Location:
Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural (Zhayyq) River in eastern-most Europe
Geographic coordinates:
48 00 N, 68 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
Area - comparative: Land boundaries:
Coastline: Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate: Terrain: Elevation extremes:
Natural resources: Land use:
Irrigated land: Total renewable water resources: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Natural hazards: Environment - current issues: Environment - international agreements:
Geography - note:
total:
2,724,900 sq km
country comparison to the world: 9
land:
2,699,700 sq km
water:
25,200 sq km
slightly less than four times the size of Texas
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
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]
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)
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
More Climate Details
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
lowest point:
Vpadina Kaundy -132 m
highest point:
Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m
major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium
arable land:
8.82%
permanent crops:
0.03%
other:
91.15% (2011)
20,660 sq km (2010)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
107.5 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]
total:
21.14 cu km/yr (4%/30%/66%)
per capita:
1,304 cu m/yr (2010)
earthquakes in the south; mudslides around Almaty
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
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
world's largest landlocked country; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004, Kazakhstan and Russia extended the lease to 2050