Land boundaries:
total: 12,012 km
border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 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)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
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 oases and desert in Central Asia
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m
highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m
Natural resources:
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: 8.28%
permanent crops: 0.05%
other: 91.67% (2005)
Irrigated land:
35,560 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty