Kazakhstan

lowest point:

Vpadina Kaundy -132 m

highest point:

Zhengis Shingy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m

• 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 salinization from faulty irrigation practices

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

0-14 years:

29% (male 2,486,607; female 2,413,207)

15-64 years:

64% (male 5,243,028; female 5,523,199)

65 years and over:

7% (male 393,950; female 786,817) (July 1998 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.5 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

noun:

Kazakhstani(s)

adjective:

Kazakhstani

conventional long form:

Republic of Kazakhstan

conventional short form:

Kazakhstan

local long form:

Qazaqstan Respublikasy

local short form:

none

former:

Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

chief of state:

President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990-91, president since 1 December 1991)

head of government:

Prime Minister Nurlan BALGIMBAYEV (since 10 October 1997) and First Deputy Prime Minister Uraz ZHANDOSOV (since 20 February 1998)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
• election last held 1 December 1991 (next to be held NA 2000);
• note-President NAZARBAYEV's term was extended to the year 2000 by a nationwide referendum held 30 April 1995;
• prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV elected president without opposition; percent of vote-NA

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

• bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 7 senators are appointed by the president; other members are popularly elected, two each from each oblast and Almaty, to serve four-year terms) and the Majilis (67 seats; members are popularly elected to serve four-year terms);
• note-with the oblasts being reduced to 14, the Senate will eventually be reduced to 37

elections:

Senate-(indirect) last held 5 December 1995 (next to be held NA 1999); Majilis-last held 9 December and 23 December 1995 (next to be held NA 1999)

election results:

• Senate-percent of vote by party-NA;
• seats by party-party members 13, no party affiliation 34, of which "independent" state officials 25, nominated by the president 7, elected by popular vote 15;
• Majilis-percent of vote by party-NA;
• seats by party-PUP 24, December National Democratic Party 12, Kazakh Agrarian Union 5, Confederation of Kazakh Trade Unions 5, KPK 2, independents and others 19

• Alash National Freedom Party [Aron ATABEK];
• People's Unity Party or PUP (was Union of People's Unity) [Akhan BIZHANOV, chairman];
• Democratic Party [Tulegen ZHUKEYEV and Altynbek SARSENBAYEV, cochairmen];
• People's Congress of Kazakhstan or NKK [Anuar ISMAILOV, chairman];
• AZAMAT Movement [Petr SVOIK, Murat AUEZOV, and Galym ABILSIITOV, cochairmen];
• Communist Party or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN, first secretary];
• National Democratic Party [Hasen KOZHAKHMETOV, chairman];
• AZAT party [Toleubek KARAMENDIN, chairman];
• Labor and Workers Movement [Madel ISMAILOV, chairman];
• Peasant Union of the Republic Kazakhstan or KPU;
• Republican People's Slavic Movement-Harmony or Lad [Aleksander SAMARKIN, chairman];
• Party for Social Justice and Economic Revival "Tagibat";
• Social Democratic Party of Kazakhstan or SDPK [Dos KUSHIMOV, cochairman];
• People's Cooperative Party [Umirzak SARSENOV, chairman];
• Organization of Veterans;
• Republican Party [Sabetkazy AKATAYEV];
• Russian Center or RT [Nina SIDOROVA, chairwoman];
• Russian Cossacks [Vladimir DESYATOV, head (ataman)];
• Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye [Irina SAVOSTINA, chairwoman];
• Liberal Movement [Asylbek BISENBAYEV, chairman]

• Independent Trade Union Center [Leonid SOLOMIN, president];
• Kazakhstani-American Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive director];
• Democratic Committee on Human Rights [Baretta YERGALIEVA, chairwoman];
• Independent Miners Union [Victor GAIPOV, president];
• The Almaty-Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights [Ninel FOKINA, chairwoman];
• Legal Development of Kazakhstan [Vitaliy VORONOV, chairman]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Bolat K. NURGALIYEV

chancery:

(temporary) 3421 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 333-4504 through 4507

chief of mission:

Ambassador A. Elizabeth JONES

embassy:

99/97 Furmanova Street, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan 480012

mailing address:

use embassy street address

telephone:

[7] (3272) 63-39-05, 63-13-75, 63-24-26

• 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

total:

6.9 million

by occupation:

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

• 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;
• much of industrial capacity is shut down and/or is in need of repair

total value:

$5.6 billion (1996)

commodities:

oil, ferrous and nonferrous metals, chemicals, grain, wool, meat, coal

partners:

Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Netherlands, China

total value:

$6 billion (1996)

commodities:

machinery and parts, industrial materials, oil and gas

partners:

Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Germany

total:

13,841 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines

broad gauge:

13,841 km 1.520-m gauge (3,299 km electrified) (1992)

total:

141,076 km

paved:

113,566 km

unpaved:

27,510 km (1996 est.)

total:

9

over 3,047 m:

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

• 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