cities (qala, singular--qalasy)*; Almaty, Almaty*, Aqmola (Astana),
Aqtobe, Astana*, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan (Oral), Bayqongyr*,
Mangghystau (Aqtau; formerly Gur'yev), Ongtustik Qazaqstan
(Shymkent), Pavlodar, Qaraghandy, Qostanay, Qyzylorda, Shyghys
Qazaqstan (Oskemen; formerly Ust'-Kamenogorsk), Soltustik Qazaqstan
(Petropavl), Zhambyl (Taraz; formerly Dzhambul)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses); in 1995 the Governments of
Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would
lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the
Bayqongyr (Baykonur) space launch facilities and the city of
Bayqongyr (formerly Leninsk)
Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday: Day of the Republic, 25 October (1990) (date on
which Kazakhstan declared its sovereignty)
Constitution: adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995;
first post-independence constitution was adopted 28 January 1993
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the
Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990-91, president since 1 December
1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Nurlan BALGIMBAYEV (since 10
October 1997) and First Deputy Prime Minister Uraz ZHANDOSOV (since
20 February 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 10 January 1999, a year before it was previously
scheduled (next to be held NA 2006); note--President NAZARBAYEV's
previous term had been extended to 2000 by a nationwide referendum
held 30 April 1995; prime minister and first deputy prime minister
appointed by the president
election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV elected president; percent
of vote--Nursultan NAZARBAYEV 82%, Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN 12%
note: President NAZARBAYEV expanded his presidential powers by
decree: only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and
dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his
discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate
(47 seats; 7 senators are appointed by the president; other members
are popularly elected, two from each oblast and Almaty, to serve
four-year terms) and the Majilis (67 seats; members are popularly
elected to serve four-year terms); note--with the oblasts being
reduced to 14, the Senate will eventually be reduced to 37
elections: Senate--(indirect) last held 5 December 1995 (next to be
held NA 1999); Majilis--last held 9 December and 23 December 1995
(next to be held NA 1999)
election results: Senate--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by
party--party members 13, no party affiliation 34, of which
"independent" state officials 25, nominated by the president 7,
elected by popular vote 15; Majilis--percent of vote by party--NA;
seats by party--PUP 24, December National Democratic Party 12,
Kazakhstan Agrarian Union 5, Confederation of Kazakh Trade Unions 5,
KPK 2, independents and others 19
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional
Council (7 members)
Political parties and leaders: People's Unity Party or PUP (was
Political pressure groups and leaders: Independent Trade Union
chairman]
International organization participation: AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, OAS (observer),
OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bolat K. NURGALIYEV
chancery: 1401 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard H. JONES
embassy: 99/97A Furmanova Street, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan
480091
mailing address: American Embassy Almaty, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20521-7030
Flag description: sky blue background representing the endless
sky and a gold sun with 32 rays soaring above a golden steppe eagle
in the center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in
yellow
Economy
Economy--overview: Kazakhstan, the second largest of the former
Soviet republics in territory, possesses enormous untapped fossil
fuel reserves as well as plentiful supplies of other minerals and
metals. It also has considerable agricultural potential with its
vast steppe lands accommodating both livestock and grain production.
Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and
processing of these natural resources and also on a relatively large
machine building sector specializing in construction equipment,
tractors, agricultural machinery, and some defense items. The
breakup of the USSR and the collapse of demand for Kazakhstan's
traditional heavy industry products have resulted in a sharp
contraction of the economy since 1991, with the steepest annual
decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97 the pace of the government
program of economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in
a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. The
December 1996 signing of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium agreement
to build a new pipeline from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oil field
to the Black Sea increases prospects for substantially larger oil
exports in several years. Kazakhstan's economy turned downward in
1998 with a 2.5% decline in GDP growth due to slumping oil prices
and the August financial crisis in Russia. 1999 will also be a
difficult year.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$52.9 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: -2.5% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$3,100 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 11.5%
industry: 32.6%
services: 55.9% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.1%
highest 10%: 24.9% (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 8.8 million (1997)
Labor force--by occupation: industry 27%, agriculture and forestry
23%, other 50% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 13.7% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.9 billion
expenditures: $4.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)
Industries: oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc,
copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron
and steel, nonferrous metal, tractors and other agricultural
machinery, electric motors, construction materials; much of
industrial capacity is shut down and/or is in need of repair
Industrial production growth rate: -2.1% (1998 est.)
Electricity--production: 52 billion kWh (1997)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 86.3%
hydro: 13.6%
nuclear: 0.1%
other: 0% (1997)
Electricity--consumption: 64.34 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 1.75 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 8.5 billion kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; wool,
livestock
Exports: $6.3 billion (1998 est.)
