Location: Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural River in eastern-most Europe Area: total: 2,717,300 sq km land: 2,669,800 sq km water: 47,500 sq km Climate: continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid Terrain: extend from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia Capital: Astana Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities (qala, singular - qalasy); Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy, Aqmola Oblysy (Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy, Mangghystau Oblysy (Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy, Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz) Population: 15,185,844 (2005 est.) Ethnic groups: Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Tatar 1.7%, Uygur 1.4%, other 4.9% Nationality: noun: Kazakhstani(s) adjective: Kazakhstani Languages: Kazakh (Qazaq, state language), Russian (official, used in everyday business) Religions: Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7% Literacy: 98.4%

Government type: republic Executive branch: • chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (elected president December 1991) • head of government: Prime Minister Daniyal AKHMETOV (since June 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Akhmetzhan YESIMOV (since May 2004) • cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president • elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term National Holiday: 16 December (1991) ACD Member: ACD Member since 2003 Prime Mover (PM) on Working Group: None Co-Prime Mover on Working Group: Energy Security, Agriculture, Transport Linkage Kazakhstan government official web site : www.government.kz

Currency (code): tenge (KZT) GDP: $132.7 billion (2005 est.) GDP per capita: $8,700 (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: oil and oil products, ferrous metals, chemicals, machinery , grain,wool, meat, coal Exports - partners: Russia , Bermuda , Germany , China , France , Italy Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, metal products, foodstuffs Imports - partners: Russia , China , Germany , France , Ukraine Agriculture - products: grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock Industries: oil, coal, iron ore, managanses, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfer, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinany electric motors, construction materials Source: The World Fact Book 2005 (www.cia.gov)