Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Kazak Respublikasy/Republic of Kazakhstan Area 2,717,300 sq km/1,049,150 sq mi Capital Astana (formerly Akmola) Language Kazakh (related to Turkish; official), Russian Religion Sunni Muslim 50–60%, Russian Orthodox 30–35% Time difference GMT +6 Major holidays 1, 28 January, 8, 22 March, 1, 9 May, 25 October, 31 December


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Qaraghandy, Pavlodar, Semey, Petropavlosk, Shymkent Physical features Caspian and Aral seas, Lake Balkhash; Steppe region; natural gas and oil deposits in the Caspian Sea Airports three international airports and 18 other airports; total passengers carried: 1.3 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 13,601 km/8,451 mi; total passenger journeys: 14.8 million (2001) Roads total road network: 258,029 km/160,332 mi, of which 95.9% paved (2003 est); passenger cars: 96.3 per 1,000 people (2003 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Nursultan Nazarbayev from 1990 Head of government Karim Masimov from 2007 Political system authoritarian nationalist Political executive unlimited presidency Administrative divisions 14 regions and one city (Astana) Political parties Congress of People's Unity of Kazakhstan, moderate, centrist; People's Congress of Kazakhstan, moderate, ethnic; Socialist Party of Kazakhstan (SPK), left wing; Republican Party, right-of-centre coalition Death penalty retained and used for ordinary crimes Armed forces 65,800; plus paramilitary forces of 34,500 (2006 est) Conscription military service is compulsory for 24 months Defence spend (% GDP) 1.1 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 3 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 2 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency tenge GDP (US$) 56.1 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 8.3 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 44.4 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 7,730 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 8.5% (2006 est) Unemployment 1.3% (2005 est) Labour force 33.5% agriculture, 17.4% industry, 49.1% services (2004) Foreign debt (US$) 41.2 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners Switzerland, Russia, Italy, Germany, France, USA, China, Ukraine Resources petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, zinc, titanium, magnesium, tungsten, molybdenum, gold (second largest reserves in the world), silver, manganese Industries metal processing, heavy engineering, mining and quarrying, chemicals, fuel, power, machine-building, textiles, food processing, household appliances Exports ferrous and non-ferrous metals, mineral products (including petroleum and petroleum products), chemicals. Principal market: Switzerland 19.8% (2005) Imports energy products and electricity, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food products. Principal source: Russia 38% (2005) Arable land 8% (2002 est) Agricultural products fruits, sugar beet, vegetables, potatoes, cotton, cereals; livestock rearing (particularly sheep); karakul and astrakhan wool


POPULATION

Population 14,812,300 (2006 est) Population growth rate 0% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 5 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 56 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 23%, 15–59 66%, 60+ 11% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 50% of Kazakh descent, 32% ethnic Russian, 4.5% Ukrainian, 2% German, 2% Uzbek, and 2% Tatar Life expectancy 59 (men); 70 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 73 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 11 Literacy rate 99% (men); 99% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 33.1 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 7.7 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.1 (2005 est) AIDS deaths <1,000 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 96 (urban); 72 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 16.9 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 33.4 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 411 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 497 (2004 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 2.7 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

