Location:
Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural (Zhayyq) River in easternmost Europe

Geographic coordinates:
48 00 N, 68 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 2,724,900 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 2,699,700 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 25,200 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 10

Area - comparative:
slightly less than four times the size of Texas
Area comparison map: slightly less than four times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 13,364 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (5): China 1,765 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,212 km, Russia 7,644 km, Turkmenistan 413 km, Uzbekistan 2,330 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked); note - Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km)
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
More Climate Details

Terrain:
vast flat steppe extending from the Volga in the west to the Altai Mountains in the east and from the plains of western Siberia in the north to oases and deserts of Central Asia in the south

Elevation:
mean elevation: 387 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m

Natural resources:
major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium

Land use:
agricultural land: 77.4% arable land 8.9%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 68.5%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 1.2%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 21.4% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
20,660 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population - distribution:
most of the country displays a low population density, particularly the interior; population clusters appear in urban agglomerations in the far northern and southern portions of the country

Natural hazards:
earthquakes in the south; mudslides around Almaty

Environment - current 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 that 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

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:
world's largest landlocked country and one of only two landlocked countries in the world that extends into two continents (the other is Azerbaijan); Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004, Kazakhstan and Russia extended the lease to 2050