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Compare Kazakhstan (2001) - Syria (2005)

Compare Kazakhstan (2001) z Syria (2005)

 Kazakhstan (2001)Syria (2005)
 KazakhstanSyria
Administrative divisions 14 oblystar (singular - oblysy) and 3 cities (qala, singular - qalasy)*; Almaty, Almaty*, Aqmola (Astana), Aqtobe, Astana*, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan (Oral), Bayqongyr*, Mangghystau (Aqtau; formerly Shevchenko), Ongtustik Qazaqstan (Shymkent), Pavlodar, Qaraghandy, Qostanay, Qyzylorda, Shyghys Qazaqstan (Oskemen; formerly Ust'-Kamenogorsk), Soltustik Qazaqstan (Petropavl), Zhambyl (Taraz; formerly Dzhambul)

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 (Baykonyr, formerly Leninsk)
14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq, Tartus
Age structure 0-14 years:
26.73% (male 2,271,866; female 2,200,078)

15-64 years:
66.03% (male 5,358,535; female 5,688,550)

65 years and over:
7.24% (male 412,761; female 799,513) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 37.4% (male 3,556,795/female 3,350,267)


15-64 years: 59.3% (male 5,601,971/female 5,333,799)


65 years and over: 3.3% (male 288,868/female 317,052) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; wool, livestock wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
Airports 449 (2000 est.) 92 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
28

over 3,047 m:
6

2,438 to 3,047 m:
14

1,524 to 2,437 m:
5

under 914 m:
3 (2000 est.)
total: 26


over 3,047 m: 5


2,438 to 3,047 m: 16


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
421

over 3,047 m:
11

2,438 to 3,047 m:
18

1,524 to 2,437 m:
45

914 to 1,523 m:
101

under 914 m:
246 (2000 est.)
total: 66


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 54 (2004 est.)
Area total:
2,717,300 sq km

land:
2,669,800 sq km

water:
47,500 sq km
total: 185,180 sq km


land: 184,050 sq km


water: 1,130 sq km


note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory
Area - comparative slightly less than four times the size of Texas slightly larger than North Dakota
Background 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 has caused many of these newcomers to emigrate. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; and continuing to strengthen relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers. Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, Syria was administered by the French until independence in 1946. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April of 2005. Over the past decade, Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over the return of the Golan Heights.
Birth rate 17.3 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 28.29 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues:
$3.1 billion

expenditures:
$3.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
revenues: $6.58 billion


expenditures: $9.45 billion, including capital expenditures of $4.67 billion (2004 est.)
Capital Astana; note - the government moved from Almaty to Astana in December 1998 Damascus
Climate continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus
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) 193 km
Constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995; first post-independence constitution was adopted 28 January 1993 13 March 1973
Country name conventional long form:
Republic of Kazakhstan

conventional short form:
Kazakhstan

local long form:
Qazaqstan Respublikasy

local short form:
none

former:
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic


conventional short form: Syria


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah


local short form: Suriyah


former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt)
Currency tenge (KZT) -
Death rate 10.61 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 4.88 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $12.5 billion (2000 est.) $4 billion (excludes military debt and debt to Russia) (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Richard H. JONES

embassy:
99/97A Furmanova Street, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan 480091

mailing address:
American Embassy Almaty, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7030

telephone:
[7] (3272) 63-39-21, 50-76-23, 50-76-27 (emergency number)

FAX:
[7] (3272) 63-38-83, 50-76-24
chief of mission: Ambassador Margaret SCOBEY


embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street, No. 2, Damascus


mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus


telephone: [963] (11) 333-1342


FAX: [963] (11) 331-9678
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Kanat SAUDABAYEV

chancery:
1401 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:
[1] (202) 232-5488

FAX:
[1] (202) 232-5845

consulate(s):
New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA


chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313


FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548
Disputes - international Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone since 1964; Lebanon claims Shaba'a farms in Golan Heights; international pressure prompts the removal of Syrian troops and intelligence personel stationed in Lebanon since October 1976; Syria protests Turkish hydrological projects regulating upper Euphrates waters; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation settles border dispute with Jordan
Economic aid - recipient $409.6 million (1995) $180 million (2002 est.)
Economy - overview Kazakhstan, the second largest of the former Soviet republics in territory, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves as well as plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also is a large agricultural - livestock and grain - producer. Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and processing of these natural resources and also on a growing machine-building sector specializing in construction equipment, tractors, agricultural machinery, and some defense items. The breakup of the USSR in December 1991 and the collapse of demand for Kazakhstan's traditional heavy industry products resulted in a short-term contraction of the economy, with the steepest annual decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97, the pace of the government program of economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium agreement to build a new pipeline from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oil field to the Black Sea increases prospects for substantially larger oil exports in several years. Kazakhstan's economy again turned downward in 1998 with a 2% decline in GDP due to slumping oil prices and the August financial crisis in Russia. The recovery of international oil prices in 1999, combined with a well-timed tenge devaluation and a bumper grain harvest, pulled the economy out of recession in 2000. Astana has embarked upon an industrial policy designed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the oil sector by developing light industry. Real GDP growth rose to 2.3 percent in 2004, a slight increase from 2003 when the predominantly statist economy suffered from disruptions caused by the war in Iraq and other developments in the region. Annual real GDP growth has averaged 2.3 percent for the last seven years. The Government of Syria has implemented modest economic reforms in the last few years, including cutting interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating some of the multiple exchange rates, and raising prices on some subsidized foodstuffs. Nevertheless, the economy remains highly controlled by the government. Long run economic constraints include declining oil production and exports and pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution.
Electricity - consumption 44.132 billion kWh (1999) 24.32 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 200 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 3.077 billion kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 44.36 billion kWh (1999) 26.15 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
87.12%

