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Compare Virgin Islands (2004) - Kazakhstan (2005)

Compare Virgin Islands (2004) z Kazakhstan (2005)

 Virgin Islands (2004)Kazakhstan (2005)
 Virgin IslandsKazakhstan
Administrative divisions none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas 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
Age structure 0-14 years: 23.8% (male 13,116; female 12,770)


15-64 years: 66% (male 33,944; female 37,870)


65 years and over: 10.2% (male 4,855; female 6,220) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 23.7% (male 1,834,535/female 1,758,988)


15-64 years: 68.4% (male 5,075,243/female 5,312,536)


65 years and over: 7.9% (male 424,341/female 780,201) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock
Airports 2 (2003 est.) 314 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)
total: 67


over 3,047 m: 9


2,438 to 3,047 m: 26


1,524 to 2,437 m: 17


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 247


over 3,047 m: 6


2,438 to 3,047 m: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 11


914 to 1,523 m: 27


under 914 m: 197 (2004 est.)
Area total: 352 sq km


land: 349 sq km


water: 3 sq km
total: 2,717,300 sq km


land: 2,669,800 sq km


water: 47,500 sq km
Area - comparative twice the size of Washington, DC slightly less than four times the size of Texas
Background During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848. 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. 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 outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers.
Birth rate 14.49 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 15.78 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $560


expenditures: NA (2003)
revenues: $8.67 billion


expenditures: $8.968 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital Charlotte Amalie Astana; note - the government moved from Almaty to Astana in December 1998
Climate subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
Coastline 188 km 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)
Constitution Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995
Country name conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands


conventional short form: Virgin Islands


former: Danish West Indies
conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan


conventional short form: Kazakhstan


local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy


local short form: none


former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
Currency US dollar (USD) -
Death rate 6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 9.46 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external NA $26.03 billion (2004 est.)
Dependency status organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (territory of the US) chief of mission: Ambassador John M. ORDWAY


embassy: 99/97A Fumanova, Samal-2, Almaty, 480099


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [7] (3272) 50-48-02


FAX: [7] (3272) 50-48-84
Diplomatic representation in the US none (territory of the US) chief of mission: Ambassador Kanat B. SAUDABAYEV


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


telephone: [1] (202) 232-5488


FAX: [1] (202) 232-5845


consulate(s): New York
Disputes - international none in 2005, Kazakhstan agreed with Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to commence demarcating their boundaries; delimitation with Kyrgyzstan is complete; creation of a seabed boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains unresolved; 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
Economic aid - recipient NA $74.2 million in US assistance programs, 1992-2000 (FY2004)
Economy - overview Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and employment. The islands normally host 2 million visitors a year. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The islands are subject to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, to support construction projects in the private sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to protect the environment. Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in territory, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves as well as 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 - and a solid 9.5% in 2002 - thanks largely to its booming energy sector, but also to economic reform, good harvests, and foreign investment. Growth remained at the high 9% level in 2003 and 2004. The opening of the Caspian Consortium pipeline in 2001, from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oilfield to the Black Sea, substantially raised export capacity. The country has embarked upon an industrial policy designed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the oil sector, by developing light industry. Additionally, 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, and tensions continue.
Electricity - consumption 957.9 million kWh (2001) 62.21 billion kWh (203)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 4.975 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 2.506 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 1.03 billion kWh (2001) 66.82 billion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m
lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m


highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m
Environment - current issues lack of natural freshwater resources 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
Environment - international agreements - party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups black 78%, white 10%, other 12%


note: West Indian 81% (49% born in the Virgin Islands and 32% born elsewhere in the West Indies), US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 4%, other 2%
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)
Exchange rates the US dollar is used tenge per US dollar - 136.04 (2004), 149.58 (2003), 153.28 (2002), 146.74 (2001), 142.13 (2000)
Executive branch chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001)


head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (since 5 January 1999)


cabinet: NA


elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 5 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2006)


election results: Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL reelected governor; percent of vote - Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (Democrat) 50.5%, John de JONGH 24.4%
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 Daniyal AKHMETOV (since 13 June 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Akhmetzhan YESIMOV (since 14 May 2004)


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 was 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%, Engels GABBASSOV 1.5%


note: President NAZARBAYEV arranged a referendum in 1995 that 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
Exports NA (2001) 890,000 bbl/day (2003)
Exports - commodities refined petroleum products oil and oil products 58%, ferrous metals 24%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001)
Exports - partners US, Puerto Rico Russia 15.1%, Bermuda 13.8%, Germany 11%, China 9.9%, France 6.6%, Italy 4% (2004)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September calendar year
Flag description white, with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel 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
GDP purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 1%


industry: 19%


services: 80% (2003 est.)
agriculture: 7.4%


industry: 37.8%


services: 54.8% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $17,200 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $7,800 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2% (2002 est.) 9.1% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 20 N, 64 50 W 48 00 N, 68 00 E
Geography - note important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean 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
Heliports - 1 (2004 est.)
Highways total: 856 km


