History of Kazakhstan

Kazakh Khanate, 1465–1847 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Kazakh Khanate was a nomadic state in Central Asia that emerged after the fragmentation of the Golden Horde. By the end of the 15th century and throughout the 16th century, the Kazakhs consolidated their political power and established control over the vast steppe territories east of the Caspian Sea and north of the Aral Sea, extending as far as the upper reaches of the Irtysh River and the western foothills of the Altai Mountains. During the reigns of Burunduk Khan and Kasym Khan, the Kazakhs came to control nearly the entire steppe region. After the death of Tauke Khan, the khanate, in effect, split into three independent khanates.

Seat of power: Turkistan

Rulers

• Zhangir Khan, Kazakh khan, 1643–1652

Alash Autonomy, 1917–1920 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Alash Autonomy, also known as Alash Orda, was an unrecognized Kazakh proto-state located in Central Asia and was part of the Russian Republic, and then Soviet Russia. The Alash Autonomy was founded in 1917 by Kazakh elites, and disestablished after the Bolsheviks banned the ruling Alash party. The goal of the party was to obtain autonomy within Russia, and to form a national democratic state. The state was proclaimed during the Second All-Kazakh Congress, held at Orenburg from 5 to 13 December 1917 OS (18 to 26 December 1917 NS), with a provisional government being established under the oversight of Alikhan Bukeikhanov.

Seat of power: Semey

Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, 1936–1991 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. The Kazakh SSR was created on 5 December 1936 from the erstwhile Kazakh ASSR, which was an autonomous republic of the Russian SFSR. On 25 October 1990, the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR declared its sovereignty on its soil. The Kazakh SSR was renamed the Republic of Kazakhstan on 10 December 1991, which declared its independence six days later, as the last republic to secede from the USSR on 16 December 1991.

Seat of power: Almaty

Kazakhstan, 1991 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

Kazakhstan was the last constituent republic of the Soviet Union to declare independence in 1991 during its dissolution. The capital is Astana, and the country's largest city and principal cultural and economic center is Almaty, which served as the capital until 1997. Kazakhstan is the world's ninth-largest country by land area and the largest landlocked country. Kazakhstan has a population of 20.6 million and one of the lowest population densities in the world, with fewer than 8 people per square kilometre.

Seat of power: Astana

Rulers

• Nūrsūltan Nazarbaev, President of Kazakhstan, 1990–2019
• Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, 2019 to today