What are some differences between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan?

Answer 1

There are several major differences between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan:

• Kazakhstan is a relatively secular authoritarian regime as a result of Russian and Soviet Occupation for over 250 years. Afghanistan is a deeply religious and quasi-theocratic republic.
• Kazakhstan is relatively ethnically homogeneous. Kazakhs make up 65% of the country and Russians make up 21% of the country. Afghanistan is an ethnically divided country, where the major ethnicities are: Pashtun at 40%, Tajik/Persian at 33%, Hazara at 11%, and Uzbek at 9%.
• Kazakhstan is a relatively flat, rolling steppe. Afghanistan is a mix of deserts, semi-arid hills, and soaring mountains.
• Kazakhstan has shoreline on the Caspian Sea and Aral Sea, whereas Afghanistan is completely landlocked.
  
• While Kazakhstan and Afghanistan are both majority Sunni Muslim countries, the second largest religion in Kazakhstan is Orthodox Christianity, whereas the second religion in Afghanistan is Shiite Islam.
• Kazakhstan has a good and well-functioning infrastructure from the Soviet Period. Afghanistan has appallingly poor infrastructure that has been destroyed by nearly three-and-a-half decades of war and rebellion.
• Kazakhstan has an increasing population, but Afghanistan has a Birth Rate nearly twice as high as Kazakhstan.
• Kazakhstan maintains a strong Pro-Russian foreign policy orientation. Afghanistan tries to maintain good relations with both the Islamic World and the West, but largely ignores Russian influence