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Compare Western Sahara (2007) - Kazakhstan (2008)

Compare Western Sahara (2007) z Kazakhstan (2008)

 Western Sahara (2007)Kazakhstan (2008)
 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); in 2004, a new agreement extended the lease to 2050
Age structure 0-14 years: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)


15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.)
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.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock
Airports 9 (2007) 97 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
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)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
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: 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. 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.
Birth rate NA 16.23 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
revenues: $21.49 billion


expenditures: $22.31 billion (2007 est.)
Capital none


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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
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 - first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995
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: Qazaqstan


former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
Death rate NA 9.4 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $NA $92.08 billion (30 June 2007)
Diplomatic representation from the US none 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
Diplomatic representation in the US none 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
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; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria 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
Economic aid - recipient $NA $229.2 million (2005)
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. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006, the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara. 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 2002-07 - 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 2007 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.
Electricity - consumption 79.05 million kWh (2005) 57.99 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 3.978 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 4.552 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 85 million kWh (2005) 64.23 billion kWh (2005 est.)
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, Wetlands


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%, Tatar 1.7%, Uygur 1.4%, other 4.9% (1999 census)
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002) tenge per US dollar - 122.39 (2007), 126.09 (2006), 132.88 (2005), 136.04 (2004), 149.58 (2003)
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 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
Exports NA bbl/day 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
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 (2006) Germany 12.4%, Russia 11.6%, China 10.9%, Italy 10.5%, France 7.6%, Romania 4.9% (2006)
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 - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
agriculture: 5.7%


industry: 39.5%


services: 54.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA% 9.5% (2007 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 - 5 (2007)
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; significant consumer of opiates
Imports NA bbl/day 113,600 bbl/day (2004)
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 (2006) Russia 36.4%, China 19.3%, Germany 7.4% (2006)
Independence - 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 7.1% (2007 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: 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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA% 9.5% (2007 est.)
International organization participation none ADB, 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)
Irrigated land NA 35,560 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members)
Labor force 12,000 8.156 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 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% (2005)
arable land: 8.28%


permanent crops: 0.05%


other: 91.67% (2005)
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 Islamic law and Roman law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total population: 67.22 years


male: 61.9 years


female: 72.84 years (2007 est.)
Literacy NA definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.5%


male: 99.8%


female: 99.3% (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 none (landlocked)
Merchant marine - total: 5 ships (1000 GRT or over) 30,011 GRT/49,223 DWT


by type: petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1 (2007)
Military branches - Ground Forces, Naval Force, Air and Air Defense Forces, Republican Guard
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 0.9% (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02)
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 - -3.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - condensate 658 km; gas 11,082 km; oil 10,376 km; refined products 1,095 km (2007)
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]
Political pressure groups and leaders none 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]
Population 382,617


note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.)
15,284,929 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 19% (2004 est.)
Population growth rate NA 0.352% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) 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) (2006)
Religions Muslim Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
Sex ratio NA at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.045 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.)
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: 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 persons


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.) 2.928 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 7.83 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations NA 12 (plus 9 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 1.89 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 7.1% (2007 est.)
Waterways - 4,000 km (on the Ertis ((Irtysh)) River (80%) and Syr Darya ((Syrdariya)) River) (2006)
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