<hdr>The World Factbook 1994: Kazakhstan<nl>Geography</hdr><body>
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<item><hi format=bold>Location:</hi> Central Asia, between Russia and Uzbekistan, bordering on the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea
<item><hi format=bold>Area:</hi>
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<item>• <hi format=ital>total area:</hi> 2,717,300 sq km
<item>• <hi format=ital>land area:</hi> 2,669,800 sq km
<item>• <hi format=ital>comparative area:</hi> slightly less than four times the size of Texas
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<item><hi format=bold>Land boundaries:</hi> total 12,012 km, China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km
<item><hi format=bold>Coastline:</hi> 0 km
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<item>• <hi format=ital>note:</hi> Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea (1,015 km) and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km)
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<item><hi format=bold>Maritime claims:</hi> landlocked, but borders with Russia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea are under negotiation at present
<item><hi format=bold>International disputes:</hi> Russia may dispute current de facto maritime border to midpoint of Caspian Sea from shore
<item><hi format=bold>Climate:</hi> continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
<item><hi format=bold>Terrain:</hi> extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oasis and desert in Central Asia
<item><hi format=bold>Natural resources:</hi> major deposits of petroleum, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium
<item>• <hi format=ital>meadows and pastures:</hi> 57%
<item>• <hi format=ital>forest and woodland:</hi> 4%
<item>• <hi format=ital>other:</hi> 24%
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<item><hi format=bold>Irrigated land:</hi> 23,080 sq km (1990)
<item><hi format=bold>Environment:</hi>
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<item>• <hi format=ital>current issues:</hi> 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
<item>• <hi format=ital>natural hazards:</hi> NA
<item>• <hi format=ital>international agreements:</hi> signed, but not ratified—Biodiversity, Climate Change
