Three major factors that affect the Kazakhstan climate are: the remoteness of it from the oceans, its size and its location between two totally different climatic regions, Middle Asia and Siberia – where the impacts of the air masses of the cold north and the hot south meet.
Kazakhstan is divided into 14 provinces. The provinces are subdivided into districts.
Almaty and Astana cities have the status of State importance and do not relate to any province.
Kazakhstan is the largest country in the world completely bordered by land.