What animals live in Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan is a huge country with wide open steppes, deserts, and mountains — and some remarkable creatures live there! The saiga antelope is one of the most recognizable, with its unusual bulging nose that helps it breathe in dusty, dry air. Snow leopards prowl the mountain ranges in the south, and golden eagles soar high above the grasslands. The steppes are also home to the corsac fox, a small sandy-colored fox built for life in open, windy plains. Wild boars push through the reeds near rivers and lakes, and the great bustard — one of the heaviest flying birds in the world — stalks slowly across the grass looking for seeds and insects. Kazakhstan is a land full of life, and the God who made every one of these creatures made the people of Kazakhstan too — and He loves them deeply.

What do kids eat in Kazakhstan?

Kids in Kazakhstan often eat a dish called beshbarmak — which actually means 'five fingers' because people traditionally eat it with their hands! It's made of boiled meat, usually lamb or horse, laid over flat noodles. It sounds different from what you might be used to, but it's the kind of warm, filling meal that families gather around together. Kazakh kids also love samsa, which are baked pastries stuffed with meat and onion — a little like a hot pocket but with a flaky, golden crust. For something sweet, dried apricots and other dried fruits are popular snacks. And almost everyone drinks a fermented mare's milk called kumiss, which is fizzy and a bit sour — definitely an adventure for the taste buds! Food in Kazakhstan tells you a lot about the people: they value hospitality, and sharing a meal with a guest is a real honor.

How do people say hello in Kazakhstan?

In Kazakhstan, the most common greeting is 'Salam' (say it like SAH-lahm), which comes from Arabic and means 'peace.' Kazakh people also use 'Qalay syng?' which is a way of asking 'How are you?' — kind of like saying hello and checking in at the same time. Kazakhstan has two main languages — Kazakh and Russian — so you might also hear the Russian greeting 'Zdravstvuyte' (ZDRAH-stvooy-tyeh) for formal hellos, or just 'Privet' (pree-VYET) between friends. When Kazakh men greet each other, they often shake hands and place their other hand over their heart — a warm gesture that shows real respect for the person they are meeting.

What sports or games do kids play in Kazakhstan?

Kids in Kazakhstan love soccer — they play it in courtyards, on dusty fields, and anywhere they can find a flat patch of ground. Wrestling is also huge there, and a traditional horseback game called kokpar, where riders compete to carry a heavy object across a goal line, is one of the most exciting things to watch on the steppe. Chess is taken really seriously in Kazakhstan too — many schools have chess clubs, and kids practice hard. In winter, ice skating and sledding are popular since temperatures can drop bitterly cold. One thing Herman and Rusty think is worth noticing: kids all around the world love to play and compete, and that joy of playing together is something God built into people everywhere, no matter the language or country.

What's the weather like in Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan has some of the most extreme weather on Earth! In winter, temperatures in the north can drop to minus 40 degrees — so cold that tossing a cup of boiling water into the air will turn it to snow before it hits the ground. Summers in the south can roast up to 45 degrees Celsius. That is a wild swing from one season to the next. The country sits right in the middle of a huge continent, far from any ocean, so there is nothing to soften the seasons. The steppes — those enormous flat grasslands that stretch for hundreds of miles — get biting winds in winter and baking sun in summer. People there have learned to be tough and resourceful, and we think that same toughness shows up in the small but growing number of Kazakh Christians who hold on to their faith even when life is hard.

Tell me a fun fact about Kazakhstan.

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country in the whole world — bigger than all of Western Europe put together — yet fewer people live there than in the state of Texas. That means you could drive for hours across its wide, flat grasslands called steppes and barely see another person. Rusty wants you to know about one of Kazakhstan's most unusual traditions: eagle hunting. For hundreds of years, Kazakh hunters have trained golden eagles to help them hunt across those vast plains. The eagles can have wingspans wider than a grown man's arm span. It is a skill passed from parent to child for generations, and it gives you a picture of just how wild and wide open this remarkable land truly is.

What is school like for kids in Kazakhstan?

In Kazakhstan, most kids start school around age seven and study for eleven years. Schools teach subjects like math, science, history, and several languages — many students learn Kazakh, Russian, and English all at once! That is a lot of languages to juggle, but Kazakh kids grow up putting in the hard work. Schools in Kazakhstan are often serious and structured — students stand up when a teacher enters the room, and there is a lot of memorization and testing. In cities like Almaty or Nur-Sultan, schools can be large and modern, but in small villages on the steppe, classrooms might be much simpler with fewer resources. One thing worth knowing is that for a long time under Soviet rule, children were not allowed to learn about God at school, and that history still shapes what many families believe today — which is one reason missionaries and local believers work hard to share the good news of Jesus with Kazakh families.