Exports--commodities: oil, ferrous and nonferrous metals,
chemicals, grain, wool, meat, coal
Exports--partners: Russia, UK, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Netherlands,
China, Italy, Germany (1997)
Imports: $7.4 billion (1998 est.)
Imports--commodities: machinery and parts, industrial materials,
oil and gas, consumer goods
Imports--partners: Russia, Ukraine, US, Uzbekistan, Turkey, UK,
Germany, South Korea (1997)
Debt--external: $3.1 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $409.6 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Kazakhstani tenge = 100 tiyn
Exchange rates: tenges per US$1--85.2 (February 1999), 78.30
(1998), 75.44 (1997), 67.30 (1996), 60.95 (1995), 35.54 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 2 million (1997)
Telephone system: service is poor
domestic: landline and microwave radio relay; AMPS standard cellular
systems are available in most of Kazakhstan
international: international traffic with other former Soviet
republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay
and with other countries by satellite and through 8 international
telecommunications circuits at the Moscow international gateway
switch; satellite earth stations--1 Intelsat and a new digital
satellite earth station established at Almaty; a third satellite
earth station at Atyrau provides teleconnectivity to the AT&T
network via Intelsat; cable connected by the Trans-Asia-Europe
Fiber-Optic Line
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
Radios: 4.088 million (with multiple speakers for program
diffusion 6.082 million)
Television broadcast stations: 20 (of which at least eight are
government stations and at least 12 are private stations--seven of
those are satellite TV relay stations) (1997)
Televisions: 4.75 million
Transportation
Railways:
total: 14,400 km in common carrier service; does not include
industrial lines
broad gauge: 14,400 km 1.520-m gauge (3,299 km electrified) (1997)
Highways:
total: 141,000 km
paved: 104,200 km
unpaved: 36,800 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 3,900 km on the Syrdariya (Syr Darya) and Ertis
(Irtysh)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,850 km; refined products 1,500 km; natural
gas 3,480 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen
(Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)
Airports: 10 (1997 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (1997 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Military
Military branches: General Purpose Forces (Army), Air Force,
Border Guards, Navy, Republican Guard
Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 4,450,258 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 3,550,645 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 155,767 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $232.4 million (1998)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1% (1998)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet
determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and
Turkmenistan; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory
enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome
Illicit drugs: significant illicit cultivation of cannabis and
limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug
ephedrone); limited government eradication program; cannabis
consumed largely in the CIS; used as transshipment point for illicit
drugs to Russia, North America, and Western Europe from Southwest
Asia
======================================================================
@Kenya
-----
Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between
Somalia and Tanzania
Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 582,650 sq km
land: 569,250 sq km
water: 13,400 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Land boundaries:
total: 3,446 km
border countries: Ethiopia 830 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km,
Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km
Coastline: 536 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
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: gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barites,
rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife
Land use:
arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 37%
forests and woodland: 30%
other: 25% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 660 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: recurring drought in northern and eastern
regions; flooding during rainy seasons
Environment--current issues: water pollution from urban and
industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use
of pesticides and fertilizers; deforestation; soil erosion;
desertification; poaching
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation,
Nuclear Test Ban, 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 on
Mt. Kenya; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife
of scientific and economic value
People
Population: 28,808,658 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 6,244,321; female 6,104,181)
15-64 years: 54% (male 7,845,083; female 7,826,442)
65 years and over: 3% (male 343,449; female 445,182) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.59% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 30.8 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 14.58 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 59.07 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.02 years
male: 46.56 years
female: 47.49 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.88 children born/woman (1999 est.)