hydro:
12.65%

nuclear:
0.23%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Vpadina Kaundy -132 m

highest point:
Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m
lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m


highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m
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 deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water
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
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Uighur 1.4%, other 6.6% (1999 census) Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Exchange rates tenge per US dollar - 145.09 (January 2001), 142.13 (2000), 119.52 (1999), 78.30 (1998), 75.44 (1997), 67.30 (1996) Syrian pounds per US dollar - (official rate): 11.225 (2004), 11.225 (2003), 11.225 (2002), 11.225 (2001), 11.225 (2000), (parallel market rate in Amman and Beirut) NA (2004), 52.8 (2003), 52.4 (2002), 50.4 (2002), 49.4 (2000)
Executive branch 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 Kazymzhomart TOKAYEV (since 2 October 1999)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 10 January 1999, a year before it was previously scheduled (next to be held NA 2006); note - President NAZARBAYEV's previous term had been extended to 2000 by a nationwide referendum held 30 April 1995; prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president

election results:
Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 81.7%, Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN 12.1%, Gani KASYMOV 4.7%, other 1.5%

note:
President NAZARBAYEV expanded his presidential powers by decree: only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities
chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice Presidents Abd al-Halim ibn Said KHADDAM (since 11 March 1984) and Muhammad Zuhayr MASHARIQA (since 11 March 1984)


head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10 September 2003)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; referendum/election last held 10 July 2000 - after the death of President Hafiz al-ASAD, father of Bashar al-ASAD - (next to be held 2007); vice presidents appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president


election results: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.29%


note: Hafiz al-ASAD died on 10 June 2000; on 20 June 2000, the Ba'th Party nominated Bashar al-ASAD for president and presented his name to the People's Council on 25 June 2000
Exports $8.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) 285,000 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities oil 40%, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery, chemicals, grain, wool, meat, coal crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat
Exports - partners EU 23%, Russia 20%, China 8% (1999) Italy 22.7%, France 18%, Turkey 12.9%, Iraq 9%, Saudi Arabia 6.2% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description 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 gold three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; the current design dates to 1980
GDP purchasing power parity - $85.6 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
10%

industry:
30%

services:
60% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 25%


industry: 31%


services: 44% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $3,400 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 10.5% (2000 est.) 2.3% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 48 00 N, 68 00 E 35 00 N, 38 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (February 2002 est.)
Heliports - 7 (2004 est.)
Highways total:
NA km

paved:
150,000 km (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them trafficable in all weather) (2000)

unpaved:
NA km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather)
total: 45,697 km


paved: 6,489 km (including 1,001 km of expressways)


unpaved: 39,208 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
2.7%

highest 10%:
26.3% (1996)
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs significant illicit cultivation of cannabis and limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug ephedrone); limited government eradication program; cannabis consumed largely in the CIS; used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Russia, North America, and Western Europe from Southwest Asia; developing heroin addiction problem a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls, bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money-laundering
Imports $6.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA
Imports - commodities machinery and parts, industrial materials, oil and gas, vehicles machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper
Imports - partners Russia 37%, US, Uzbekistan, Turkey, UK, Germany, Ukraine, South Korea (1999) Turkey 9.4%, Ukraine 8.7%, China 7.8%, Russia 5.4%, Saudi Arabia 5.2%, US 4.7%, South Korea 4.6%, Italy 4.3% (2004)
Independence 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union) 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Industrial production growth rate 14.9% (2000 est.) 7% (2002 est.)
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 petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining
Infant mortality rate 59.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 29.53 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 29.76 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 29.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 13.4% (2000 est.) 2.1% (2004 est.)
International organization participation AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) NA -
Irrigated land 22,000 sq km (1996 est.) 12,130 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members) Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts
Labor force 8.8 million (1997) 5.12 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation industry 27%, agriculture 23%, services 50% (1996) agriculture 30%, industry 27%, services 43% (2002 est.)
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
total: 2,253 km


border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
Land use arable land:
12%

