International disputes: Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined
Climate: continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
Terrain: extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oasis and desert in Central Asia
Natural resources: major deposits of petroleum, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium
Land use: arable land: 15% permanent crops: NEGL% meadows and pastures: 57% forest and woodland: 4% other: 24%
Irrigated land: 23,080 sq km (1990)
Environment:
current issues: radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with
its former defense industries and test ranges are found throughout the
country and 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 salinization from
faulty irrigation practices
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Ship Pollution;
signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Desertification
Note: landlocked
@Kazakhstan:People
Population: 17,376,615 (July 1995 est.)