2000 Edition

Background

During the 1950s and 1960s Soviet citizens were urged to help settle the "New Lands" of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. The influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but including some deported minority nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence has caused many of these newcomers to emigrate. Current issues include: resolving ethnic differences; speeding up market reforms; establishing stable relations with Russia, China, and other foreign powers; and developing and expanding the country's abundant energy resources.

Area

land

2,669,800 sq km

total

2,717,300 sq km

water

47,500 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than four times the size of Texas

Climate

continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

note

Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m

lowest point

Vpadina Kaundy -132 m

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 salination from poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geographic coordinates

48 00 N, 68 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked

Irrigated land

22,000 sq km (1996 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km

total

12,012 km

Land use

arable land

12%

forests and woodland

4%

other

16% (1996 est.)

permanent crops

11%

permanent pastures

57%

Location

Central Asia, northwest of China

Map references

Commonwealth of Independent States

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

earthquakes in the south, mud slides around Almaty

Natural resources

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

Terrain

extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia

Age structure

0-14 years: 27% (male 2,332,284; female 2,260,730) 15-64 years: 65% (male 5,320,938; female 5,638,710) 65 years and over: 8% (male 398,225; female 782,340) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

16.78 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

10.56 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

Kazakh (Qazaq) 46%, Russian 34.7%, Ukrainian 4.9%, German 3.1%, Uzbek 2.3%, Tatar 1.9%, other 7.1% (1996)

Infant mortality rate

59.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 40%, Russian (official, used in everyday business) 66%

Life expectancy at birth

female

68.93 years (2000 est.)

male

57.73 years

total population

63.19 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

96% (1989 est.)

male

99%

total population

98%

Nationality

adjective

Kazakhstani

noun

Kazakhstani(s)

Net migration rate

-6.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

16,733,227 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.05% (2000 est.)

Religions

Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.51 male(s)/female

total population

0.93 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.03 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

14 oblystar (singular - oblysy) and 3 cities (qala, singular - qalasy)*; Almaty, Almaty*, Aqmola (Astana), Aqtobe, Astana*, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan (Oral), Bayqongyr*, Mangghystau (Aqtau; formerly Shevchenko), Ongtustik Qazaqstan (Shymkent), Pavlodar, Qaraghandy, Qostanay, Qyzylorda, Shyghys Qazaqstan (Oskemen; formerly Ust'-Kamenogorsk), Soltustik Qazaqstan (Petropavl), Zhambyl (Taraz; formerly Dzhambul)

note

administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses); in 1995 the Governments of Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the Bayqongyr (Baykonur) space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (formerly Leninsk)

Capital

Astana

note

the government moved from Almaty to Astana in December 1998

Constitution

adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995; first post-independence constitution was adopted 28 January 1993

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Kazakhstan

conventional short form

Kazakhstan

former

Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

local long form

Qazaqstan Respublikasy

local short form

none

Data code

KZ

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Richard H. JONES

embassy

99/97A Furmanova Street, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan 480091

mailing address

American Embassy Almaty, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7030

telephone

(3272) 63-39-21, 63-13-75, 50-76-23

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1401 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036

chief of mission

Ambassador Bolat K. NURGALIYEV

telephone

(202) 232-5488

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

chief of state

President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December 1991)

election results

Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV elected president; percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 79.8%, Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN 11.7%, Gani KASYMOV 4.6%

elections

president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 10 January 1999, a year before it was previously scheduled (next to be held NA 2006); note - President NAZARBAYEV's previous term had been extended to 2000 by a nationwide referendum held 30 April 1995; prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president

head of government

Prime Minister Kazymzhomart TOKAYEV (since 2 October 1999)

note

President NAZARBAYEV expanded his presidential powers by decree: only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities

FAX

(202) 232-5845

(3272) 63-38-83

consulate(s)

New York

Flag description

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 gold

Government type

republic

Independence

16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

International organization participation

AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members)

Legal system

based on civil law system

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 7 senators are appointed by the president; other members are popularly elected, two from each oblast and Almaty, to serve six-year terms) and the Majilis (67 seats; the addition of 10 "Party List" seats brings the total to 77; members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms); note - with the oblasts being reduced to 14, the Senate will eventually be reduced to 37; a number of Senate seats come up for reelection every two years

election results

Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; 16 seats up for election in 1999, candidates nominated by local councils; Majilis - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Otan 25, Civic Party 10, Communist Party 3, Agrarian Party 3, People's Cooperative Party 1, independents 32, 3 seats unaccounted for note - most independent candidates are affiliated with parastatal enterprises and other pro-government institutions

elections

Senate - (indirect) last held 17 September 1999 (next to be held NA 2001); Majilis - last held 10 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)

