Kazakhstan

Geography

Location: Central Asia, north-west of China; a small portion west of the Ural River in easternmost Europe. Area: 2,717,300 sq. km. Principal cities: Astana, Almaty, Karaganda, Shymkent, Semey and Pavlodar. Tourist attractions: Almatinsky Nature Reserve, Kol-Say Lakes, Kozha Akhmed Yasaui Mausoleum. Time zone: GMT + 6 hours.

People

Population: 15,284,929 (July 2007 est.). Population growth rate: 0.352% (2007 est.). Sex ratio: 0.93 male(s)/fe-male (2007 est.). Religions: Muslim, Russian Orthodox, Protestant, others. Languages: Kazakh (Qazaq, state language), Russian. Literacy rate: Total 99.5%, Male 99.8%, Female 99.3% (1999 est.). Infant mortality rate: 27.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.). Life expectancy: Total 67.22 years, Male 61.9 years, Female 72.84 years (2007 est.).

Government

Capital: Astana. National anthem:
Mening Quzaqstanym. Government type: Republic. Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union). Legal system: Based on civil law system. Executive branch: Chief of state: President Nursultan A. Nazarbayev (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president I December 1991). Head of government: Prime Minister Karim Masimov (since 10 January 2005). Elections and election results: The president is elected by popular vote for a seven-year term. The last elections were held on 4 December 2005, and the next elections will be held in 2012. Legislative branch: Kazakhstan has a bicameral parliament that consists of the Senate and the Majilis. Judicial branch: Supreme court and Constitu­tional cquncil.

Economy

Currency: Tenge. Currency conver­sion: Tenge per Indian rupee—3.012 (June 2007 est.). GDP: Purchasing power parity—$143.1 billion (2006 est.). GDP—real growth rate: 10.6% (2006 est.). GDP—per capita: Pur­chasing power parity—$9,400 (2006 est.). Inflation rate: 8.6% {2006 est.). Exports: $35.55 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.). Imports: $22 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.). External debt: $53.89 billion (2006 est.).

Transport and Communications

Railways: 13,601 km. Roads: 90,018 km. Airports: Astana and Almaty In­ternational Airports. Telephones: 2,081,900 (2002). Mobile cellular: 4.955 million (2005). Internet users: 250,000 (2002). Internet country code: .kz. ISD code: 7.