Turkmenistan vs. Kazakhstan
Geography
| Turkmenistan | Kazakhstan | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan | Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural (Zhayyq) River in easternmost Europe |
| Geographic coordinates | 40 00 N, 60 00 E | 48 00 N, 68 00 E |
| Map references | Asia | Asia |
| Area | total: 488,100 sq km land: 469,930 sq km water: 18,170 sq km | total: 2,724,900 sq km land: 2,699,700 sq km water: 25,200 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly more than three times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than California | slightly less than four times the size of Texas |
| Land boundaries | total: 4,158 km border countries (4): Afghanistan 804 km, Iran 1148 km, Kazakhstan 413 km, Uzbekistan 1793 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); note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km) | 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 | subtropical desert | continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid |
| Terrain | flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west | 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: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya (Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya, the lake has dropped as low as -110 m) -81 m mean elevation: 230 m | highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m mean elevation: 387 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt | 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: 72% (2018 est.) arable land: 4.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 67.8% (2018 est.) forest: 8.8% (2018 est.) other: 19.2% (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 | 19,950 sq km (2012) | 20,660 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | earthquakes; mudslides; droughts; dust storms; floods | earthquakes in the south; mudslides around Almaty |
| Environment - current issues | contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salination, water logging of soil due to poor irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large share of the flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to that river's inability to replenish the Aral Sea; soil erosion; desertification | 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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, 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; the western and central low-lying desolate portions of the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert, which occupies over 80% of the country; eastern part is plateau | 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 | 24.765 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 108.41 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | the most densely populated areas are the southern, eastern, and northeastern oases; approximately 50% of the population lives in and around the capital of Ashgabat | 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
