Natural hazards:
earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty
Environment - current issues:
radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with its former
defense industries and test ranges 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: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note:
landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory
enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome
People Kazakhstan
Population:
16,763,795 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 25.4% (male 2,161,510; female 2,089,780)
15-64 years: 66.8% (male 5,425,545; female 5,769,457)
65 years and over: 7.9% (male 458,379; female 859,124) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 28.2 years
male: 26.6 years
female: 29.7 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
0.17% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
18.36 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)