Kazakhstan

Republic of KazakhstanKazakhstan Respublikasy

republicIndependence 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Kazakhstan as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 78 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalAlmaty (Alma-Ata)
Area2,717,300 km2
LocationSouth Asia, between Russia and Uzbekistan, bordering on the Caspian Sea and
1993

Every edition of Kazakhstan

Populationas each edition published it
17.16 million July 1993 est. · 17.1m in 1992
Population growth% a year
0.65% 1993 est. · 0.83% in 2025
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 28.2 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
67.83 years 1993 est. · 73.3 yrs in 2025
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.45 children per woman 1993 est. · 2.9 in 1992
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
41.8 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 25.9 in 1992
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
Not in this edition $3,510 in 1994
GDP real growth% a year
-15% 1992 est. · 4.8% in 2025

Geography

South Asia, between Russia and Uzbekistan, bordering on the Caspian Sea and | the Aral Sea

14 fields

Land useshare of 2,717,300 km2

arable land 15%permanent crops 0%meadows and pastures 57%forest and woodland 4%other 24%irrigated 23,080 km2 (1990)
Area
2,717,300km2
land area: 2,669,800 km2comparative area: slightly less than four times the size of Texas
Coastline
0km
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
Land boundaries
12,012km
total · China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km

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

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

Environment

drying up of Aral Sea is causing increased concentrations of chemical pesticides and natural salts; industrial pollution

Note

landlocked

People

14 fields
Population
17,156,370
(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 0.65% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth
19.55Death
7.95Net migration
-5.06

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years67.83
63.17 · 72.73
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy100%
100% · 100%
MaleFemaleLiteracy age 9-49 can read and write (1970)

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%
Labor force
7.563million
by occupation: industry and construction 32%, agriculture and forestry 23%, other 45% (1990)

Infant mortality rate

41.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.45 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Kazakhstani(s)
adjective:
Kazakhstani

Languages

Kazakh (Qazaq; official language), Russian (language of interethnic communication)

Government

Republic

21 fields

Names

conventional long form:
Republic of Kazakhstan
conventional short form:
Kazakhstan
local long form:
Kazakhstan Respublikasy
local short form:
none
former:
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

Type

republic

Capital

Almaty (Alma-Ata)

Administrative divisions

  • 19 oblasts (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 1 city (qalalar, singular - qala)*;
  • Almaty*, Almaty, Aqmola, Aqtobe, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan, Kokshetau,, Mangghystau, Semey, Shyghys Qazaqstan, Soltustik Qazaqstan, Taldyqorghan, Torghay, Zhambyl, Zhezqazghan,

Independence

16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Constitution

adopted 18 January 1993

National holiday

Independence Day, 16 December

Political parties and leaders

  • Peoples Congress, Olzhas SULEYMENOV and Mukhtar SHAKHANOV, co-chairmen;
  • Kazakh Socialist Party (former Communist Party), Nursultan NAZARBAYEV, chairman;
  • December (Zheltoksan) Movement, Khasan KOZHAKMETOV, chairman;
  • Freedom (AZAT) Party, Kamal ORMANTAYEV, chairman

Other political or pressure groups

Independent Trade Union Center (Birlesu; an association of independent trade union and business associations), Leonid SOLOMIN, president

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Elections

President:
  • last held 1 December 1991 (next to be held NA 1996);
  • percent of vote by party NA;
  • Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV ran unopposed
Supreme Council:
  • last held NA April 1990 (next to be held NA December 1994);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (358 total) Socialist Party 338

Executive branch

president, cabinet of ministers, prime minister

Legislative branch

unicameral Supreme Soviet

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State:
President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (sinceNA April 1990); Vice President Yerik ASANBAYEV (since 1 December 1991)
Head of Government:
  • Prime Minister Sergey TERESHENKO (since 14 October 1991);
  • First Deputy Prime Minister Davlat SEMBAYEV (since NA November 1990);
  • Supreme Council Chairman Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN (since NA July 1991)

Member of

CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECO, IBRD, IDA, IMF, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Alim S. DJAMBOURCHINE
chancery:
3421 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone:
(202) 333-4504

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:
Ambassador William H. COURTNEY
embassy:
Furumanova 99/97, Almaty
mailing address:
US Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20521-7030
telephone:
(3272) 63-24-26

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

The second-largest in area of the 15 former Soviet republics, Kazakhstan has | vast oil, coal, and agricultural resources.

