Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan Background

Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural Virgin Lands program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence in 1991 caused many of these newcomers to emigrate. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; achieving a sustainable economic growth outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers.

Kazakhstan Information

• Population: 15,143,704 (July 2004 est.)
• Nationality: noun: Kazakhstani(s) adjective: Kazakhstani
• Location:: Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural River in eastern-most Europe
• Religions:: Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
• Ethnic Groups:: Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Uygur 1.4%, other 6.6% (1999 census)
• 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
• Area: total: 2,717,300 sq km water: 47,500 sq km land: 2,669,800 sq km
• Coast Line: 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)
• 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 oases and desert in Central Asia
• Maritime Claims:
• Land Use: arable land: 7.98% permanent crops: 0.05% other: 91.97% (2001)
• Environmental Issues: radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with former defense industries and test ranges scattered throughout the country pose health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe in some cities; because the two main rivers which flowe
• Natural Resources: major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium
• Highways: total: 81,331 km paved: 77,020 km unpaved: 4,311 km (2000)
• Railways: total: 13,601 km broad gauge: 13,601 km 1.520-m gauge (3,661 km electrified) (2003)
• Ports & Harbours: Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)
• Airports: 392 (2003 est.)