Short facts about the geography of Kazakhstan

Location:

Central Asia, northwest of China

Geographic coordinates:

48 00 N, 68 00 E

Map references:

Commonwealth of Independent States

Area:

total:  2,717,300 sq km land:  2,669,800 sq km water:  47,500 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than four times the size of Texas

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); note - 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 sq km (1996 est.)

Natural hazards:

earthquakes in the south, mudslides 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:  Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified:  Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:

landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome

Source: World Factbook