Kyrgyzstan vs. Kazakhstan
Geography
| Kyrgyzstan | Kazakhstan | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central Asia, west of China, south of Kazakhstan | Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural (Zhayyq) River in easternmost Europe |
| Geographic coordinates | 41 00 N, 75 00 E | 48 00 N, 68 00 E |
| Map references | Asia | Asia |
| Area | total: 199,951 sq km land: 191,801 sq km water: 8,150 sq km | total: 2,724,900 sq km land: 2,699,700 sq km water: 25,200 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than South Dakota | slightly less than four times the size of Texas |
| Land boundaries | total: 4,573 km border countries (4): China 1063 km, Kazakhstan 1212 km, Tajikistan 984 km, Uzbekistan 1314 km | total: 13,364 km border countries (5): China 1765 km, Kyrgyzstan 1212 km, Russia 7644 km, Turkmenistan 413 km, Uzbekistan 2330 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 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) |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan Mountains; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone | continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid |
| Terrain | peaks of the Tien Shan mountain range and associated valleys and basins encompass the entire country | 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 extremes | highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m lowest point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m mean elevation: 2,988 m | highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m mean elevation: 387 m |
| Natural resources | abundant hydropower; gold, rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc | 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: 55.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 6.7% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.4% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 48.3% (2018 est.) forest: 5.1% (2018 est.) other: 39.5% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 77.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 8.9% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 68.5% (2018 est.) forest: 1.2% (2018 est.) other: 21.4% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 10,233 sq km (2012) | 20,660 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | major flooding during snow melt; prone to earthquakes | earthquakes in the south; mudslides around Almaty |
| Environment - current issues | water pollution; many people get their water directly from contaminated streams and wells; as a result, water-borne diseases are prevalent; increasing soil salinity from faulty irrigation practices; air pollution due to rapid increase of traffic | 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; desertification; 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | landlocked; entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range; 94% of the country is 1,000 m above sea level with an average elevation of 2,750 m; many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes | 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 |
| Total renewable water resources | 23.618 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 108.41 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | the vast majority of Kyrgyzstanis live in rural areas; densest population settlement is to the north in and around the capital, Bishkek, followed by Osh in the west; the least densely populated area is the east, southeast in the Tien Shan mountains | 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 |
Source: CIA Factbook