National holiday

Day of the Republic, 25 October (1990) (date on which Kazakhstan declared its sovereignty)

Political parties and leaders

Agrarian Party ; Alash ; AZAMAT Movement [Petr SVOIK, Murat AUEZOV, and Galym ABILSIITOV, cochairmen]; Civic Party [Azat PERUASHEV, first secretary]; Communist Party or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN, first secretary]; Forum of Democratic Forces ; Labor and Workers Movement ; Orleu Movement [Seidakhmet KUTTYKADAM]; Otan ; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye ; People's Congress of Kazakhstan or NKK ; People's Cooperative Party ; Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan

Political pressure groups and leaders

Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human Rights

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; wool, livestock

Budget

expenditures

$3.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

revenues

$3.1 billion

Currency

1 Kazakhstani tenge = 100 tiyn

Debt - external

$7.9 billion (1999 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$409.6 million (1995)

Economy - overview

Kazakhstan, the second largest of the former Soviet republics in territory, possesses enormous untapped fossil fuel reserves as well as plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also has considerable agricultural potential with its vast steppe lands accommodating both livestock and grain production. Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and processing of these natural resources and also on a relatively large machine building sector specializing in construction equipment, tractors, agricultural machinery, and some defense items. The breakup of the USSR and the collapse of demand for Kazakhstan's traditional heavy industry products have resulted in a sharp contraction of the economy since 1991, with the steepest annual decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97 the pace of the government program of economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. The December 1996 signing of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium agreement to build a new pipeline from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oil field to the Black Sea increases prospects for substantially larger oil exports in several years. Kazakhstan's economy turned downward in 1998 with a 2.5% decline in GDP growth due to slumping oil prices and the August financial crisis in Russia. A bright spot in 1999 was the recovery of international oil prices, which, combined with a well-timed tenge devaluation and a bumper grain harvest, pulled the economy out of recession.

Electricity - consumption

48.822 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

400 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

3.374 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

49.299 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

87.73%

hydro

12.07%

nuclear

0.2%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

tenges per US$1 - 139.02 (January 2000), 119.52 (1999), 78.30 (1998), 75.44 (1997), 67.30 (1996), 60.95 (1995)

Exports

$5.2 billion (1999 est.)

Exports - commodities

oil 40%, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery, chemicals, grain, wool, meat, coal

Exports - partners

EU 32%, China 29%, Russia 29% (1998)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $54.5 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

10%

industry

30%

services

60% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $3,200 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1.7% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 24.9% (1993)

Imports

$4.8 billion (1999 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and parts, industrial materials, oil and gas, vehicles

Imports - partners

Russia 39%, Ukraine, US, Uzbekistan, Turkey, UK, Germany, South Korea (1998)

Industrial production growth rate

2.2% (1998 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8.3% (1999 est.)

Labor force

8.8 million (1997)

Labor force - by occupation

industry 27%, agriculture and forestry 23%, other 50% (1996)

Population below poverty line

35% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate

13.7% (1998 est.)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

83 (Kazakhstan and Russia) (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998)

Radios

6.47 million (1997)

Telephone system

service is poor; equipment antiquated

domestic

intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; mobile cellular systems are available in most of Kazakhstan

international

international traffic with other former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay; with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat

Telephones - main lines in use

1.963 million (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular

4,600 (1995)

Television broadcast stations

12 (plus nine repeaters) (1998)

Televisions

3.88 million (1997)

Airports

10 (1997 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

9 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (1997 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.)

Highways

paved

103,272 km

total

119,390 km

unpaved

16,118 km (1998 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 2,850 km; refined products 1,500 km; natural gas 3,480 km (1992)

Ports and harbors

Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)

Railways

broad gauge

14,400 km 1.520-m gauge (3,299 km electrified) (1997)

total

14,400 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines

Waterways

3,900 km on the Syrdariya (Syr Darya) and Ertis (Irtysh)

Military branches

General Purpose Forces (Army), Air Force, Border Guards, Navy, Republican Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$322 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.5% (FY99)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 4,477,455 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 3,572,688 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

158,838 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome

Illicit drugs

significant illicit cultivation of cannabis and limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug ephedrone); limited government eradication program; cannabis consumed largely in the CIS; used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Russia, North America, and Western Europe from Southwest Asia

KENYA