World Enivironmental Issues Brief

  • LARGE AREAS SUBJECT TO OVERPOPULATION
  • INDUSTRIAL DISASTERS
  • POLLUTION (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances)
  • LOSS OF VEGETATION (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification)
  • LOSS OF WILDLIFE
  • SOIL DEGRADATION
  • SOIL DEPLETION
  • EROSION
  • GLOBAL WARMING

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Global Issues Snapshots

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Kazakhstan

— Current Environmental Issues —
radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with former defense industries and test ranges scattered throughout the country 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 salination from poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices

— Health Indicators —
HIV / AIDS prevalancy rate: 0.2
Fertility Rate: 1.9
Infant Mortality Rate: 27.4
Life Expectancy at Birth: Male: 61.9
Life Expectancy at Birth: Female: 73.0
Life Expectancy at Birth: Total Population: 67.2

— Population —
Population Total: 15,284,929
Population Growth Rate: 0.4

— Economic Indicators —
GDP Real Growth Rate: 8.5
Military Expendatures Percent of GDP: 1.5
Unemployment Rate: 7.4
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.6
GDP Per Capita PPP: 9,100
Population Below Poverty Line: 19
    (Definitions of poverty vary considerably among nations.)

— Education and Communications —
Global Issues Snapshots
Global Issues Snapshots
Bordering country: China
Bordering country: Kyrgyzstan
Bordering country: Russia
Bordering country: Turkmenistan
Bordering country: Uzbekistan

— Background —
Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstans northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence in 1991 caused many of these newcomers to emigrate. Kazakhstans economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states combined, largely due to the countrys vast natural resources and a recent history of political stability. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the countrys vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; achieving a sustainable economic growth; diversifying the economy outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; enhancing Kazakhstans competitiveness; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers.