View Intelligence Dossier Back to 1993 CSV Excel Print All Years

Communications

Airports [time series]

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

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

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

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

Syr Darya

Pipelines [time series]

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

Ports [time series]

inland - Atyrau (Guryev; on Caspian Sea)

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

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

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

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

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

69,326 million 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

Manpower availability [time series]

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

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

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

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

retaining Russian ruble as currency (May 1993)

Economic aid [time series]

recipient of limited foreign aid (1992)

Electricity [time series]

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

Exchange rates [time series]

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

Exports [time series]

$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

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$2.6 billion (1991 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Illicit drugs [time series]

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

Imports [time series]

$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

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate -15% (1992 est.); accounts for 30% of net material product

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

28% per month (first quarter 1993)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (National product) [time series]

GDP $NA

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$NA

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

-15% (1992 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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.

Unemployment rate [time series]

0.4% includes only officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of underemployed workers

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 2,717,300 km2 land area: 2,669,800 km2 comparative area: slightly less than four times the size of Texas

Climate [time series]

continental, arid and semiarid

Coastline [time series]

0 km note: Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea (1,015 km) and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km)

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

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

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

none

Irrigated land [time series]

23,080 km2 (1990)

Land boundaries [time series]

total 12,012 km, China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 15% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 57% forest and woodland: 4% other: 24%

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian States, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

petroleum, coal, iron, manganese, chrome, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium, iron

Note [time series]

landlocked

Terrain [time series]

extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oasis and desert in Central Asia

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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,

Capital [time series]

Almaty (Alma-Ata)

Constitution [time series]

adopted 18 January 1993

Digraph [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

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

Executive branch (Elections) [time series]

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 [time series]

president, cabinet of ministers, prime minister

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

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)

Legal system [time series]

based on civil law system

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral Supreme Soviet

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

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

Country name (Names) [time series]

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

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 16 December

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

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

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

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

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

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

People

Birth rate [time series]

19.55 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate [time series]

7.95 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Kazakh (Qazaq) 41.9%, Russian 37%, Ukrainian 5.2%, German 4.7%, Uzbek 2.1%, Tatar 2%, other 7.1%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

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

Labor force [time series]

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

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 67.83 years male: 63.17 years female: 72.73 years (1993 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 9-49 can read and write (1970) total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Kazakhstani(s) adjective: Kazakhstani

Net migration rate [time series]

-5.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population [time series]

17,156,370 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

0.65% (1993 est.)

Religions [time series]

Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 15%, Protestant 2%, other 36%

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.45 children born/woman (1993 est.)