Kazakhstan    

 

 

Interesting Facts about Kazakhstan
  • Kazakhstan is an ethnically diverse republic roughly the size of Western Europe.
  • The country’s principal ethnic groups include Kazakh (58.9%), Russian (25.9%), Ukrainian (2.9%), Uzbek (2.8%), Uighur, Tatar and German (1.5% each), and other groups (4%). There are more than 100 other ethnic groups living in peace in Kazakhstan.
  • Kazakhstan has been at the crossroads of trade and empires for centuries along the ancient Silk Road.
  • Kazakhstan is equivalent to the size of Western Europe, four times the size of Texas, five times the size France.
  • Languages: Kazakh, spoken by over 52% of the population, is the state language. Russian, spoken almost by everyone, enjoys equal status under the Constitution and is a means of interethnic communication in Kazakhstan. Newspapers, TV/Radio programs, school instruction are done in 11 languages (Kazakh, Russian, Uzbek, German, Korean etc.)
  • Kazakhstan is a constitutional republic with a strong presidency and a market economy.

 

Statistics for Kazakhstan

Population:

15.56 million (2007 est.)

 Life expectancy at birth:

male: 61 years
female: 72 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.88 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Religions:

Two major religions in Kazakhstan are Islam and Christianity (57% and 40% of all believers, respectively) Most Muslims in Kazakhstan belong to the Sunni denomination of Islam, while most of Christians belong to the Russian Orthodox Church. The rest constitute other religions – there are more than 40 confessions in Kazakhstan which are organized in more than 3000 religious organizations. It is worth mentioning that although most people in Kazakhstan associate themselves with a certain religion, most of the population is not deeply religious.

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$11,000 (2007 est.)

Literacy:

100% of age 15 and over can read and write

 

Adoption Facts about Kazakhstan

 

Children available for adoption in Kazakhstan 

 

Age:  7 months and up. According to the Kazakhstan law, orphaned children are required to be registered with the Ministry's Database for at least six months before they are eligible for international adoption.

 

Race: The majority of children in Kazakhstan are Kazakh, who have ethnically Asian features. Kazakhs are the natives of Kazakhstan while almost all Caucasians residing in Kazakhstan now are the transplants from Russia.

Gender: More boys available than girls

Siblings: Available.

Parent Qualifications: Married couples and single women may adopt from Kazakhstan. Adoptive parents over the age of fifty might not be eligible to adopt an infant.

Travel: Parents may choose to take one trip to Kazakhstan, which would be seven to eight weeks in duration, or they can take two separate trips. If they choose the latter, the first trip is for approximately four to five weeks and the second trip, which takes place several months later, is for less than a week. Kazakhstan law requires that prospective parents have at least 14 days personal contact with a child, in the child's town, before submitting an adoption application to the court. This is the reason for the extended duration of the first trip.

Timeline: The amount of time from submission of dossier to invitation to travel is approximately three to four months for a boy, eight to twelve months for a girl.

 

 

Helpful Links

 

Karen's Adoption Links

USCIS

Accredited Agencies

JCICS

http://pear-now.blogspot.com/

http://travel.state.gov

http://partnersforadoption.org/kazakhstan.shtml

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