Kazakhstan is emerging as a new hot backpacker destinations and place to spend your gap year, according to a study by Travellers Connected. Surprise surprise, Sacha Baron Cohen is the reason the country has been put on the map of those keen to explore the world after finishing school:

TravellersConnected founder, Alastair Banks, said: “It’s really quite fantastic what Borat has done to raise the public profile of Kazakhstan. For the country to get more votes than Spain demonstrates the sheer power of the media.”

According to Lonely Planet, Kazakhstan is “a bewitching, dream-like landscape for those with a taste for the esoteric”, and TravellersConnected lists the following main features for those without a lot of time to get information: 1) Can get very cold, 2) Spiders and Snakes here!, 3) Get your hiking boots on, 4) Snow sports and 5) Mountain Ranges. Contrary to Russia, Kazakhstan doesn’t have the ‘Beware - Could be Dangerous’ feature, so it seems to be a safe place to go backpacking as well.

Unsurprisingly, Kazakhstan is scoring well in comparison to, wait, other European countries?

Research by TravellersConnected revealed the state is the third highest European country backpackers want information on as it accounted for 16 per cent of enquires.