ARCHIVE // KZ // 2009
Kazakhstan
2009 Edition — sovereign
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Communications
Internet country code
[time series]
.kz
Internet users
(Internet hosts)
[time series]
48,873 (2009) country comparison to the world: 84
Internet users
[time series]
2.3 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 66
Broadcast media
(Radio broadcast stations)
[time series]
AM 60, FM 18, shortwave 9 (2008)
Telecommunication systems
(Telephone system)
[time series]
general assessment: inherited an outdated telecommunications network from the Soviet era requiring modernization domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; number of fixed-line connections is gradually increasing and fixed-line teledensity now exceeds 20 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is increasing rapidly and the subscriber base now is roughly 100 per 100 persons international: country code - 7; international traffic with other former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (2008)
Telephones - fixed lines
(Telephones - main lines in use)
[time series]
3.41 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 45
Telephones - mobile cellular
[time series]
14.911 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 43
Broadcast media
(Television broadcast stations)
[time series]
12 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)
Economy
Agricultural products
(Agriculture - products)
[time series]
grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock
Budget
[time series]
revenues: $33.47 billion expenditures: $36.23 billion (2008 est.)
Central bank discount rate
[time series]
10.5% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 31 11% (31 December 2007)
Current account balance
[time series]
$6.978 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 29 -$8.226 billion (2007 est.)
Debt - external
[time series]
$107.8 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 35 $96.91 billion (31 December 2007)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
(Distribution of family income - Gini index)
[time series]
30.4 (2005) country comparison to the world: 112 31.5 (2003)
Economic overview
(Economy - overview)
[time series]
Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in territory, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves and plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also has a large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain. Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and processing of these natural resources. Kazakhstan enjoyed double-digit growth in 2000-01 and 8% or more per year in 2002-07 - thanks largely to its booming energy sector, but also to economic reform, good harvests, and increased foreign investment; growth slowed to 2.4% in 2008, however, as a result of declining oil prices and a softening world economy. Inflation reached 10% in 2007 and 17% in 2008. In the energy sector, the opening of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium in 2001, from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oilfield to the Black Sea, substantially raised export capacity. In 2006, Kazakhstan completed the Atasu-Alashankou portion of an oil pipeline to China that is planned in future construction to extend from the country's Caspian coast eastward to the Chinese border. The country has embarked upon an industrial policy designed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the oil sector by developing its manufacturing potential. The policy changed the corporate tax code to favor domestic industry as a means to reduce the influence of foreign investment and foreign personnel. The government has engaged in several disputes with foreign oil companies over the terms of production agreements, most recently, with regard to the Kashagan project in 2007-08. Since 2007, Astana has provided financial support to the banking sector which has been struggling with poor asset quality and large foreign loans.
Electricity - consumption
[time series]
64.69 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Electricity - exports
[time series]
3.617 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports
[time series]
3.27 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production
[time series]
72.41 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Exchange rates
[time series]
tenge (KZT) per US dollar - 120.25 (2008 est.), 122.55 (2007), 126.09 (2006), 132.88 (2005), 136.04 (2004)
Exports
[time series]
$71.97 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 45 $48.35 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities
[time series]
oil and oil products 59%, ferrous metals 19%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001)
Exports - partners
[time series]
China 13.5%, Russia 12%, Germany 10.6%, Italy 6.9%, Romania 6.6%, France 5.7%, Ukraine 5.4%, Turkey 4.1% (2008)
GDP (official exchange rate)
[time series]
$135.6 billion (2008 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
(GDP (purchasing power parity))
[time series]
$176.2 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 57 $172.1 billion (2007 est.) $158.6 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
(GDP - composition by sector)
[time series]
agriculture: 5.3% industry: 40.9% services: 53.8% (2008 est.)
Real GDP per capita
(GDP - per capita (PPP))
[time series]
$11,500 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 96 $11,300 (2007 est.) $10,400 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
Real GDP growth rate
(GDP - real growth rate)
[time series]
2.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 145 8.5% (2007 est.) 10.6% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
[time series]
lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 26.5% (2004 est.)
