Kazakhstan

• Geography

Geography

Kazakhstan is located in Central Asia between the Ural River and the lower reaches of the Volga River to the west, the Ala-Tau Mountains to the east, the Western-Siberian Plateau to the north and the Tien Shan Mountains to the south. The country stretches 1,600 km from north to south and more than 2,800 km from west to east, occupying an area of 2,717,000 sq. km. The country comes ninth in the world in terms of size, which is comparable to the territory of Western Europe.

Conventionally, Kazakhstan can be divided into two regions: the northern, the continuation of Russia’s steppes and the southern, comprising semi-steppes and oases typical of the neighbouring Central Asian countries.

The largest city in the country, Almaty, was Kazakhstan’s capital until 1997 when the capital was moved 1000 km north to the country’s centre in Astana (previously Akmola). Almaty remains the business and financial megalopolis of the country.

Kazakhstan is comprised primarily of plains and lowlands. In Central Kazakhstan vast plains grade into the isolated hills of Sary Arka, in the south and southeast into the mountain systems of the Altai, Sauyr Tarbagatai, Dzungarian Ala-Tau and Tien Shan. Khan Tengri is the highest peak at 6,995 metres.

Almost all of Kazakhstan’s rivers empty into the Caspian and Aral Seas, except for the Yertis, Yesil and Tobol Rivers, which empty into the Kara Sea. There are many lakes in Kazakhstan.

The largest lakes, thousand sq. km: The Caspian Sea: 374, The Aral Sea: 41, Lake Balkhash: 18.2.

The highest peaks, m: Khan Tengri: 6,995, 100 Let VGO: 6,276, Talgar: 4979

The longest rivers, km: Yertis: 4,248 (within Kazakhstan 1,698), Yesil: 2,450 (1,400), Zhayik: 2,428 (1,082)

Capital      Astana

Languages   Kazakh, Russian

Currency    Kazakh Tenge (KZT)

Climate

Situated in the heart of Eurasia, Kazakhstan has a dry continental climate. The average level of precipitation is irregular, at around 250 mm per year. The climate is even drier in the southern desert areas and the Caspian region. In winter, precipitation generally comes in the form of snow. In the central regions, frequent, strong winds erode the fertile soil and cover it with a snow layer.

Kazakhstan is quite hot in the summer: the temperature can rise to +35 degrees Centigrade. Winters are cold, with temperatures falling below -20 degrees Centigrade in the north and -5 degrees Centigrade elsewhere.