Part 111
chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December 1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Karim MASIMOV (since 10 January 2007); First Deputy Prime Minister Umirzak SHUKEYEV (since 3 March 2009), Deputy Prime Ministers Yerbol ORYNBAYEV (since 29 October 2007), Aset ISEKESHEV (since 12 March 2010)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president, with Mazhilis approval; note - constitutional amendments of May 2007 shortened the presidential term from seven years to five years and established a two-consecutive-term limit; changes will take effect after NAZARBAYEV's term ends; he, and only he, is allowed to run for president indefinitely
election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 91.1%, Zharmakhan A. TUYAKBAY 6.6%, Alikhan M. BAYMENOV 1.6%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 15 members are appointed by the president; 32 members elected by local assemblies; members serve six-year terms, but elections are staggered with half of the members up for re-election every three years) and the Mazhilis (107 seats; 9 out of the 107 Mazhilis members elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, a presidentially appointed advisory body designed to represent the country's ethnic minorities; non-appointed members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - (indirect) last held in October 2008 (next to be held in 2011); Mazhilis - last held on 18 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Nur Otan 16; Mazhilis - percent of vote by party - Nur-Otan 88.1%, NSDP 4.6%, Ak Zhol 3.3%, Auyl 1.6%, Communist People's Party 1.3%, Patriots Party 0.8% Ruhaniyat 0.4%; seats by party - Nur-Otan 98; note - parties had to achieve a threshold of 7% of the electorate to qualify for seats in the Mazhilis; changes to electoral legislation enacted since the 2007 election now ensure that the second-placed party will enter the Majilis at the next parliamentary election, even if it does not clear the 7% threshold
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (seven members)
Political parties and leaders:
Adilet (Justice) [Maksut NARIKBAYEV, Zeynulla ALSHIMBAYEV, Serik ABDRAHMANOV, Bakhytbek AKHMETZHAN, Yerkin ONGARBAYEV, Tolegan SYDYKOV] (formerly Democratic Party of Kazakhstan); Agrarian and Industrial Union of Workers Block or AIST (Agrarian Party and Civic Party); Ak Zhol Party (Bright Path) [Alikhan BAYMENOV]; Alga [Vladimir KOZLOV] (unregistered); Auyl (Village) [Gani KALIYEV]; Azat (Freedom) Party [Bolat ABILOV] (formerly True Ak Zhol Party); Azat NSDP [co-chaired by Bolat ABILOV and Zharmakhan TUYAKBAY]; Azat and NSDP united in 2009, but the authorities have refused to register Azat NSDP as a single party; Communist Party of Kazakhstan or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN]; Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan [Vladislav KOSAREV]; National Social Democratic Party or NSDP [Zharmakhan TUYAKBAY]; Nur-Otan [Bakhytzhan ZHUMAGULOV] (the Agrarian, Asar, and Civic parties merged with Otan); Patriots' Party [Gani KASYMOV]; Rukhaniyat (Spirituality) [Altynshash ZHAGANOVA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Committee [Ninel FOKINA]; Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; For Fair Elections [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS (jailed), Sabit ZHUSUPOV, Sergey DUVANOV, Ibrash NUSUPBAYEV]; Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive director]; Pan-National Social Democratic Party of Kazakhstan [Zharmakhan TUYAKBAY]; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye [Irina SAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; Republican Network of International Monitors [Dos KUSHIM]; Transparency International [Sergey ZLOTNIKOV]
International organization participation:
ADB, CICA, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Yerlan IDRISSOV
chancery: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 232-5488
FAX: [1] (202) 232-5845
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard E. HOAGLAND
embassy: Ak Bulak 4, Str. 23-22, Building #3, Astana 010010
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [7] (7172) 70-21-00
FAX: [7] (7172) 34-08-90
Flag description:
a gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle, both centered on a sky blue background; the hoist side displays a national ornamental pattern "koshkar-muiz" (the horns of the ram) in gold; the blue color is of religious significance to the Turkic peoples of the country, and so symbolizes cultural and ethnic unity; it also represents the endless sky as well as water; the sun, a source of life and energy, exemplifies wealth and plenitude; the sun's rays are shaped like grain, which is the basis of abundance and prosperity; the eagle has appeared on the flags of Kazakh tribes for centuries and represents freedom, power, and the flight to the future
National anthem:
name: "Menin Qazaqstanim" (My Kazakhstan)
lyrics/music: Zhumeken NAZHIMEDENOV and Nursultan NAZARBAYEV/Shamshi KALDAYAKOV
note: adopted 2006; President Nursultan NAZARBAYEV played a role in revising the lyrics
Economy ::Kazakhstan
Economy - overview:
Kazakhstan, geographically the largest of the former Soviet republics, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves and plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals, such as uranium, copper, and zinc. It also has a large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain. Kazakhstan's industrial sector is primarily focused on the extraction and processing of these natural resources. Kazakhstan enjoyed double-digit growth in 2000-01 and 8% or more per year in 2002-07 - thanks largely to its booming energy sector but also to economic reform, good harvests, and increased foreign investment; GDP growth slowed dramatically following the near-collapse of the banking sector in late 2007 and the declines in oil and metals prices associated with the global economic downturn in 2008-09. Kazakhstan has embarked upon an industrial policy designed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the oil sector as well expanding export markets away from its historical reliance on Russia. Nevertheless, growth is still driven by oil. The government has engaged in several disputes with Western oil companies over the terms of production agreements, most recently, with regard to the Kashagan project in 2007-08 and the Karachaganak project in 2009.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$193.8 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 54 $184.8 billion (2009 est.)
