evidence: European Kazakhstan (Kazakh: Europalyq Qazaqstan, Qazaqstannyñ europalyq bölıgı, Russian: Европейская часть Казахстана) is the western part of the territory of Kazakhstan. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the country's sparsely populated and vastly larger eastern part, which is situated in Central Asia. The Ural River divides Kazakhstan into two parts, bisecting the Eurasian supercontinent. European Kazakhstan geographically lies in Eastern Europe, with its area of over 148,000 square kilometres (57,000 sq mi), which makes Kazakhstan the 14th-largest country in Europe with a population of about 1 million. Two capitals of regions are located in European part of Kazakhstan — Uralsk and Atyrau. [...] The presence of European territory in Kazakhstan is a strong argument in favor of its European status from a geographical point of view and potential membership in the European Union.[2][3] In 2009, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Russia, Adilbek Dzhaksybekov, stated: "We would like to join the European Union in the future, but not as Estonia and Latvia, but as an equal partner."[4]