19 fields
Real growth rate
-15%
(1992 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate -15% (1992 est.); accounts for 30% of net material product
Inflation, consumer prices
28%per month
(first quarter 1993)
Unemployment rate
0.4%
includes only officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of underemployed workers
External debt
$2.6billion
(1991 est.)

Overview

The second-largest in area of the 15 former Soviet republics, Kazakhstan has vast oil, coal, and agricultural resources. Kazakhstan is highly dependent on trade with Russia, exchanging its natural resources for finished consumer and industrial goods. Kazakhstan now finds itself with serious pollution problems, backward technology, and little experience in foreign markets.

The government in 1992 continued to push privatization of the economy and freed many prices. Output in 1992 dropped because of problems common to the ex-Soviet Central Asian republics, especially the cumulative effects of the disruption of old supply channels and the slow process of creating new economic institutions.

Kazakhstan lacks the funds, technology, and managerial skills for a quick recovery of output. US firms have been enlisted to increase oil output but face formidable obstacles; for example, oil can now reach Western markets only through pipelines that run across independent former Soviet republics.

Finally, the end of monolithic Communist control has brought ethnic grievances into the open. The 6 million Russians in the republic, formerly the favored class, now face the hostility of a society dominated by Muslims. Ethnic rivalry will be just one of the formidable obstacles to the prioritization of national objectives and the creation of a productive, technologically advancing society.

Budget

revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $1.76 billion (1991)

Exports

$1.5 billion to outside the successor states of the former USSR (1992)

commodities:
oil, ferrous and nonferrous metals, chemicals, grain, wool, meat (1991)
partners:
Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Imports

$500 million from outside the successor states of the former USSR (1992)

commodities:
machinery and parts, industrial materials
partners:
Russia and other former Soviet republics, China

Electricity

19,135,000 kW capacity; 81,300 million kWh produced, 4,739 kWh per capita (1992)

Industries

extractive 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

Agriculture

  • accounts for almost 40% of net material product;
  • employs about 25% of the labor force;
  • grain, mostly spring wheat;
  • meat, cotton, wool

Illicit drugs

  • illicit producers of cannabis and opium;
  • mostly for CIS consumption;
  • limited government eradication program;
  • used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe

Economic aid

recipient of limited foreign aid (1992)

Currency

retaining Russian ruble as currency (May 1993)

Exchange rates

rubles per US$1 - 415 (24 December 1992) but subject to wide fluctuations

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

7 fields

Networkskm · (1990)

Highways
189,000Railroads
14,460
Highways: ; 108,100 km hard surfaced (paved or gravel), 80,900 km earth · Railroads: (all 1.520-meter gauge); does not include industrial lines

Railroads

14,460 km (all 1.520-meter gauge); does not include industrial lines (1990)

Highways

189,000 km total; 108,100 km hard surfaced (paved or gravel), 80,900 km earth (1990)

Pipelines

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

Ports

inland - Atyrau (Guryev; on Caspian Sea)

Airports

total:
365
useable:
152
with permanent-surface runways:
49
with runways over 3,659 m:
8
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
38
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
71

Telecommunications

  • telephone service is poor, with only about 6 telephones for each 100 persons;
  • of the approximately 1 million telephones, Almaty (Alma-Ata) has 184,000;
  • international traffic with other former USSR republics and China carried by landline and microwave, and with other countries by satellite and through 8 international telecommunications circuits at the Moscow international gateway switch;
  • satellite earth stations - INTELSAT and Orbita (TV receive only);
  • new satellite ground station established at Almaty with Turkish financial help (December 1992) with 2500 channel band width

Defense Forces

Army, Navy, National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops)

3 fields
Defense expenditures
69,326million rubles
NA% of GDP (forecast for 1993); note - conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

Branches

Army, Navy, National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops)

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 4,349,509;
  • fit for military service 3,499,718;
  • reach military age (18) annually 154,727 (1993 est.)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Kazakhstan.” The World Factbook 1993. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/kazakhstan/1993.

How to cite ← 1992 edition 1994 edition →