$182.6 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$129.8 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.9% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 60 1.2% (2009 est.)
3.3% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$12,500 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 92 $12,000 (2009 est.)
$11,900 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 42.8%
services: 51.2% (2009 est.)
Labor force:
8.718 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 53
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 31.5%
industry: 18.4%
services: 50% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
5.5% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 52 6.3% (2009 est.)
Population below poverty line:
12.1% (2008)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 26.5% (2004 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
28.8 (2008) country comparison to the world: 119 31.5 (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
27.9% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 26
Public debt:
15.9% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 118 14.2% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.7% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 171 7.3% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
7% (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 42 10.5% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA% (31 December 2008)
Stock of narrow money:
$20.91 billion (31 December 2010 est) country comparison to the world: 63 $16.66 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$65.55 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 62 $52.83 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$44.53 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 66 $39.72 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$57.66 billion (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 54 $31.08 billion (31 December 2008)
$41.38 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock
Industries:
oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate:
7.3% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
Electricity - production:
78.4 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Electricity - consumption:
77.9 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 35
Electricity - exports:
3.617 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
1.94 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Oil - production:
1.54 million bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Oil - consumption:
241,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 51
Oil - exports:
1.345 million bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 18
Oil - imports:
164,000 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 52
Oil - proved reserves:
30 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 11
Natural gas - production:
35.61 billion cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 24
Natural gas - consumption:
33.68 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 27
Natural gas - exports:
17.66 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 12
Natural gas - imports:
3.72 billion cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 35
Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.407 trillion cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 15
Current account balance:
$6.993 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 28 -$3.405 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$59.23 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 47 $43.84 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
oil and oil products 59%, ferrous metals 19%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal
Exports - partners:
China 16.34%, France 9.23%, Germany 8.32%, Russia 6.9%, Ukraine 5.52%, Romania 5.25%, Italy 5.12%, US 4.34% (2009)
Imports:
$30.11 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 59 $28.77 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, metal products, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Russia 28.5%, China 26.72%, Germany 6.59%, Italy 5.58%, Ukraine 4.8% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$32.44 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 34 $23.22 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$94.44 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 36 $106.3 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$83.3 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 39 $69.46 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$7.208 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 53 $5.708 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
tenge (KZT) per US dollar - 147.28 (2010), 147.5 (2009), 120.25 (2008), 122.55 (2007), 126.09 (2006)
Communications ::Kazakhstan
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.763 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 42
Telephones - mobile cellular:
14.995 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 50
Telephone system:
general assessment: inherited an outdated telecommunications network from the Soviet era requiring modernization
domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; number of fixed-line connections is gradually increasing and fixed-line teledensity now roughly 25 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is increasing and the subscriber base now is roughly 100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 7; international traffic with other former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (2008)
Broadcast media:
state owns nearly all radio and TV transmission facilities and operates national TV and radio networks; nearly all nationwide TV networks are wholly or partly owned by the government; some former state-owned media outlets have been privatized and are controlled by the president's daughter, who heads the Khabar Agency that runs multiple TV and radio stations; a number of privately-owned TV stations; households with satellite dishes have access to foreign media; a small number of commercial radio stations operating along with state-run radio stations (2008)
Internet country code:
.kz
Internet hosts:
53,984 (2010) country comparison to the world: 85
Internet users:
