| *Kazakhstan, Geography Location: South Asia, between Russia and Uzbekistan, bordering on the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea Map references: Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian States, Standard Time Zones of the World Area: total area: 2,717,300 km2 land area: 2,669,800 km2 comparative area: slightly less than four times the size of Texas Land boundaries: total 12,012 km, China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km Coastline: km note: Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea (1,015 km) and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km) Maritime claims: landlocked, but boundaries with Uzbekistan in the Sea of Azov and with Russia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea are yet to be determined International disputes: none Climate: continental, arid and semiarid Terrain: extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oasis and desert in Central Asia Natural resources: petroleum, coal, iron, manganese, chrome, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium, iron Land use: arable land: 15% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 57% forest and woodland: 4% other: 24% Irrigated land: 23,080 km2 (1990) Environment: drying up of Aral Sea is causing increased concentrations of chemical pesticides and natural salts; industrial pollution Note: landlocked *Kazakhstan, People Population: 17,156,370 (July 1993 est.) Population growth rate: 0.65% (1993 est.) Birth rate: 19.55 births/1,000 population (1993 est.) Death rate: 7.95 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.) Net migration rate: -5.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.) Infant mortality rate: 41.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 67.83 years male: 63.17 years female: 72.73 years (1993 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.45 children born/woman (1993 est.) Nationality: noun: Kazakhstani(s) adjective: Kazakhstani Ethnic divisions: Kazakh (Qazaq) 41.9%, Russian 37%, Ukrainian 5.2%, German 4.7%, Uzbek 2.1%, Tatar 2%, other 7.1% Religions: Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 15%, Protestant 2%, other 36% Languages: Kazakh (Qazaq; official language), Russian (language of interethnic communication) Literacy: age 9-49 can read and write (1970) total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% Labor force: 7.563 million by occupation: industry and construction 32%, agriculture and forestry 23%, other 45% (1990) *Kazakhstan, Government Names: conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan conventional short form: Kazakhstan local long form: Kazakhstan Respublikasy local short form: none former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic Digraph: KZ Type: republic Capital: Almaty (Alma-Ata) Administrative divisions: 19 oblasts (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 1 city (qalalar, singular - qala)*; Almaty*, Almaty, Aqmola, Aqtobe, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan, Kokshetau,, Mangghystau, Ongtustik Qazaqstan, Qaraghandy, Qostanay, Qyzylorda, Pavlodar, Semey, Shyghys Qazaqstan, Soltustik Qazaqstan, Taldyqorghan, Torghay, Zhambyl, Zhezqazghan, Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union) Constitution: adopted 18 January 1993 Legal system: based on civil law system National holiday: Independence Day, 16 December Political parties and leaders: Peoples Congress, Olzhas SULEYMENOV and Mukhtar SHAKHANOV, co-chairmen; Kazakh Socialist Party (former Communist Party), Nursultan NAZARBAYEV, chairman; December (Zheltoksan) Movement, Khasan KOZHAKMETOV, chairman; Freedom (AZAT) Party, Kamal ORMANTAYEV, chairman Other political or pressure groups: Independent Trade Union Center (Birlesu; an association of independent trade union and business associations), Leonid SOLOMIN, president Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Elections: President: last held 1 December 1991 (next to be held NA 1996); percent of vote by party NA; Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV ran unopposed Supreme Council: last held NA April 1990 (next to be held NA December 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (358 total) Socialist Party 338 Executive branch: president, cabinet of ministers, prime minister Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Soviet Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (sinceNA April 1990); Vice President Yerik ASANBAYEV (since 1 December 1991) *Kazakhstan, Government Head of Government: Prime Minister Sergey TERESHENKO (since 14 October 1991); First Deputy Prime Minister Davlat SEMBAYEV (since NA November 1990); Supreme Council Chairman Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN (since NA July 1991) Member of: CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECO, IBRD, IDA, IMF, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Alim S. DJAMBOURCHINE chancery: 3421 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: (202) 333-4504 US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador William H. COURTNEY embassy: