Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, and formerly part of the USSR. It is the ninth-largest country in the world, and encompasses grasslands, desert, boreal forest and mountains. It has an estimated population of 18.7 million, of which about 65% are ethnic Kazakhs, 22% are Russian, and the rest are largely other Turkic peoples, with small Ukrainian and German minorities. The country is 70% Muslim and 26% Christian. The main language is Kazakh, a Turkic language, but Russian is co-official. Kazakhstan’s capital is Nur-Sultan, and its largest city is Almaty. The currency is the tenge.

The Dead Wander in the Desert is an impressive novel about modern Kazakhstan, delving into the legacy of Soviet colonialism, particularly the aftermath of their nuclear testing and the destruction of the Aral Sea.