Kazakhstan (2007) | Comoros (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | 14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities* (qala, singular - qalasy); 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 |
3 islands; Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan (Nzwani), and Moheli (Mwali); note - there are also four municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni, Moroni, and Moutsamoudou |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 22.5% (male 1,758,782/female 1,683,249)
15-64 years: 69.2% (male 5,169,314/female 5,407,661) 65 years and over: 8.3% (male 446,549/female 819,374) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years:
42.81% (male 127,955; female 127,267) 15-64 years: 54.26% (male 159,560; female 163,949) 65 years and over: 2.93% (male 8,326; female 9,145) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock | vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca) |
Airports | 97 (2007) | 4 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 65
over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 8 (2007) |
total:
4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 32
over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 12 (2007) |
- |
Area | total: 2,717,300 sq km
land: 2,669,800 sq km water: 47,500 sq km |
total:
2,170 sq km land: 2,170 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly less than four times the size of Texas | slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC |
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 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. | Unstable Comoros has endured 19 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared their independence from Comoros. In 1999, military chief Col. AZALI seized power. He has pledged to resolve the secessionist crisis through the 2000 Fomboni Accord, a confederal arrangement that the Organization of African Unity has yet to recognize. |
Birth rate | 16.23 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 39.52 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $18.66 billion
expenditures: $18.02 billion (2006 est.) |
revenues:
$48 million expenditures: $53 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
Capital | 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 three time zones |
Moroni |
Climate | continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid | tropical marine; rainy season (November to May) |
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) | 340 km |
Constitution | first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995 | 20 October 1996 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan
conventional short form: Kazakhstan local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy local short form: Qazaqstan former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic |
conventional long form:
Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros conventional short form: Comoros local long form: Republique Federale Islamique des Comores local short form: Comores |
Currency | - | Comoran franc (KMF) |
Death rate | 9.4 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 9.35 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $73.45 billion (2006 est.) | $197 million (1997 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador John M. ORDWAY
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 |
the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to Comoros |
Diplomatic representation in the US | 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): New York |
chief of mission:
Deputy Permanent Representative Mahmoud Mohamed ABOUD (acting) chancery: (temporary) care of the Permanent Mission of the Federal and Islamic Republic of the Comoros to the United Nations, 420 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (212) 972-8010 FAX: [1] (212) 983-4712 |
Disputes - international | 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 | claims French-administered Mayotte; the island of Anjouan (Nzwani) has moved to secede from Comoros |
Economic aid - recipient | $229.2 million (2005) | $28.1 million (1997) |
Economy - overview | 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 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 in 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. Kazakhstan enjoyed double-digit growth in 2000-01 - 8% or more per year in 2002-06 - thanks largely to its booming energy sector, but also to economic reform, good harvests, and foreign investment. The opening of the Caspian Consortium pipeline in 2001, from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oilfield to the Black Sea, substantially raised export capacity. Kazakhstan in 2006 completed the Atasu-Alashankou portion of an oil pipeline to China that is planned to extend from the country's Caspian coast eastward to the Chinese border in future construction. The country has embarked upon an industrial policy designed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the oil sector by developing light industry. The policy aims 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; tensions continue. Upward pressure on the local currency continued in 2006 due to massive oil-related foreign-exchange inflows. Aided by strong growth and foreign exchange earnings, Kazakhstan aspires to become a regional financial center and has created a banking system comparable to those in Central Europe. | One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of three islands that have inadequate transportation links, a young and rapidly increasing population, and few natural resources. The low educational level of the labor force contributes to a subsistence level of economic activity, high unemployment, and a heavy dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture, including fishing, hunting, and forestry, is the leading sector of the economy. It contributes 40% to GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. The country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice, the main staple, accounts for the bulk of imports. The government is struggling to upgrade education and technical training, to privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, to improve health services, to diversify exports, to promote tourism, and to reduce the high population growth rate. Continued foreign support is essential if the goal of 4% annual GDP growth is to be met. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP. |
