d 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.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 30% (female 2,589,509; male 2,664,952)
15-64 years: 63% (female 5,531,519; male 5,371,563)
65 years and over: 7% (female 820,900; male 398,172) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.62% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 19.26 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 7.93 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: -5.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 40 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.25 years
male: 63.61 years
female: 73.13 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.43 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Kazakhstani(s)
adjective: Kazakhstani

Ethnic divisions: Kazakh (Qazaq) 41.9%, Russian 37%, Ukrainian 5.2%,
German 4.7%, Uzbek 2.1%, Tatar 2%, other 7.1% (1991 official data)

Religions: Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%

Languages: Kazakh (Qazaqz) official language spoken by over 40% of
population, Russian (language of interethnic commun