Kazakstan

Kazakstan 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Central Asia, northwest of China

Area

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 (landlocked)

Note: Kazakstan borders the Aral Sea (1,015 km) and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km)

Maritime Claims

None; landlocked

International Disputes

Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined

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

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

23,080 sq km (1990)

Environment

Note: Landlocked

PEOPLE

Population

16,916,463 (July 1996 est.)
17,376,615 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

30% (male 2,576,204; female 2,486,937) (July 1996 est.)
30% (male 2,664,952; female 2,589,509) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

63% (male 5,203,035; female 5,451,404) (July 1996 est.)
63% (male 5,371,563; female 5,531,519) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

7% (male 384,341; female 814,542) (July 1996 est.)
7% (male 398,172; female 820,900) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

-0.15% (1996 est.)
0.62% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

19.02 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
19.26 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

9.65 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
7.93 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-10.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-5.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.47 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.93 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

63.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
40 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

2.36 children born/woman (1996 est.)
2.43 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

Kazakh (Qazaqz) official language spoken by over 40% of population, Russian (language of interethnic communication) spoken by two-thirds of population and used in everyday business

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1989)

Labor Force

7.356 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

KZ

Type

Republic

Capital

Almaty

Administrative Divisions

19 oblystar (singular - oblys) and 1 city (qalalar, singular - qala)*; Almaty Qalasy*, Almaty Oblysy, Aqmola Oblysy, Aqtobe Oblysy, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Kokshetau Oblysy, Mangghystau Oblysy (Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Pavlodar Oblysy, Semey Oblysy, Shyghys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen; formerly Ust'-Kamenogorsk), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Petropavl), Taldyqorghan Oblysy, Torghay Oblysy, Zhambyl Oblysy, Zhezqazghan Oblysy

Note: Names in parentheses are administrative centers when name differs from oblys name

Independence

16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 16 December (1991)

Constitution

Adopted 28 January 1993; has been amended in April 1995 and August 1995

Legal System

Based on civil law system

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

note: President NAZARBAYEV has 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

Legislative Branch

Bicameral Parliament

Senate

Elections (indirect) last held 5 December 1995 (next to be held NA 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (47 total) "independent" state officials 25, progovernment parties 11, other parties 2, vacant 9 (of which 7 are to be nominated by the president)

Majilis

Elections last held 9 December and 23 December 1995 (next to be held NA); percent of vote by party NA; seats - (67 total) seats by party NA; note - 172 candidates were forwarded by parties and social organizations and 113 candidates were independents

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court

Political Parties and Leaders

ALASH party; People's Unity Party (PUP; was Union of People's Unity), Akhan BIZHANOV, chairman; Democratic Party, Tulegen ZHUKEYEV and Altynbek SARSENBAYEV, cochairmen; People's Congress of Kazakstan (PCK), Olzhas SULEYMENOV, chairman; Socialist Party of Kazakstan (SPK; former Communist Party), Petr SVOIK, chairman; Communist Party, Baidabek TULEPBAYEV; National Democratic Party, Kamal ORMANTAYEV, chairman; AZAT party, Khasen KOZH-AKHMET, chairman; Confederation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakstan; Peasant Union of the Republic Kazakstan (KPU); Slavic Movement LAD, Aleksandra DOKUCHAYEVA, chairman; Party for Social Justice and Economic Revival "Tagibat"; Social Democratic Party, Dos KUSHIMOV, cochairman; People's Cooperative Party, Umirzak SARSENOV, chairman; Organization of Veterans; Republican Party

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Independent Trade Union Center, Leonid SOLOMIN, president; Kazakstani-American Bureau on Human Rights, Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive director; Democratic Committee on Human Rights; Independent Miners Union

Member of

AsDB, CCC, CIS, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NACC, OIC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

National Anthem

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

ECONOMY

Overview

Kazakstan, the second largest of the former Soviet states 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. Kazakstan'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 Kazakstan's traditional heavy industry products have resulted in a sharp contraction of the economy since 1991, with the steepest annual decline occurring in 1994. The government has pursued a moderate program of economic reform and privatization, resulting in a gradual lifting of state controls over economic activity and a shifting of assets into the private sector. Nevertheless, government control over key sectors of the economy remains strong. Moreover, continued lack of pipeline transportation for expanded oil exports has closed off a likely source of economic recovery.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $46.9 billion (1995 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994); $55.2 billion (1994 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1992)

National Product Real Growth Rate

-8.9% (1995 est.)
-25% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$2,700 (1995 est.)
$3,200 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

60.3% (1995 est.)
24% per month (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

1.4% includes only officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of underemployed workers (September 1995 est.); 1.1% (1994)

Budget

Exports

$5.1 billion (1995)
$3.1 billion (1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$3.9 billion (1995)
$3.5 billion (1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$2.5 billion (of which $1.3 billion to Russia)

Industrial Production

Growth rate -8% (1995); -28% (1994)

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounts for 20% of GDP; employs about 28.5% of the labor force; grain, mostly spring wheat; meat, cotton, wool

Illicit Drugs

Illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe and North America from Southwest Asia

Economic Aid

Currency

National currency, the tenge, introduced on 15 November 1993

Exchange Rates

Tenges per US$1 - 64 (yearend 1995), 54 (yearend 1994)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Inland Waterways

4,002 km on the Syrdariya River and Ertis River

Pipelines

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

Ports

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

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

2.2 million telephones; telephone service is poor; Almaty has 184,000 telephones

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops); Kazakstan may also be establishing a maritime force - navy or coast guard - on the Caspian Sea

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 4,399,356; males fit for military service 3,516,583; males reach military age (18) annually 154,750 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

18.9 billion tenges, NA% of GDP (1995); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

History
World Atlas