Imports
[time series]
$38.45 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 56 $33.26 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities
[time series]
machinery and equipment, metal products, foodstuffs
Imports - partners
[time series]
Russia 35.9%, China 24.3%, Germany 6%, Ukraine 4.5% (2008)
Industrial production growth rate
[time series]
2.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 94
Industries
[time series]
oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
[time series]
17% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 199 10.8% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
[time series]
27.8% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 33
Labor force
[time series]
8.412 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Labor force - by occupation
[time series]
agriculture: 31.5% industry: 18.4% services: 50% (2006)
Market value of publicly traded shares
[time series]
$31.08 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 60 $41.38 billion (31 December 2007) $43.69 billion (31 December 2006)
Natural gas - consumption
[time series]
33.68 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 27
Natural gas - exports
[time series]
9.221 billion cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 21
Natural gas - imports
[time series]
9.517 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 25
Natural gas - production
[time series]
33.38 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 24
Natural gas - proved reserves
[time series]
2.407 trillion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 13
Oil - consumption
[time series]
239,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 51
Oil - exports
[time series]
1.313 million bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Oil - imports
[time series]
164,000 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Oil - production
[time series]
1.429 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 20
Oil - proved reserves
[time series]
30 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 11
Population below poverty line
[time series]
13.8% (2007)
Public debt
[time series]
8.6% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 114 13.7% of GDP (2004 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
[time series]
$19.87 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 52 $17.63 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
[time series]
$4.617 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 58 $3.97 billion (September 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
[time series]
$55.63 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 50 $41.08 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of domestic credit
[time series]
$44.53 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 51 $43.75 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of narrow money
(Stock of money)
[time series]
$16.12 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 36 $12.74 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of narrow money
(Stock of quasi money)
[time series]
$35.76 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 34 $25.75 billion (31 December 2007)
Unemployment rate
[time series]
6.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 83 7.3% (2007 est.)
Geography
Area
[time series]
total: 2,724,900 sq km country comparison to the world: 9 land: 2,699,700 sq km water: 25,200 sq km
Area - comparative
[time series]
slightly less than four times the size of Texas
Climate
[time series]
continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
Coastline
[time series]
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)
Elevation
(Elevation extremes)
[time series]
lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m
Environment - current issues
[time series]
radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with former defense industries and test ranges scattered throughout the country pose health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe in some cities; because the two main rivers that 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
International environmental agreements
(Environment - international agreements)
[time series]
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Total water withdrawal
(Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural))
[time series]
total: 35 cu km/yr (2%/17%/82%) per capita: 2,360 cu m/yr (2000)
Geographic coordinates
[time series]
48 00 N, 68 00 E
Geography - note
[time series]
landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004, Kazakhstan and Russia extended the lease to 2050
Irrigated land
[time series]
35,560 sq km (2003)
Land boundaries
[time series]
total: 12,185 km border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,224 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km
Land use
[time series]
arable land: 8.28% permanent crops: 0.05% other: 91.67% (2005)
Location
[time series]
Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural (Zhayyq) River in eastern-most Europe
Map references
[time series]
Asia
Maritime claims
[time series]
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
[time series]
earthquakes in the south; mudslides around Almaty
Natural resources
[time series]
major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium
Terrain
[time series]
vast flat steppe extending from the Volga in the west to the Altai Mountains in the east and from the plains of western Siberia in the north to oases and deserts of Central Asia in the south
Total renewable water resources
[time series]
109.6 cu km (1997)
Government
Administrative divisions
[time series]
14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities* (qalalar, singular - qala); Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy*, Aqmola Oblysy (Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy*, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy*, Mangghystau Oblysy (Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy, Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses); in 1995, the Governments of Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (Baykonur, formerly Leninsk); in 2004, a new agreement extended the lease to 2050
