As someone who makes a living inspiring travel, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for Kazakhstan, given the flogging it’s taken lately with the success of “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” In the optimistic spirit of The Other Iraq (yes, really) and travel ads for Chernobyl, Kazakhstan has launched a slew of TV ads, promoting it as the “heart of Eurasia.” I love a savvy marketing campaign as much as the next gal, but I’m guessing it’s going to take a whole lot more to get people to spend their summer vacations in, say, Northern Iraq. All empathies aside, “Borat” might just be the funniest movie I have ever seen.

This mockumentary brings to mind another hilarious travel parody: Jetlag Travel Guides’ series of faux guide books, such as Molvania: A Land Untouched by Modern Dentistry, Surviving Moustachistan: Central Asia’s Forgotten Jewel and San Sombrero: A Land of Carnivals, Cocktails, and Coups – required reading in any well-stocked powder room.

Tongue planted firmly in cheek, these are not real places (in case you were wondering). The famously irreverent Sacha Baron Cohen set his movie in a country that actually does exist. The real Kazakhstan is apparently nothing like the movie – so says the Ministry of Tourism. Or isn’t it? The Observer’s Carole Cadwalladr endeavored to find out in The Real Face of Boratstan. High five, Carole!