permanent crops:
11%

permanent pastures:
57%

forests and woodland:
4%

other:
16% (1996 est.)
arable land: 25.22%


permanent crops: 4.43%


other: 70.35% (2001)
Languages Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 40%, Russian (official, used in everyday business) 66% Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood
Legal system based on civil law system based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 7 senators are appointed by the president; other members are popularly elected, two from each of the former oblasts and the former capital of Almaty, to serve six-year terms) and the Majilis (67 seats; the addition of 10 "Party List" seats brings the total to 77; members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms); note - with the oblasts being reduced to 14, the Senate will eventually be reduced to 37; a number of Senate seats come up for reelection every two years

elections:
Senate - (indirect) last held 17 September 1999 (next to be held NA 2001); Majilis - last held 10 and 24 October and 26 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)

election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; 16 seats up for election in 1999, candidates nominated by local councils; Majilis - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Otan 23, Civic Party 13, Communist Party 3, Agrarian Party 3, People's Cooperative Party 1, independents 34; note - most independent candidates are affiliated with parastatal enterprises and other pro-government institutions
unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 2-3 March 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 67%, independents 33%; seats by party - NPF 167, independents 83; note - the constitution guarantees that the Ba'th Party (part of the NPF alliance) receives one-half of the seats
Life expectancy at birth total population:
63.29 years

male:
57.87 years

female:
68.97 years (2001 est.)
total population: 70.03 years


male: 68.75 years


female: 71.38 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
98%

male:
99%

female:
96% (1989 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 76.9%


male: 89.7%


female: 64% (2003 est.)
Location Central Asia, northwest of China Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
Map references Commonwealth of Independent States Middle East
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 41 nm
Merchant marine - total: 120 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 446,981 GRT/636,620 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 105, container 1, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1


foreign-owned: 12 (Egypt 1, Greece 1, Jordan 2, Lebanon 7, Romania 1)


registered in other countries: 73 (2005)
Military branches General Purpose Forces (Army), Air Force, Border Guards, Navy, Republican Guard Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force (includes Air Defense Command), Police and Security Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $322 million (FY99) $858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.5% (FY99) 5.9% (FY00)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
4,509,179 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
3,598,859 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
163,628 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Republic Day, 25 October (1990) Independence Day, 17 April (1946)
Nationality noun:
Kazakhstani(s)

adjective:
Kazakhstani
noun: Syrian(s)


adjective: Syrian
Natural hazards earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
Net migration rate -6.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 2,850 km; refined products 1,500 km; natural gas 3,480 km (1992) gas 2,300 km; oil 2,183 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Agrarian Party [Romin MADENOV]; Alash [Soverkazhy AKATAYEV]; AZAMAT Movement [Petr SVOIK, Murat AUEZOV, and Galym ABILSIITOV, cochairmen]; Civic Party [Azat PERUASHEV, first secretary]; Communist Party or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN, first secretary]; Forum of Democratic Forces [Nurbulat MASANOV, Deputy Chairman of the Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan (RNPK); Amirzhan KOSANOV, RNPK activist; Seidakhmet KUTTYKADAM, Orleu Movement; cochairmen]; Labor and Worker's Movement [Madel ISMAILOV, chairman]; Orleu Movement [Seidakhmet KUTTYKADAM]; Otan [Sergei TERESCHENKO, chairman]; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye [Irina SAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; People's Congress of Kazakhstan of NKK [Olzhas SULEIMENOV, chairman]; People's Cooperative Party [Umirzak SARSENOV]; People's Unity Party or PUP [Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV]; Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan or RNPK [Akezhan KAZHEGELDIN] Arab Socialist Unionist Movement [Ahmed al-AHMED]; National Progressive Front or NPF (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party; the governing party) [President Bashar al-ASAD, secretary general]; Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallal Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yuusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL]
Political pressure groups and leaders Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive director] conservative religious leaders; Kurdish Democratic Alliance [leader NA]; Kurdish Democratic Front [leader NA]; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in London) [Ali Badr Eddine al-BAYANOUNI]; National Democratic Front [Hassan Abd al-AZIM]
Population 16,731,303 (July 2001 est.) 18,448,752


note: in addition, about 40,000 people live in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs (18,000 Druze and 2,000 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 35% (1999 est.) 20% (2004 est.)
Population growth rate 0.03% (2001 est.) 2.34% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk) Baniyas, Latakia
Radio broadcast stations AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998) AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios 6.47 million (1997) -
Railways total:
14,400 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines

broad gauge:
14,400 km 1.520-m gauge (3,299 km electrified) (1997)
total: 2,711 km


standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2004)
Religions Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7% Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Sex ratio at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.52 male(s)/female

total population:
0.93 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female


total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
service is poor; equipment antiquated

domestic:
intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; mobile cellular systems are available in most of Kazakhstan

international:
international traffic with other former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay; with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
general assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology


domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network


international: country code - 963; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel
Telephones - main lines in use 1.818 million (1997) 2,099,300 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 11,202 (1997) 400,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 12 (plus nine repeaters) (1998) 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
Total fertility rate 2.07 children born/woman (2001 est.) 3.5 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 13.7% (1998 est.) 20% (2002 est.)
Waterways 3,900 km

note:
on the Syrdariya (Syr Darya) and Ertis (Irtysh) rivers
900 km (not economically significant) (2002)
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