Capital
[time series]
name: Astana geographic coordinates: 51 10 N, 71 25 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Kazakhstan is divided into two time zones
Constitution
[time series]
first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995
Country name
[time series]
conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan conventional short form: Kazakhstan local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy local short form: Qazaqstan former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
Diplomatic representation from the US
[time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard E. HOAGLAND embassy: Ak Bulak 4, Str. 23-22, Building #3, Astana 010010 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [7] (7172) 70-21-00 FAX: [7] (7172) 34-08-90
Diplomatic representation in the US
[time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Yerlan IDRISOV chancery: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 232-5488 FAX: [1] (202) 232-5845 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York
Executive branch
[time series]
chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Karim MASIMOV (since 10 January 2007); First Deputy Prime Minister Umirzak SHUKEYEV (since 3 March 2009) and Deputy Prime Ministers Yerbol ORYNBAYEV (since 29 October 2007) and Serik AKHMETOV (since 3 March 2009) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president, with Mazhilis approval; note - constitutional amendments of May 2007 shortened the presidential term from seven years to five years and established a two-consecutive-term limit; changes will take effect after NAZARBAYEV's term ends; he, and only he, is allowed to run for president indefinitely election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 91.1%, Zharmakhan A. TUYAKBAI 6.6%, Alikhan M. BAIMENOV 1.6%
Flag
(Flag description)
[time series]
sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle in the center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in gold
Government type
[time series]
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Independence
[time series]
16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
International organization participation
[time series]
ADB, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Judicial branch
[time series]
Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (seven members)
Legal system
[time series]
based on Islamic law and Roman law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
[time series]
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 15 members are appointed by the president; other members are elected by local assemblies; members serve six-year terms, but elections are staggered with half of the members up for re-election every three years) and the Mazhilis (107 seats; 9 out of the 107 Mazhilis members are elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, a presidentially appointed advisory body designed to represent the country's ethnic minorities; non-appointed members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - (indirect) last held October 2008; next to be held in 2011; Mazhilis - last held 18 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Nur Otan 16; Mazhilis - percent of vote by party - Nur-Otan 88.1%, NSDP 4.6%, Ak Zhol 3.3%, Auyl 1.6%, Communist People's Party 1.3%, Patriots Party .8% Ruhaniyat .4%; seats by party - Nur-Otan 98; note - parties must achieve a threshold of 7% of the electorate to qualify for seats in the Mazhilis
National holiday
[time series]
Independence Day, 16 December (1991)
Political parties
(Political parties and leaders)
[time series]
Adilet (Justice) [Maksut NARIKBAYEV, Zeynulla ALSHIMBAYEV, Serik ABDRAHMANOV, Bakhytbek AKHMETZHAN, Yerkin ONGARBAYEV, Tolegan SYDYKOV] (formerly Democratic Party of Kazakhstan); Agrarian and Industrial Union of Workers Block or AIST (Agrarian Party and Civic Party); Ak Zhol Party (Bright Path) [Alikhan BAIMENOV]; Alga [Vladimir KOZLOV] (unregistered); Auyl (Village) [Gani KALIYEV]; Azat Party (formerly True Ak Zhol Party) [Bolat ABILOV]; Communist Party of Kazakhstan or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN]; Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan [Vladislav KOSAREV]; National Social Democratic Party (NSDP)[Zharmakhan TUYAKBAY]; Nur-Otan [Bakhytzhan ZHUMAGULOV] (the Agrarian, Asar, and Civic parties merged with Otan); Patriots' Party [Gani KASYMOV]; Rukhaniyat (Spirituality) [Altynshash ZHAGANOVA]
Political parties
(Political pressure groups and leaders)
[time series]
Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel FOKINA]; Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; For Fair Elections [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, Sabit ZHUSUPOV, Sergey DUVANOV, Ibrash NUSUPBAYEV]; Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive director]; Pan-National Social Democratic Party of Kazakhstan [Zharmakhan TUYAKBAI]; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye [Irina SAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; Republican Network of International Monitors [Dos KUSHIM]; Transparency International [Sergei ZLOTNIKOV]
Suffrage
[time series]
18 years of age; universal
Introduction
Background
[time series]
Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence in 1991 caused many of these newcomers to emigrate. Kazakhstan's economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states combined, largely due to the country's vast natural resources and a recent history of political stability. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; achieving a sustainable economic growth; diversifying the economy outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; enhancing Kazakhstan's competitiveness; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers.
