic baby food found in some places in Kazakhstan.

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Page last updated on 30 April 2008.