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:
0 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%
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