5.299 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 44
Transportation ::Kazakhstan
Airports:
97 (2010) country comparison to the world: 62
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 65
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 8 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 32
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 13 (2010)
Heliports:
3 (2010)
Pipelines:
condensate 658 km; gas 11,146 km; oil 10,376 km; refined products 1,095 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 15,082 km country comparison to the world: 19 broad gauge: 15,082 km 1.520-m gauge (3,700 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 93,612 km country comparison to the world: 51 paved: 84,100 km
unpaved: 9,512 km (2008)
Waterways:
4,000 km; on the Ertis (Irtysh) River (80%) and Syr Darya (Syrdariya) River (2008) country comparison to the world: 26
Merchant marine:
total: 8 country comparison to the world: 123 by type: petroleum tanker 6, refrigerated cargo 1, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 1 (Ireland 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)
Military ::Kazakhstan
Military branches:
Kazakhstani Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Mobile Forces, Air Defense Forces (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years; minimum age for volunteers NA (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,176,999
females age 16-49: 4,202,422 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,902,859
females age 16-49: 3,543,467 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 133,884
female: 127,415 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.1% of GDP (2010) country comparison to the world: 128
Transnational Issues ::Kazakhstan
Disputes - international:
Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary delimitation with Kazakhstan; field demarcation of the boundaries with Turkmenistan commenced in 2005, and with Uzbekistan in 2004; demarcation is scheduled to get underway with Russia in 2007; demarcation with China was completed in 2002; creation of a seabed boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains under discussion; equidistant seabed treaties have been ratified with Azerbaijan and Russia in the Caspian Sea, but no resolution has been made on dividing the water column among any of the littoral states
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 3,700 (Russia); 508 (Afghanistan) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS markets, as well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe; significant consumer of opiates
page last updated on January 12, 2011
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@Kenya (Africa)
Introduction ::Kenya
Background:
Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but were viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. KIBAKI's NARC coalition splintered in 2005 over the constitutional review process. Government defectors joined with KANU to form a new opposition coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement, which defeated the government's draft constitution in a popular referendum in November 2005. KIBAKI's reelection in December 2007 brought charges of vote rigging from ODM candidate Raila ODINGA and unleashed two months of violence in which as many as 1,500 people died. UN-sponsored talks in late February produced a powersharing accord bringing ODINGA into the government in the restored position of prime minister.
Geography ::Kenya
Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania
Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 580,367 sq km country comparison to the world: 48 land: 569,140 sq km
water: 11,227 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Land boundaries:
total: 3,477 km
border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km
Coastline:
536 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior
Terrain:
low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m
Natural resources:
limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 8.01%
permanent crops: 0.97%
other: 91.02% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,030 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
30.2 cu km (1990)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 1.58 cu km/yr (30%/6%/64%)
per capita: 46 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons
volcanism: Kenya experiences limited volcanic activity; the Barrier (elev. 1,032 m, 3,385 ft) last erupted in 1921; South Island is the only other historically active volcano
Environment - current issues:
water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value
People ::Kenya
Population:
40,046,566 country comparison to the world: 33 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.3% (male 8,300,393/female 8,181,898)
15-64 years: 55.1% (male 10,784,119/female 10,702,999)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 470,218/female 563,145) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.8 years
male: 18.7 years
female: 18.9 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.588% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 27
Birth rate:
35.14 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 34
Death rate:
9.26 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 68
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 95
Urbanization:
urban population: 22% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 53.49 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 44 male: 56.28 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 50.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 58.82 years country comparison to the world: 190 male: 58.33 years
female: 59.32 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.38 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
6.7% (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 10
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.2 million (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 8
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
150,000 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 4
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria and Rift Valley fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan
Ethnic groups:
Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%
Religions:
Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, indigenous beliefs 10%, other 2%