Selyemút! Welcome to the world’s largest landlocked country—Kazakhstan, a massive nation stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Altai Mountains, bridging Europe and Asia. There are around 20 million people living here, and the capital is Astana, a futuristic city known for its bold, ultra-modern architecture. The official languages are Kazakh and Russian.

Kazakhstan covers about 2,724,900 square kilometers (1,052,100 square miles). That’s roughly four times the size of Texas in the U.S., or about the same size as Western Europe. It is the ninth-largest country in the world, dominated by the Steppe, a vast region of open grasslands that has shaped the nomadic history of the Kazakh people.

The most popular sports are Boxing (they are a global powerhouse), Football, and Ice Hockey. Their national animal is the Golden Eagle, which is a symbol of freedom and power, and the Snow Leopard is also a highly revered national icon.

The flag consists of a sky-blue field with a gold sun and a soaring steppe eagle in the center and a vertical ornamental pattern on the left, where the blue represents the endless sky and the shared water of the people and the gold symbolizes the sun as a source of life and wealth.

The food is deeply rooted in nomadic traditions and the livestock of the steppe. You must try Beshbarmak, the national dish, which means “five fingers” because it is traditionally eaten by hand; it consists of boiled meat (usually lamb or horse) served over wide pasta sheets with an onion sauce. Another staple is Baursak, delicious pillows of fried dough. Kazakhstan is also the genetic birthplace of the Apple—the city name Almaty actually translates to “Father of Apples.”

Kazakhstan is home to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the world’s first and largest operational space launch facility; it’s where Yuri Gagarin launched into space to become the first human in orbit. For nature lovers, Charyn Canyon offers dramatic red rock formations often compared to the Grand Canyon. You can also visit Lake Kaindy, where an earthquake caused a forest to be submerged, leaving “ghostly” spruce trees rising out of the turquoise water. The country is famous for the ancient art of Eagle Hunting, where hunters on horseback use trained golden eagles to catch prey.

From the high-tech skyscrapers of Astana to the wild, untouched peaks of the Tian Shan mountains, Kazakhstan is a land of vast horizons and soaring ambition. Rahmet! That means “Thank you!”