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 38%, Roman Catholic 28%, indigenous beliefs
26%, Muslim 7%, other 1%
Languages: English (official), Swahili (official), numerous
indigenous languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.1%
male: 86.3%
female: 70% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya
former: British East Africa
Data code: KE
Government type: republic
Capital: Nairobi
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 area*; Central,
Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley,
Western
Independence: 12 December 1963 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 December (1963)
Constitution: 12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964;
reissued with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, and 1997
Legal system: based on English common law, tribal law, and
Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982
making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI (since 14
October 1978); note--the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI (since 14
October 1978); note--the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote from among the members
of the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 29
December 1997 (next to be held by early 2003); vice president
appointed by the president
election results: President Daniel T. arap MOI reelected; percent of
vote--Daniel T. arap MOI (KANU) 40.12%, Mwai KIBAKI (DP) 31.09%,
Raila ODINGA (NDP) 10.2%, Michael WAMALWA (FORD-Kenya) 8.29%,
Charity NGILU (SDP) 7.71%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (222
seats, 12 appointed by the president, 210 members elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 29 December 1997 (next to be held between 1
December 2002 and 30 April 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--KANU
107, FORD-A 1, FORD-K 17, FORD-People 3, DP 39, NDP 21, SDP 15,
SAFINA 5, smaller parties 2; seats appointed by the president--KANU
6, FORD-Kenya 1, DP 2, SDP 1, NDP 1, SAFINA 1
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, chief justice is appointed by
the president; High Court
Political parties and leaders:
Toroitich arap MOI]
SHIKUKU, chairman]; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya or
MWANDAWIRO, secretary general]
Political pressure groups and leaders: National Convention
Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political
Catholic and other Christian churches; human rights groups; labor
unions; Muslim organizations; Protestant National Council of
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC,
EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
MINURSO, MONUA, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary),
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMOP, UNOMIL, UNOMSIL, UNPREDEP,
UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel K. CHEMAI
chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Prudence B. BUSHNELL
embassy: USAID Building, The Crescent, Parklands, Nairobi (temporary
location)
mailing address: P. O. Box 30137, Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top),
red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's
shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center
Economy
Economy--overview: Since 1993, the government of Kenya has
implemented a program of economic liberalization and reform. Steps
have included the removal of import licensing and price controls,
removal of foreign exchange controls, fiscal and monetary restraint,
and reduction of the public sector through privatizing publicly
owned companies and downsizing the civil service. With the support
of the World Bank, IMF, and other donors, these reforms have led to
a turnaround in economic performance following a period of negative
growth in the early 1990s. Kenya's real GDP grew at 5% in 1995 and
4% in 1996, and inflation remained under control. Growth slowed in
1997-98. Political violence damaged the tourist industry, and the
IMF allowed Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program to lapse
due to the government's failure to enact reform conditions and to
adequately address public sector corruption. Moreover, El Nino rains
destroyed crops and damaged an already crumbling infrastructure in
1997 and 1998. Long-term barriers to development include electricity
shortages, the government's continued and inefficient dominance of
key sectors, endemic corruption, and the country's high population
growth rate.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$43.9 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 1.6% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,550 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 29%
industry: 17%
services: 54% (1997)
Population below poverty line: 42% (1992 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.2%
highest 10%: 47.7% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1998)
Labor force: 9.2 million (1998 est.)
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 75%-80%, nonagriculture
20%-25%
Unemployment rate: 50% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.6 billion
expenditures: $2.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)
Industries: small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture,
batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products
processing; oil refining, cement; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 3.8% (1995)
Electricity--production: 3.81 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 10.5%
hydro: 81.63%
nuclear: 0%
other: 7.87% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 3.985 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 175 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: coffee, tea, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit,
vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs
Exports: $2 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports--commodities: tea 18%, coffee 15%, petroleum products
(1995)
Exports--partners: Uganda 16.1%, Tanzania 12.8%, UK 10.4%, Germany
7.5% (1996)
Imports: $3.05 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports--commodities: machinery and transportation equipment 31%,
consumer goods 13%, petroleum products 12% (1995)
Imports--partners: UK 13.2%, UAE 8.2%, South Africa 7.6%, Germany
7.4% (1996)
Debt--external: $6.45 billion (1997 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $642.8 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Kenyan shilling (KSh) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Kenyan shillings (KSh) per US$1--61.802 (January
1999), 60.367 (1998), 58.732 (1997), 57.115 (1996), 51.430 (1995),
56.051 (1994)
Fiscal year: 1 July--30 June
Communications
Telephones: 383,676 (1997); 3,077 cellular telephone subscribers
(1998)
Telephone system:
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth stations--4 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 24, FM 7, shortwave 2
Radios: 5 million
Television broadcast stations: 8 (of which six are
government-controlled and two are commercial) (1997)
Televisions: 500,000
Transportation
Railways:
total: 2,652 km
narrow gauge: 2,652 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways:
total: 63,800 km
paved: 8,868 km
unpaved: 54,932 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: part of the Lake Victoria system is within the
boundaries of Kenya
Pipelines: petroleum products 483 km
Ports and harbors: Kisumu, Lamu, Mombasa
Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,883 GRT/6,255 DWT
ships by type: oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 232 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 21
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 14 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 211
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 113
under 914 m: 83 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary General
Service Unit of the Police
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 7,094,151 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 4,397,008 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $197 million (FY98/99)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1.9% (FY98/99)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: administrative boundary with Sudan does
not coincide with international boundary
Illicit drugs: widespread harvesting of small, wild plots of
marijuana and qat (chat); transit country for South Asian heroin
destined for Europe and, sometimes, North America; Indian
methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa
======================================================================
@Kingman Reef
------------
Geography
Location: Oceania, reef in the North Pacific Ocean, about
one-half of the way from Hawaii to American Samoa
Geographic coordinates: 6 24 N, 162 24 W
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 1 sq km
land: 1 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative: about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 3 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical, but moderated by prevailing winds
Terrain: low and nearly level
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 1 m
Natural resources: none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1996)