Geography |
The Republic of Kazakhstan, located in Central Asia, is bounded on the north by Russia; on the east by China; on the south by Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan; and on the west by the Caspian Sea and Russia. Kazakhstan covers an area of 2 724 900 km2.
More than two-thirds of Kazakhstan´s terrain consists of deserts and arid wastelands. Most of the remainder is steppes and hilly upland areas, fringed by high mountains in the east and south-east.
In the west, dry plains border the Caspian Sea. The countries lowest point lies near here (the Karagiye Depression, 132 meters below sea level). Dry lowlands extend over much of the rest of western Kazakhstan and around the Aral Sea on the south-west border. High, grassy steppes cover large areas of northern Kazakhstan while barren, sandy deserts cover much of the south. In North-eastern Kazakhstan, flat tablelands are suitable for farming.
The Tien Shan Mountains, located on the eastern border, has the country´s highest point, Mount Tengri (6 398 m). The Altai Mountains are on the south-eastern border.
Major rivers include the Ile, the Irtysh, the Syr Darya, and the Ural. The Ile River feeds into Lake Balkhash, the largest lake entirely within Kazakstan. Other large lakes include freshwater Lake Zaysan and saltwater lakes Alakol and Tengiz. The Ishim, Irtysh, and Tobol rivers flow north into Russia and eventually drain into the Arctic Ocean. The Syr Darya flows north-westerly and empties into the Aral Sea. The Ural River flows south from Russia into the Caspian Sea.
Lying in the heart of Asia, the climate of Kazakhstan is extremely continental, with long, hot summers and extremely cold winters. The southern regions have relatively milder winters and hotter summers than the northern and central regions. July temperatures average about 20 °C in the north and about 27 °C in the south, but can reach an extreme of 45° C. January temperatures average about -8 °C in the north and about -5 °C in the south, but can reach an extreme of -45° C. Precipitation only averages 100 mm in the deserts to 350 mm on the steppes. However, the high, snow-capped mountains can receive over 1 500 mm per year.
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.