General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
2,724,730 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
11,587 km
|
|
Coastline: |
0 km
(Landlocked) |
|
Capital: |
Astana |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Almaty,
Qaraghandy,
Shymkent |
|
Official
Language: |
Kazakh |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Tenge (KZT) |
|
National Day: |
December 16 |
Location and
Geography
Kazakhstan is
located in the
centre of the
Eurasian continent
occupying the ninth
largest land area in
the world. It is
bordered by Russia
in the North, China
in the East,
Kyrgyzstan,
Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan in the
South, and the
Caspian Sea in the
West. The country’s
landscape is
diverse. The
forest-steppes of
the North become
steppes,
semi-deserts, and
deserts in the
South. Steppes
account for about
one third of the
country’s territory,
while the
semi-deserts
stretching from the
Caspian Sea to the
Altai Mountains
constitute 15
percent of the land
area. There are
numerous rivers, the
largest ones being
Ertis, Esil, Oral (Zhaiyk)
and Syrdaria. The
climate is mostly
continental with hot
summers and cold
winters. Different
elevations result in
wide variations in
temperature and
precipitation.
Demography
|
Population:
|
14.80 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
15 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
10 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
16 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 61 years,
Female: 72 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
56.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
99.40 percent
(2001) |
Economy
Kazakhstan’s economy
is relatively
diversified with
heavy industry being
the dominant sector.
The country enjoys
all kinds of
opportunities for
securing its
sustained
development
including immense
natural resources,
vast farming areas,
skilled labour and a
remarkable
industrial
potential. Being the
second largest of
the former Soviet
republics in land
area, it owns
considerable
untapped fossil fuel
reserves as well as
abundant supplies of
other minerals and
metals. The main
natural resources
are petroleum,
natural gas, coal,
iron ore, manganese,
chrome, nickel,
cobalt, copper,
lead, zinc, bauxite,
gold, and uranium.
Iron ore deposits
are one of the
largest in the
world. Moreover,
Kazakhstan is one of
the leading
producers of
aluminium and
phosphate. The main
agricultural
products are wheat,
cotton, wool, and
livestock.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
24798 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
1676 US$ (2002) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
6.0%
Agriculture,
43.0% Industry,
51.0% Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
10911 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
7147 million US$
(2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Mineral
products, base
metals,
chemicals,
grain, wool and
meat |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Machinery and
equipment,
transport,
chemicals,
metallurgic
production,
pharmaceutical
goods, clothes
and foodstuffs |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
Russia, Ukraine,
Uzbekistan, US,
China, Turkey
and Germany
|
|