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km


note: the only US possession where driving on the left side of the road is practiced (2000)
total: 82,980 km


paved: 77,918 km


unpaved: 5,062 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 3.3%


highest 10%: 26.5% (2004 est.)
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
Imports NA (2001) 47,000 bbl/day (2003)
Imports - commodities crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials machinery and equipment 41%, metal products 28%, foodstuffs 8% (2001)
Imports - partners US, Puerto Rico Russia 34.6%, China 15.4%, Germany 8.2%, France 5.7%, Ukraine 4.6% (2004)
Independence - 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate NA 10.6% (2004 est.)
Industries tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics 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
Infant mortality rate total: 8.21 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 9.31 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 7.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 29.21 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 33.85 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 24.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.2% (2003) 6.9% (2004 est.)
International organization participation Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land NA sq km 23,320 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Territorial Court (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms) Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members)
Labor force 48,900 (2003 est.) 7.95 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 1%, industry 19%, services 80% (2003 est.) agriculture 20%, industry 30%, services 50% (2002 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km 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
Land use arable land: 11.76%


permanent crops: 2.94%


other: 85.29% (2001)
arable land: 7.98%


permanent crops: 0.05%


other: 91.97% (2001)
Languages English (official), Spanish, Creole Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 95% (2001 est.)
Legal system based on US laws based on civil law system
Legislative branch unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)


elections: last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 10, ICM 2, independent 3


note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004); results - Donna M. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat) reelected
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (39 seats; 7 senators are appointed by the president; other members are popularly elected, two from each of the 14 oblasts, the capital of Astana, and the city of Almaty, to serve six-year terms; note - formerly composed of 47 seats) and the Majilis (77 seats; 10 out of the 77 Majilis members are elected from the winning party's lists; members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms)


elections: Senate - (indirect) last held 17 September 1999 (next to be held December 2005); Majilis - last held 19 September and 3 October 2004 (next to be held September 2009)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; candidates nominated by local councils; Majilis - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Otan 42, AIST 11, ASAR (All Together) 4, Ak Zhol (Bright Path) 1, Democratic Party 1, independent 18; note - most independent candidates are affiliated with parastatal enterprises and other pro-government institutions
Life expectancy at birth total population: 78.75 years


male: 74.91 years


female: 82.82 years (2004 est.)
total population: 66.55 years


male: 61.21 years


female: 72.2 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98.4%


male: 99.1%


female: 97.7% (1999 est.)
Location Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural River in eastern-most Europe
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Asia
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine none total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,064 GRT/646 DWT


by type: cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 1


foreign-owned: 2 (United Kingdom 2) (2005)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the US -
Military branches - Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Naval Force, Republican Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $221.8 million (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 0.9% (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02)
National holiday Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917) Independence Day, 16 December (1991)
Nationality noun: Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: Virgin Islander
noun: Kazakhstani(s)


adjective: Kazakhstani
Natural hazards several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty
Natural resources sun, sand, sea, surf major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium
Net migration rate -8.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) -3.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - condensate 18 km; gas 10,370 km; oil 10,158 km; refined products 1,187 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE] Agrarian Party [Romin MADINOV]; Ak Zhol Party "Bright Path" [Bulat ABILOV, Uraz ZHANDOSOV, Lyudmila ZHULANOVA, Alikhan BAYMENOV, Altynbek SARSENBAYEV, co-chairs]; ASAR "All Together" [Dariga NAZARBAYEVA, chairwoman]; AUL "Village" [Gani KALIYEV]; Civic Party [Azat PERUASHEV, first secretary]; Communist Party or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN, first secretary]; Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan [Vladislav KOSAREV]; Democratic Party of Kazakhstan [Maksut NARIKBAEV]; Otan "Fatherland" [Bakhytzhan ZHUMAGULOV, acting chairman]; Patriots' Party [Gani KASYMOV]; Rukhaniyat [Altynshash JAGANOVA]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel FOKINA]; Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive director]; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye [Irina SAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; Republican Network of International Monitors [Dos KUSHIM]; Transparency International [Sergei ZLOTNIKOV]
Population 108,775 (July 2004 est.) 15,185,844 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 19% (2004 est.)
Population growth rate -0.05% (2004 est.) 0.3% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)
Radio broadcast stations AM 5, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2002) AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998)
Railways - total: 13,700 km


broad gauge: 13,700 km 1.520-m gauge (3,700 km electrified) (2004)
Religions Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female


total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.54 male(s)/female


total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal; note - island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay


international: country code - 1-340; submarine cable and satellite communications; satellite earth stations - NA
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: 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
Telephones - main lines in use 69,400 (2002) 2,081,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 41,000 (2002) 1.027 million (2002)
Television broadcast stations 2 (2002) 12 (plus nine repeaters) (1998)
Terrain mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia
Total fertility rate 2.21 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.89 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 9.3% (2003 est.) 8% (2004 est.)
Waterways - 4,000 km


note: on the Syr Darya (Syrdariya) and Ertis (Irtysh) rivers (2004)
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