2,669,800 sq km
water: 47,500 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly less than four times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 12,012 km
border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846
km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
note: Kazakstan borders the Aral Sea (1,015 km) and the Caspian Sea
(1,894 km)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: continental, cold winters and hot summers, 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

Elevation extremes:
lowest point : Vpadina Kaundy -132 m
highest point: Zhengis Shingy 7,439 m

Natural resources: major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal,
iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum,
lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium

Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 11%
permanent pastures: 57%
forests and woodland : 4%
other: 16% (1996 est.)

Irrigated land: 22,000 sq km (1996 est.)

Natural hazards: earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty

Environment - current issues: radioactive or toxic chemical sites
associated with its former defense industries and test ranges are
found throughout the country and pose health risks for humans and
animals; industrial pollution is severe in some cities; because the
two main rivers which flowed into the Aral Sea have been diverted for
irrigation, it is drying up and leaving behind a harmful layer of
chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then
picked up by the wind and blown into noxious dust storms; pollution in
the Caspian Sea; soil pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals
and salinization from faulty irrigation practices

Environment - international agreements:
party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Desertification

Geography - note: landlocked

@Kazakstan:People

Population: 16,881,793 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years : 30% (male 2,536,307; female 2,462,742)
15-64 years: 63% (male 5,219,618; female 5,480,693)
65 years and over: 7% (male 392,374; female 790,059) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.24% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 17.36 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 9.97 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -9.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.0