Kazakhstan: Geography#
| Location | Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural (Zhayyq) River in eastern-most Europe |
|---|---|
| Geographic Coordinates | 48 00 N, 68 00 E 48.0,68.0 |
| Area | total: 2,724,900 sq km land: 2,699,700 sq km water: 25,200 sq km We are unable to verify those figures from Factbook, since the 6 main sources we used for checking give different figures as follows: Factbook: 2724900 DBpedia: 2724888 Geoname: 2717300 Infoplease: 2717300 Britannica: 2724900 Wolfram: 2725000 Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org |
| Land boundaries | total: 12,185 km border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,224 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km |
| 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) |
| Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m |
| Highest Mountains | Due to difference in mountain rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Hantengri Feng 6995 m; Shatior 6637 m; Mramornaja Stena 6400 m; Gora Belukha 4506 m According to Geonames: Gora Alagordy 4622 m; Bürkitauyl Tau 3373 m; Gora Aksubas 3305 m; Gora Tauteke 3252 m; Gora Bayberdy 3247 m Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org |
| Terrain | vast flat steppe extending from the Volga in the west to the Altai Mountains in the east and from the plains of western Siberia in the north to oases and deserts of Central Asia in the south |
| Natural Hazards | earthquakes in the south; mudslides around Almaty |
| Natural Resource | major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium |
| Land Use | arable land: 8.82% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 91.15% (2011) |
| Climate | continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid |
| Irrigated Land | 20,660 sq km (2010) |
| Renewable Water Resources | 107.5 cu km (2011) |
| Environment_CurrentIssues | 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 that 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, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
| Large Cities | Due to difference in city rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Almaty; Astana; Shymkent; Qaragandy; Aqtobe According to Geonames: Almaty; Karagandy; Shymkent; Taraz; Astana Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Cities |
| Geography-note | world's largest landlocked country; 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 Lakes |