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The second-largest of the former Soviet republics, Kazakhstan extends almost 3000 km (1900 miles) from the Caspian Sea in the west to the Altai Mountains in the east and 1600 km (1000 miles) north to south. It borders Russia to the north and China to the east. Kazakhstan was the last Soviet republic to declare its independence, in 1991. In 1999, elections confirmed the former communist Nursultan Nazarbayev and his supporters in power. Kazakhstan has considerable economic potential, and many Western companies seek to exploit its mineral resources.