Electricity - consumption | 57.99 billion kWh (2005 est.) | 15.8 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 3.978 billion kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 4.552 billion kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 64.23 billion kWh (2005 est.) | 17 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
88.24% hydro: 11.76% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m
highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m |
lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m |
Environment - current issues | 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 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 | soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | 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) | Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava |
Exchange rates | tenge per US dollar - 126.09 (2006), 132.88 (2005), 136.04 (2004), 149.58 (2003), 153.28 (2002) | Comoran francs per US dollar - 524.41 (January 2001), 533.98 (2000), 461.77 (1999), 442.46 (1998), 437.75 (1997), 383.66 (1996)
note: prior to January 1999, the official rate was pegged to the French franc at 75 Comoran francs per French franc; since 1 January 1999, the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro |
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 Karim MASIMOV (since 10 January 2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Umirzak SHUKEYEV (since 27 August 2007) and Yerbol ORYNBAYEV (since 29 October 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president 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% note: President NAZARBAYEV arranged a referendum in 1995 that extended his term of office and expanded his presidential powers: 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 AZALI Assoumani (since 6 May 1999); note - the interim government of President Tajiddine Ben Said MASSOUNDE, which had assumed power on 6 November 1998 upon the death of President Mohamed TAKI Abdulkarim, was overthrown in a bloodless coup on 30 April 1999 head of government: Prime Minister Hamada MADI (since late November 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 6 and 16 March 1996 (next to be held NA); prime minister appointed by the president note: President AZALI claimed a one-year term at the time of the coup; but elections, promised for spring 2000, were not held election results: results of the last presidential election before the coup were: Mohamed TAKI Abdulkarim elected president; percent of vote - 64.3% |
Exports | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | $7.9 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.) |
Exports - commodities | oil and oil products 58%, ferrous metals 24%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001) | vanilla, ylang-ylang, cloves, perfume oil, copra |
Exports - partners | Germany 12.4%, Russia 11.6%, China 11%, Italy 10.5%, France 7.5%, Romania 5% (2006) | France 50%, Germany 25% (1998) |
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 | green with a white crescent in the center of the field, its points facing downward; there are four white five-pointed stars placed in a line between the points of the crescent; the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam; the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago - Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mayotte (a territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by Comoros); the design, the most recent of several, is described in the constitution approved by referendum on 7 June 1992 |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $419 million (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 5.7%
industry: 39.8% services: 54.4% (2006 est.) |
agriculture:
40% industry: 4% services: 56% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $720 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 10.6% (2006 est.) | 0.5% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 48 00 N, 68 00 E | 12 10 S, 44 15 E |
Geography - note | 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 | important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel |
Heliports | 5 (2007) | - |
Highways | - | total:
880 km paved: 673 km unpaved: 207 km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 26.5% (2004 est.) |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | 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 | - |
Imports | 113,600 bbl/day (2004) | $55.1 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment 41%, metal products 28%, foodstuffs 8% (2001) | rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods; petroleum products, cement, transport equipment |
Imports - partners | Russia 36.4%, China 19.3%, Germany 7.4% (2006) | France 38%, Pakistan 13%, South Africa 8%, Kenya 8% (1998) |
Independence | 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union) | 6 July 1975 (from France) |
Industrial production growth rate | 7.7% (2006 est.) | -2% (1999 est.) |
Industries | 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 | tourism, perfume distillation, textiles, furniture, jewelry, construction materials, soft drinks |
Infant mortality rate | total: 27.41 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 31.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
84.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 8.6% (2006 est.) | 3.5% (1999) |
International organization participation | AsDB, 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) | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, CCC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, InOC, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (applicant) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 35,560 sq km (2003) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members) | Supreme Court or Cour Supremes (two members appointed by the president, two members elected by the Federal Assembly, one elected by the Council of each island, and others are former presidents of the republic) |
Labor force | 8.029 million (2006 est.) | 144,500 (1996 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 20%
industry: 30% services: 50% (2002 est.) |
agriculture 80% |
