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Compare Western Sahara (2005) - Kazakhstan (2004)

Compare Western Sahara (2005) z Kazakhstan (2004)

 Western Sahara (2005)Kazakhstan (2004)
 Western SaharaKazakhstan
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 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)
Age structure 0-14 years: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA
0-14 years: 24.4% (male 1,884,369; female 1,807,585)


15-64 years: 68% (male 5,028,455; female 5,268,726)


65 years and over: 7.6% (male 404,940; female 749,629) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock
Airports 11 (2004 est.) 392 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.)
total: 64


over 3,047 m: 9


2,438 to 3,047 m: 26


1,524 to 2,437 m: 16


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 10 (2003 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
total: 328


over 3,047 m: 7


2,438 to 3,047 m: 11


1,524 to 2,437 m: 22


914 to 1,523 m: 71


under 914 m: 217 (2003 est.)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 2,717,300 sq km


land: 2,669,800 sq km


water: 47,500 sq km
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado slightly less than four times the size of Texas
Background Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. 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 NA births/1,000 population 15.52 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: NA


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
revenues: $6.729 billion


expenditures: $6.999 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
Capital none Astana; note - the government moved from Almaty to Astana in December 1998
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
Coastline 1,110 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 - adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995; first post-independence constitution was adopted 28 January 1993
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
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 - tenge (KZT)
Death rate NA deaths/1,000 population 9.59 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external NA $24.45 billion (2003 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none 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 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 Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals Kazakhstan and China have resolved their border dispute and are working to demarcate their borders to control population migration, illegal activities, and trade; delimitation of boundary with Russia is almost complete - delimitations with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are complete with demarcations underway - delimitation with Kyrgyzstan is largely complete; creation of a seabed boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea is under discussion; equidistant seabed treaties have been signed 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 $610 million in US assistance programs, 1992-2000 (2000)
Economy - overview Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. 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 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 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. 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 83.7 million kWh (2002) 48.36 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 3.6 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 3.2 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 90 million kWh (2002) 52.43 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m


highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land 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: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 Arab, Berber Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Uygur 1.4%, other 6.6% (1999 census)
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.6256 (2000) tenge per US dollar - 149.576 (2003), 153.279 (2002), 146.736 (2001), 142.133 (2000), 119.523 (1999)
Executive branch none 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 NA (2001)
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% oil and oil products 58%, ferrous metals 24%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001)
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts Bermuda 17%, Russia 15.2%, Switzerland 13%, China 12.8%, Italy 7.8% (2003)
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
GDP - purchasing power parity - $105.5 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA


industry: NA


services: 40% (1996 est.)
agriculture: 7.7%


industry: 37.7%


services: 54.6% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - NA purchasing power parity - $6,300 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA 9.2% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 48 00 N, 68 00 E
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas 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 (2003 est.)
Highways total: 6,200 km


paved: 1,350 km


unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est)
total: 81,331 km


paved: 77,020 km


unpaved: 4,311 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 2.8%


highest 10%: 27.3% (2001)
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 NA (2001)
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs machinery and equipment 41%, metal products 28%, foodstuffs 8% (2001)
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts Russia 39%, Germany 8.7%, China 6.2%, US 5.6% (2003)
Independence - 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate NA 8.8% (2003 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts 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: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total: 30.54 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 35.24 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 25.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA 6.6% (2003 est.)
International organization participation none 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, WTrO (observer)
Irrigated land NA sq km 23,320 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members)
Labor force 12,000 7.634 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% agriculture 20%, industry 30%, services 50% (2002 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 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: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2001)
arable land: 7.98%


permanent crops: 0.05%


other: 91.97% (2001)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic 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 civil law system
Legislative branch - 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: NA years


male: NA years


female: NA years
total population: 66.07 years


male: 60.72 years


female: 71.73 years (2004 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 Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural River in eastern-most Europe
Map references Africa Asia
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue -
Merchant marine - total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,064 GRT/646 DWT


by type: roll on/roll off 1


foreign-owned: 26 Netherlands 1 (2004 est.)
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)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 4,233,623 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 3,381,606 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 169,004 (2004 est.)
National holiday - Independence Day, 16 December (1991)
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
noun: Kazakhstani(s)


adjective: Kazakhstani
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium
Net migration rate - -3.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines - condensate 18 km; gas 10,370 km; oil 10,158 km; refined products 1,187 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders - Agrarian Party [Romin MADINOV]; AIST (Agrarian Party-Civic Party Bloc); 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 Choice Party of Kazakhstan [Galiymzhan ZHAKIYANOV]; Democratic Party of Kazakhstan [Maksut NARIKBAEV]; Otan "Fatherland" [Nursultan NAZARBAYEV, chairman]; Patriots' Party [Gani KASYMOV]; Rukhaniyat [Altynshash JAGANOVA]


note: twelve parties in Kazakhstan were registered for the elections in the fall of 2004
Political pressure groups and leaders none 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 273,008 (July 2005 est.) 15,143,704 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 26% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate NA 0.26% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998)
Railways - total: 13,601 km


broad gauge: 13,601 km 1.520-m gauge (3,661 km electrified) (2003)
Religions Muslim Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
Sex ratio NA 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: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
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 about 2,000 (1999 est.) 2,081,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 1.027 million (2002)
Television broadcast stations NA 12 (plus nine repeaters) (1998)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast 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 NA children born/woman 1.9 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 8.8% (2003 est.)
Waterways - 4,000 km


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