Military
Manpower available for military service
[time series]
males age 16-49: 4,176,731 females age 16-49: 4,219,636 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
[time series]
males age 16-49: 2,888,931 females age 16-49: 3,550,014 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
[time series]
male: 139,262 female: 133,047 (2009 est.)
Military and security forces
(Military branches)
[time series]
Kazakh Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Mobile Forces, Air Defense Forces (2009)
Military expenditures
[time series]
0.9% of GDP (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02) country comparison to the world: 145
Military service age and obligation
[time series]
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years; minimum age for volunteers NA (2004)
People
Age structure
[time series]
0-14 years: 21.8% (male 1,717,469/female 1,643,920) 15-64 years: 70.2% (male 5,279,292/female 5,534,607) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 426,494/female 797,655) (2009 est.)
Birth rate
[time series]
16.6 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 127
Death rate
[time series]
9.39 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 75
Education expenditure
(Education expenditures)
[time series]
2.3% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 163
Ethnic groups
[time series]
Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Tatar 1.7%, Uygur 1.4%, other 4.9% (1999 census)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
[time series]
0.1% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 119
HIV/AIDS - deaths
[time series]
fewer than 500 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 93
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
[time series]
12,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 97
Infant mortality rate
[time series]
total: 25.73 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 86 male: 30.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Languages
[time series]
Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 95% (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
[time series]
total population: 67.87 years country comparison to the world: 152 male: 62.58 years female: 73.47 years (2009 est.)
Literacy
[time series]
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.5% male: 99.8% female: 99.3% (1999 est.)
Median age
[time series]
total: 29.6 years male: 28.1 years female: 31.3 years (2009 est.)
Nationality
[time series]
noun: Kazakhstani(s) adjective: Kazakhstani
Net migration rate
[time series]
-3.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Population
[time series]
15,399,437 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 62
Population growth rate
[time series]
0.392% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 166
Religions
[time series]
Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
[time series]
total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2007)
Sex ratio
[time series]
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.54 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate
[time series]
1.88 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 147
Urbanization
[time series]
urban population: 58% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 1.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
[time series]
Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary delimitation with Kazakhstan; field demarcation of the boundaries with Turkmenistan commenced in 2005, and with Uzbekistan in 2004; demarcation is scheduled to get underway with Russia in 2007; demarcation with China was completed in 2002; creation of a seabed boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains under discussion; equidistant seabed treaties have been ratified with Azerbaijan and Russia in the Caspian Sea, but no resolution has been made on dividing the water column among any of the littoral states
Illicit drugs
[time series]
significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS markets, as well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe; significant consumer of opiates
Refugees and internally displaced persons
[time series]
refugees (country of origin): 3,700 (Russia); 508 (Afghanistan) (2007)
Transportation
Airports
[time series]
99 (2009) country comparison to the world: 61
Airports - with paved runways
[time series]
total: 67 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 9 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways
[time series]
total: 32 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 13 (2009)
Heliports
[time series]
4 (2009)
Merchant marine
[time series]
total: 5 country comparison to the world: 132 by type: petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1 (2008)
Pipelines
[time series]
condensate 658 km; gas 11,146 km; oil 10,376 km; refined products 1,095 km; water 1,465 km (2008)
Ports
(Ports and terminals)
[time series]
Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)
Railways
[time series]
total: 13,700 km country comparison to the world: 19 broad gauge: 13,700 km 1.520-m gauge (3,700 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways
[time series]
total: 91,563 km country comparison to the world: 53 paved: 83,717 km unpaved: 7,846 km (2006)
Waterways
[time series]
4,000 km (on the Ertis ((Irtysh)) River (80%) and Syr Darya ((Syrdariya)) River) (2008) country comparison to the world: 26