Kazakhstan: Facts and Figures - Facts and Figures

Official name

Republic of Kazakhstan

Capital

Astana

Area

2,717,300 sq km

1,049,200 sq mi

Largest cities (population)

Almaty

1,135,400 (2000 estimate)

Karaganda

434,300 (2000 estimate)

Shymkent

359,600 (2000 estimate)

Taraz

325,000 (1999 estimate)

Astana

322,400 (2000 estimate)

Pavlodar

320,400 (1998 estimate)

Öskemen

311,300 (1999 estimate)

Semey

269,800 (1999 estimate)

Aqtöbe

249,200 (2000 estimate)

Kustanay

216,700 (2000 estimate)

Petropavl

201,500 (2000 estimate)

Oral

190,900 (2000 estimate)

Temirtau

181,800 (1998 estimate)

Population

15,284,929 (2007 estimate)

Population growth rate

0.35 per cent (2007 estimate)

Population density

5.7 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)

15 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)

Urbanization

Per cent urban

56 per cent (2005 estimate)

Per cent rural

44 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total

67.2 years (2007 estimate)

Female

72.8 years (2007 estimate)

Male

61.9 years (2007 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

27 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total

99.6 per cent (1995)

Female

99.5 per cent (1995)

Male

99.7 per cent (1995)

Ethnic divisions

Kazakh (Qazaq)

46 per cent

Russian

35 per cent

Ukrainian

5 per cent

German

3 per cent

Uzbek

2 per cent

Tatar

2 per cent

Other

7 per cent

Languages

Kazakh (official), Russian (official), German, Uyghur

Religions

Muslim

47 per cent

Russian Orthodox

44 per cent

Protestant

2 per cent

Other or none

7 per cent

Type of government

Republic

Independence

December 16, 1991 (from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR])

Constitution

Adopted September 6, 1995

Voting rights

Universal at age 18

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)

57,124 million (2005)

GDP per capita (US$)

3,771.50 (2005)

GDP by economic sector

GDP, agriculture

6.8 per cent (2005)

GDP, industry

39.5 per cent (2005)

GDP, services

53.7 per cent (2005)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue

10,420 million (2005)

Total expenditure

12,182 million (2005)

Monetary unit

1 tenge, consisting of 100 tein

Exports

Oil, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, chemicals, grains, wool, meat, coal

Imports

Machinery and parts, industrial materials, oil, gas, foodstuff, vehicles

Major trading partners for exports

Russia, China, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Italy, United States

Major trading partners for imports

Russia, Germany, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, China

Industries

Extractive industries (oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulphur), iron and steel, non-ferrous metal, tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials

Agriculture

Grains (mostly spring wheat), meat, cotton, wool

Natural resources

Major deposits of petroleum, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.