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 |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 8.28%
permanent crops: 0.05% other: 91.67% (2005) |
arable land:
35% permanent crops: 10% permanent pastures: 7% forests and woodland: 18% other: 30% (1993 est.) |
Languages | Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 95% (2001 est.) | Arabic (official), French (official), Comoran (a blend of Swahili and Arabic) |
Legal system | based on Islamic law and Roman law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | French and Muslim law in a new consolidated code |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 7 members are appointed by the president; other members are elected by local assemblies; to serve six-year terms) and the Mazhilis (107 seats; 9 out of the 107 Mazhilis members are elected from the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, which represents the country's ethnic minorities; members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - (indirect) last held December 2005; 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 - NA; 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 |
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (15 seats: five from each island); members selected by regional councils for six-year terms) and a Federal Assembly or Assemblee Federale (43 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - the Federal Assembly was dissolved following the coup of 30 April 1999
elections: Federal Assembly - last held 1 and 8 December 1996 (next to be held NA) election results: Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RND 39, FNJ 3, independent 1 note: the constitution stipulates that only parties that win six seats in the Federal Assembly (two from each island) are permitted to be in opposition, but if no party accomplishes that, the second most successful party will be in opposition; in the elections of December 1996 the FNJ appeared to qualify as opposition |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 67.22 years
male: 61.9 years female: 72.84 years (2007 est.) |
total population:
60.41 years male: 58.2 years female: 62.68 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.5% male: 99.8% female: 99.3% (1999 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.3% male: 64.2% female: 50.4% (1995 est.) |
Location | Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural River in eastern-most Europe | Southern Africa, group of islands in the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique |
Map references | Asia | Africa |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 5 ships (1000 GRT or over) 30,011 GRT/49,223 DWT
by type: petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1 (2007) |
total:
2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,122 GRT/29,817 DWT ships by type: cargo 2 (2000 est.) |
Military branches | Ground Forces, Naval Force, Air and Air Defense Forces, Republican Guard | Comoran Security Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.9% (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02) | NA% |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
141,120 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
83,920 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 16 December (1991) | Independence Day, 6 July (1975) |
Nationality | noun: Kazakhstani(s)
adjective: Kazakhstani |
noun:
Comoran(s) adjective: Comoran |
Natural hazards | earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty | cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano |
Natural resources | major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium | NEGL |
Net migration rate | -3.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | condensate 658 km; gas 11,019 km; oil 10,338 km; refined products 1,095 km (2006) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Adilet (Justice) [Maksut NARIKBAYEV, Zeynulla ALSHIMBAYEV, 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]; Auyl (Village) [Gani KALIYEV]; 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] | Front National pour la Justice or FNJ (Islamic party in opposition) [Ahmed Abdallah MOHAMED, Ahmed ABOUBACAR, Soidiki M'BAPANOZA]; Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND (party of the government) [Ali Bazi SELIM] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel FOKINA]; Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; For a Just Kazakhstan [Bolat ABILOV]; 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] | NA |
Population | 15,284,929 (July 2007 est.) | 596,202 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 19% (2004 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.352% (2007 est.) | 3.02% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Fomboni, Moroni, Moutsamoudou |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998) | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Radios | - | 90,000 (1997) |
Railways | total: 13,700 km
broad gauge: 13,700 km 1.520-m gauge (3,700 km electrified) (2006) |
0 km |
Religions | Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7% | Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.045 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.956 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.545 male(s)/female total population: 0.932 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | 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 is about 20 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is increasing rapidly and subscriptions now exceed 50 per 100 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 |
general assessment:
sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay international: HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion |
Telephones - main lines in use | 2.928 million (2006) | 6,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 7.83 million (2006) | NA |
Television broadcast stations | 12 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998) | 0 (1998) |
Terrain | extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia | volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills |
Total fertility rate | 1.89 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 5.32 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 7.4% (2006 est.) | 20% (1996 est.) |
Waterways | 4,000 km (on the Ertis ((Irtysh)) River (80%) and Syr Darya ((Syrdariya)) River) (2006) | none |