early Christian era Settled by Mongol and Turkic tribes. 8th century Spread of Islam. 10th century Southward migration into east Kazakhstan of Kazakh tribes, displaced from Mongolia by the Mongols. 13th–14th centuries Part of Mongol Empire. late 15th century Kazakhs emerged as distinct ethnic group from Kazakh Orda tribal confederation. early 17th century The nomadic, cattle-breeding Kazakhs split into smaller groups, united in the three Large, Middle, and Lesser Hordes (federations), led by khans (chiefs). 1731–42 Faced by attacks from the east by Oirot Mongols, protection was sought from the Russian tsars, and Russian control was gradually established. 1822–48 Conquest by tsarist Russia completed; khans deposed. Large-scale Russian and Ukrainian peasant settlement of the steppes after the abolition of serfdom in Russia in 1861. 1887 Alma-Alta (now Almaty), established in 1854 as a fortified trading centre and captured by the Russians in 1865, destroyed by an earthquake. 1916 150,000 killed as anti-Russian rebellion brutally repressed. 1917 Bolshevik coup in Russia followed by outbreak of civil war in Kazakhstan. 1920 Autonomous republic in USSR. early 1930s More than 1 million died of starvation during the campaign to collectivize agriculture. 1936 Joined USSR and became a full union republic. early 1940s Volga Germans deported to the republic by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. 1954–56 Part of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's ambitious ‘Virgin Lands’ agricultural extension programme; large influx of Russian settlers made Kazakhs a minority in their own republic. 1986 There were nationalist riots in Alma-Alta (now Almaty) after the reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ousted the local communist leader and installed an ethnic Russian. 1989 Nursultan Nazarbayev, a reformist and mild nationalist, became leader of the Kazakh Communist Party (KCP) and instituted economic and cultural reform programmes, encouraging foreign inward investment. 1990 Nazarbayev became head of state; economic sovereignty declared. 1991 Nazarbayev condemned attempted anti-Gorbachev coup in Moscow; KCP abolished. Kazakhstan joined new Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS); independence recognized by USA. 1992 Kazakhstan joined United Nations (UN) and Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE; now the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE). 1993 Presidential power increased by new constitution. Privatization programme launched. START-1 (disarmament treaty) and Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty both ratified by Kazakhstan. 1994 Economic, social, and military union with Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. 1995 Economic and military cooperation pact signed with Russia. Kazakhstan achieved nuclear-free status. 1997 Astana (formerly known as Akmola) was designated the new capital. President Nazarbayev appointed Nurlan Balgymbayev, head of the Kazakh Oil state petroleum company, prime minister. 1998 Treaty of ‘eternal friendship’ and treaty of deepening economic cooperation signed with Uzbekistan. 1999 Nazarbayev re-elected president; international observers claimed election flawed. Kasymzhomart Tokaev appointed prime minister. 2000 Huge offshore oil field discovered in Caspian Sea. 2002 Final border agreement, and agreement on eternal friendship, signed with Uzbekistan. Otan and People's Co-operative Party of Kazakhstan (PCPK), two main political parties, merged. Imangali Tasmagambetov replaced Tokayev, who had resigned abruptly, as prime minister. Co-founders of Democratic Choice, Mukhtar Ablyazov and opposition figure Galymzhan Zhakiyanov, both jailed for alleged abuse of office. 2003 Jailed opposition leader Ablyazov pardoned and released. Prime Minister Tasmagambetov resigned over proposed land reform bill; replaced by Daniyal Akhmetov. The bill, allowing land privatization, passed. Nazarbayev declared moratorium on death penalty. 2004 Deal with China on construction of oil pipeline to Chinese border signed. After two years of seven-year sentence, Zhakiyanov released and sent into internal exile. President's Otan party retained majority in parliamentary elections; international observers declared poll flawed; in protest, parliamentary speaker Zharmakhan Tuyakbav resigned. 2005 High Court ordered dissolution of one of the chief opposition parties, Democratic Choice; its call on supporters to protest against flawed elections seen as breach of state security. Opposition groups united to form For A Just Kazakhstan movement, led by Tuyakbay. Opposition figure Zamanbek Nurkadilov found shot dead at home. Nazarbayev won presidential elections with 90% of the vote, returning for fourth term; again Western observers declared poll flawed. 1,000 km/620 mi oil pipeline to western China inaugurated. 2006 Opposition leader Zhakiyanov released on parole; returned to Almaty from internal exile. Opposition spokesman Altynbek Sarsenbaiuly, his driver and his bodyguard found shot dead. Health minister and other health officials sacked after dozens of children became HIV positive following blood transfusions at paediatric clinic in the south. 2007 Prime Minister Akhmetov resigned; replaced by Karim Masimov. Parliament voted to allow President Nazarbayev to remain in office for unlimited number of terms. In parliamentary elections, the president's Nur-Otan party gained all seats in lower house. Observers noted slight improvement in polling conduct; still failed to meet international standards.


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