*Kazakhstan, People
Population:
17,156,370 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.65% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
19.55 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
7.95 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-5.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
41.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
67.83 years
male:
63.17 years
female:
72.73 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.45 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Kazakhstani(s)
adjective:
Kazakhstani
Ethnic divisions:
Kazakh (Qazaq) 41.9%, Russian 37%, Ukrainian 5.2%, German 4.7%, Uzbek 2.1%,
Tatar 2%, other 7.1%
Religions:
Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 15%, Protestant 2%, other 36%
Languages:
Kazakh (Qazaq; official language), Russian (language of interethnic
communication)
Literacy:
age 9-49 can read and write (1970)
total population: 100%
male:
100%
female:
100%
Labor force:
7.563 million
by occupation:
industry and construction 32%, agriculture and forestry 23%, other 45%
(1990)
*Kazakhstan, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Kazakhstan
conventional short form:
Kazakhstan
local long form:
Kazakhstan Respublikasy
local short form:
none
former:
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
Digraph:
KZ
Type:
republic
Capital:
Almaty (Alma-Ata)
Administrative divisions:
19 oblasts (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 1 city (qalalar, singular -
qala)*; Almaty*, Almaty, Aqmola, Aqtobe, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan, Kokshetau,, Mangghystau,
Ongtustik Qazaqstan, Qaraghandy, Qostanay, Qyzylorda, Pavlodar,
Semey, Shyghys Qazaqstan, Soltustik Qazaqstan, Taldyqorghan, Torghay,
Zhambyl, Zhezqazghan,
Independence:
16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Constitution:
adopted 18 January 1993
Legal system:
based on civil law system
National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 December
Political parties and leaders:
Peoples Congress, Olzhas SULEYMENOV and Mukhtar SHAKHANOV, co-chairmen;
Kazakh Socialist Party (former Communist Party), Nursultan NAZARBAYEV,
chairman; December (Zheltoksan) Movement, Khasan KOZHAKMETOV, chairman;
Freedom (AZAT) Party, Kamal ORMANTAYEV, chairman
Other political or pressure groups:
Independent Trade Union Center (Birlesu; an association of independent trade
union and business associations), Leonid SOLOMIN, president
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
President:
last held 1 December 1991 (next to be held NA 1996); percent of vote by
party NA; Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV ran unopposed
Supreme Council:
last held NA April 1990 (next to be held NA December 1994); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (358 total) Socialist Party 338
Executive branch:
president, cabinet of ministers, prime minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Soviet
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (sinceNA April 1990); Vice President Yerik
ASANBAYEV (since 1 December 1991)
*Kazakhstan, Government
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Sergey TERESHENKO (since 14 October 1991); First Deputy Prime
Minister Davlat SEMBAYEV (since NA November 1990); Supreme Council Chairman
Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN (since NA July 1991)
Member of:
CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECO, IBRD, IDA, IMF, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Alim S. DJAMBOURCHINE
chancery:
3421 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone:
(202) 333-4504
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador William H. COURTNEY
embassy:
Furumanova 99/97, Almaty
mailing address:
US Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20521-7030
telephone:
(3272) 63-24-26
Flag:
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 yellow
*Kazakhstan, Economy
Overview:
The second-largest in area of the 15 former Soviet republics, Kazakhstan has
vast oil, coal, and agricultural resources. Kazakhstan is highly dependent
on trade with Russia, exchanging its natural resources for finished consumer
and industrial goods. Kazakhstan now finds itself with serious pollution
problems, backward technology, and little experience in foreign markets. The
government in 1992 continued to push privatization of the economy and freed
many prices. Output in 1992 dropped because of problems common to the
ex-Soviet Central Asian republics, especially the cumulative effects of the
disruption of old supply channels and the slow process of creating new
economic institutions. Kazakhstan lacks the funds, technology, and
managerial skills for a quick recovery of output. US firms have been
enlisted to increase oil output but face formidable obstacles; for example,
oil can now reach Western markets only through pipelines that run across
independent former Soviet republics. Finally, the end of monolithic
Communist control has brought ethnic grievances into the open. The 6 million
Russians in the republic, formerly the favored class, now face the hostility
of a society dominated by Muslims. Ethnic rivalry will be just one of the
formidable obstacles to the prioritization of national objectives and the
creation of a productive, technologically advancing society.
National product:
GDP $NA
National product real growth rate:
-15% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
$NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
28% per month (first quarter 1993)
Unemployment rate:
0.4% includes only officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of
underemployed workers
Budget:
revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $1.76
billion (1991)
Exports:
$1.5 billion to outside the successor states of the former USSR (1992)
commodities:
oil, ferrous and nonferrous metals, chemicals, grain, wool, meat (1991)
partners:
Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
Imports:
$500 million from outside the successor states of the former USSR (1992)
commodities:
machinery and parts, industrial materials
partners:
Russia and other former Soviet republics, China
External debt:
$2.6 billion (1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate -15% (1992 est.); accounts for 30% of net material product
Electricity:
19,135,000 kW capacity; 81,300 million kWh produced, 4,739 kWh per capita
(1992)
Industries:
extractive industries (oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc,
copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur), iron and
steel, nonferrous metal, tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric
motors, construction materials
*Kazakhstan, Economy
Agriculture:
accounts for almost 40% of net material product; employs about 25% of the
labor force; grain, mostly spring wheat; meat, cotton, wool
Illicit drugs:
illicit producers of cannabis and opium; mostly for CIS consumption; limited
government eradication program; used as transshipment point for illicit
drugs to Western Europe
Economic aid:
recipient of limited foreign aid (1992)
Currency:
retaining Russian ruble as currency (May 1993)
Exchange rates:
rubles per US$1 - 415 (24 December 1992) but subject to wide fluctuations
Fiscal year:
calendar year