Furumanova 99/97, Almaty mailing address: US Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20521-7030 telephone: (3272) 63-24-26 Flag: sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun with 32 rays soaring above a golden steppe eagle in the center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in yellow *Kazakhstan, Economy Overview: The second-largest in area of the 15 former Soviet republics, Kazakhstan has vast oil, coal, and agricultural resources. Kazakhstan is highly dependent on trade with Russia, exchanging its natural resources for finished consumer and industrial goods. Kazakhstan now finds itself with serious pollution problems, backward technology, and little experience in foreign markets. The government in 1992 continued to push privatization of the economy and freed many prices. Output in 1992 dropped because of problems common to the ex-Soviet Central Asian republics, especially the cumulative effects of the disruption of old supply channels and the slow process of creating new economic institutions. Kazakhstan lacks the funds, technology, and managerial skills for a quick recovery of output. US firms have been enlisted to increase oil output but face formidable obstacles; for example, oil can now reach Western markets only through pipelines that run across independent former Soviet republics. Finally, the end of monolithic Communist control has brought ethnic grievances into the open. The 6 million Russians in the republic, formerly the favored class, now face the hostility of a society dominated by Muslims. Ethnic rivalry will be just one of the formidable obstacles to the prioritization of national objectives and the creation of a productive, technologically advancing society. National product: GDP $NA National product real growth rate: -15% (1992 est.) National product per capita: $NA Inflation rate (consumer prices): 28% per month (first quarter 1993) Unemployment rate: 0.4% includes only officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of underemployed workers Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $1.76 billion (1991) Exports: $1.5 billion to outside the successor states of the former USSR (1992) commodities: oil, ferrous and nonferrous metals, chemicals, grain, wool, meat (1991) partners: Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan Imports: $500 million from outside the successor states of the former USSR (1992) commodities: machinery and parts, industrial materials partners: Russia and other former Soviet republics, China External debt: $2.6 billion (1991 est.) Industrial production: growth rate -15% (1992 est.); accounts for 30% of net material product Electricity: 19,135,000 kW capacity; 81,300 million kWh produced, 4,739 kWh per capita (1992) Industries: extractive industries (oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur), iron and steel, nonferrous metal, tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials *Kazakhstan, Economy Agriculture: accounts for almost 40% of net material product; employs about 25% of the labor force; grain, mostly spring wheat; meat, cotton, wool Illicit drugs: illicit producers of cannabis and opium; mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe Economic aid: recipient of limited foreign aid (1992) Currency: retaining Russian ruble as currency (May 1993) Exchange rates: rubles per US$1 - 415 (24 December 1992) but subject to wide fluctuations Fiscal year: calendar year *Kazakhstan, Communications Railroads: 14,460 km (all 1.520-meter gauge); does not include industrial lines (1990) Highways: 189,000 km total; 108,100 km hard surfaced (paved or gravel), 80,900 km earth (1990) Inland waterways: Syr Darya Pipelines: crude oil 2,850 km, refined products 1,500 km, natural gas 3,480 km (1992) Ports: inland - Atyrau (Guryev; on Caspian Sea) Airports: total: 365 useable: 152 with permanent-surface runways: 49 with runways over 3,659 m: 8 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 38 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 71 Telecommunications: telephone service is poor, with only about 6 telephones for each 100 persons; of the approximately 1 million telephones, Almaty (Alma-Ata) has 184,000; international traffic with other former USSR republics and China carried by landline and microwave, and with other countries by satellite and through 8 international telecommunications circuits at the Moscow international gateway switch; satellite earth stations - INTELSAT and Orbita (TV receive only); new satellite ground station established at Almaty with Turkish financial help (December 1992) with 2500 channel band width *Kazakhstan, Defense Forces Branches: Army, Navy, National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops) Manpower availability: males age 15-49 4,349,509; fit for military service 3,499,718; reach military age (18) annually 154,727 (1993 est.) Defense expenditures: 69,326 million rubles, NA% of GDP (forecast for 1993); note - conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results | |
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