Geography Of Kazakhstan

Location:

Central Asia, northwest of China

Geographic coordinates:

Map references:

Commonwealth of Independent States

Area

• Total: 2,717,300 km²

• Land: 2,669,800 km²

• Water: 47,500 km²

Area--comparative:

About two times the size of Alaska

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

Coastline:

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

Maritime claims:

None (landlocked)

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

Elevation extremes:

• Lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m

• Highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m

Natural resources:

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

Land use:

• Arable land: 12%

• Permanent crops: 11%

• Permanent pastures: 57%

• Forests and woodland:4%

• Other: 16% (1996 est.)

Irrigated land:

22,000 km² (1996 est.)

Natural hazards:

Earthquakes in the south, mud slides around Almaty

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

Geography - note:

Landlocked

See also

• Kazakhstan

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