Geography

Kazakhstan is located on the border of two continents, Europe and Asia. With the total area of 2,724,900 square kilometers, it stretches from the Caspian Sea and Volga plains in the west to the mountainous Altai in the east, and from the foothills of Tien Shan in the south and south-east to the West-Siberian lowland in the north. The extent of the territory from east to west is more than 3,000 kilometers, and from north to south – 1,700 kilometers. This makes Kazakhstan ninth largest country in the world and second largest in the CIS. Kazakhstan is about the size of Western Europe.

Kazakhstan borders Russia in the east, north and northwest, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan in the south, and China in the south-east. The total extent of Kazakhstan borders is nearly 12,200 kilometers, including 600 kilometers along the Caspian Sea in the west.

Kazakhstan is a resource-rich country, rich in oil and natural gas, copper, zinc, bauxites, gold, silver, chrome, uranium and other metals that comprise over 95 percent of periodic table.  It is a unique country, unique by its traditions, culture, folklore that intertwine together over 100 nationalities into the people of Kazakhstan.  It is also a vast country, stretching from Russia and the Caucasus in Europe to China and Mongolia in Asia.  And it is the country of the first sputnik and well-known Baikonur spaceport, and big oil of the 21st century located in the Atyrau and Caspian Sea region.
Energy is the leading economic sector. Production of crude oil and natural gas condensate in Kazakhstan amounted to 51.2 million tons in 2003, which was 8.6% more than in 2002. Kazakhstan raised oil and gas condensate exports to 44.3 million tons in 2003, 13% higher than in 2002. Gas production in Kazakhstan in 2003 amounted to 13.9 billion cubic meters (491 billion cu. ft), up 22.7% compared to 2002, including natural gas production of 7.3 billion cubic meters (258 billion cu. ft); Kazakhstan holds about 4 billion tons of proven recoverable oil reserves and 2,000 cubic kilometers (480 cu mi) of gas. Industry analysts believe that planned expansion of oil production, coupled with the development of new fields, will enable the country to produce as much as 3 million barrels (477,000 m³) per day by 2015, lifting Kazakhstan into the ranks of the world's top 10 oil-producing nations. Kazakhstan's 2003 oil exports were valued at more than $7 billion, representing 65% of overall exports and 24% of the GDP. Major oil and gas fields and their recoverable oil reserves are Tengiz with 7 billion barrels (1.1 km³); Karachaganak with 8 billion barrels (1.3 km³) and 1,350 km³ of natural gas); and Kashagan with 7 to 9 billion barrels (1.1 to 1.4 km³).

Kazakhstan instituted an ambitious pension reform program in 1998. As of January 1, 2005, the pension assets were about $4.1 billion. There are 16 saving pension funds in the republic. The State Accumulating Pension Fund, the only state-owned fund, could be privatized as early as 2006. The country's unified financial regulatory agency oversees and regulates the pension funds. The pension funds' growing demand for quality investment outlets triggered rapid development of the debt securities market. Pension fund capital is being invested almost exclusively in corporate and government bonds, including Government of Kazakhstan Eurobonds. The Kazakhstan banking system is developing rapidly. The banking system's capitalization now exceeds $1 billion. The National Bank has introduced deposit insurance in its campaign to strengthen the banking sector. Several major foreign banks have branches in Kazakhstan, including ABN AMRO, Citibank, and HSBC.


Agriculture

Agriculture accounted for 10.3% of Kazakhstan's GDP in 2005. Grain (Kazakhstan is the seventh-largest producer of wheat in the world) and livestock are the most important agricultural commodities. Agricultural land occupies more than 220 million hectares, about 68% of which consists of pasture and hay land. Chief livestock products are dairy goods, leather, meat, and wool. The country's major crops include wheat, barley, cotton, and rice. Wheat is the leading agricultural commodity in Kazakhstan's export trade. Kazakhstan harvests 14-15 million tons of wheat per year.