Who are the unreached people in Kazakhstan?

Great question! Kazakhstan is a huge country in Central Asia — one of the biggest in the world — and most of the people there have never really heard the good news about Jesus. The largest group is the Kazakh people, who are mostly Muslim. Many Kazakhs have been Muslim for hundreds of years, and only a tiny number of them — less than one percent — have ever trusted in Jesus as their Savior. There are also other groups in Kazakhstan, like the Uzbeks and the Uyghurs, who are also mostly Muslim and have very few Christians among them. Herman and I think about how these folks go through their whole lives without knowing that Jesus died for them and rose again. That is a serious thing. But God loves the Kazakh people deeply, and there are brave missionaries and Kazakh believers right now working to share the gospel — which is the word for the good news about Jesus. You can be part of this by praying for them.

How can I pray for the people of Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan is a large country in Central Asia where most people follow Islam, and many have never heard the good news about Jesus. You can pray that God opens their hearts to hear who Jesus really is — the Savior who died and rose again for them. There are small but faithful churches in Kazakhstan, and sometimes believers face pressure or suspicion from their neighbors and government for following Jesus. Pray that those Christians stay strong and brave, that missionaries find open doors to share the gospel, and that more Kazakh people — kids and families included — come to know Jesus as their Lord.

What is a holiday or celebration in Kazakhstan?

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! One of the biggest celebrations in Kazakhstan is Nauryz, which falls on March 21st and marks the start of spring. Families gather outside, set up colorful yurts (those round tent-homes you see on the steppe), share a special dish called nauryz kozhe made from seven ingredients, and sing traditional songs together. Rusty wants you to know that Nauryz is thousands of years old and is celebrated across Central Asia. Most Kazakhs today are Muslim, so many of their other holidays follow the Islamic calendar — like Eid al-Adha, when families slaughter an animal and share the meat with neighbors. As you explore Kazakhstan, you can pray that in the middle of all these celebrations, Kazakh families would hear the good news about Jesus and discover that He is the one who truly brings new life — not just a new season.

What language do people speak in Kazakhstan?

Great question! Kazakhstan has two main languages: Kazakh and Russian. Kazakh is the official national language, and it belongs to a family of languages called Turkic languages — the same family that includes Turkish and Uzbek. Russian is also very widely spoken because Kazakhstan was once part of the Soviet Union for many decades. Here is something worth knowing for missions: the Kazakh language is still being written in a new alphabet. Kazakhstan is switching from the Russian Cyrillic alphabet to a Latin alphabet — the same kind of letters used in English. That means Bible translators and missionaries are working hard to make sure God's Word is available and easy to read in Kazakh, no matter which alphabet people use. Pray that every Kazakh speaker gets the chance to read the Bible in their own heart language!

What's a famous place to visit in Kazakhstan?

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! One of the most well-known places in Kazakhstan is the city of Almaty, nestled right up against the dramatic Tian Shan mountains in the southeast. It used to be the capital city, and it still buzzes with markets, colorful buildings, and the smell of fresh bread called lepyoshka baking in outdoor ovens. Rusty wants to add — if you look south from Almaty on a clear day, those snow-capped mountain peaks seem close enough to touch, even though they stretch for miles. Kazakhstan is a huge country, one of the biggest in the world, so there is a lot of open steppe land too — that means wide, flat grasslands that seem to go on forever, where nomadic people once moved their herds of horses and sheep across the land for centuries.

Kazakhstan — Kids Missions Explorer

Snow Leopard

This elusive, thick-furred cat lives high in the rocky mountains of southern Kazakhstan and can leap as far as 50 feet in a single bound while hunting.

Saiga Antelope

The saiga is one of Earth's oldest surviving mammals, recognizable by its drooping, trunk-like nose that warms cold steppe air before it reaches the animal's lungs.

Golden Eagle

Kazakh eagle hunters have trained golden eagles to help them hunt for over a thousand years, and the bond between a hunter and his bird can last a lifetime.

Beshbarmak

This ceremonial dish of boiled horse or lamb meat laid over flat noodles is eaten with your hands, and its name literally means 'five fingers' in Kazakh.

Kumiss

Kumiss is a tangy, slightly fizzy drink made from fermented mare's milk that nomadic Kazakh families have relied on for both nourishment and hospitality for centuries.

Baursak

These small, pillowy fried dough puffs are served at nearly every Kazakh celebration and family gathering, often piled high on a shared plate in the center of the table.

Kazakhstan

Things you should know about Kazakhstan

Wildlife you might meet

What’s on the table

Did you know?

Life in Kazakhstan

Missions in Kazakhstan

Pray for Kazakhstan