Geography of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is a state in Central Asia, which is located between the Caspian Sea, the Lower Volga region, the Urals, Siberia, China and Central Asia. Kazakhstan is the largest country that does not have access to the World Ocean. Geographically, Kazakhstan is equally distant from both the Pacific and Atlantic, as well as from the Arctic oceans. In relation to the equator, Kazakhstan is located in the northern hemisphere. In terms of its size on the Eurasian continent, Kazakhstan ranks 4th after Russia, India and China, and among the CIS countries it ranks 2nd after Russia. In the north and west, Kazakhstan borders with Russia, in the east with China, in the south with Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The total length of land borders is 13392,6 km.

 Nature of Kazakhstan.

Most of the country's territory is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts, steppes occupy 35 percent of the territory of Kazakhstan, and a small part of the territory is occupied by forests. The Kazakh small hills are located in the central regions of the country. The northern part of Kazakhstan is located on the West Siberian Plain. The western part of the country is occupied by the Caspian Lowland. In the southeast and northeast, Kazakhstan is surrounded by some of the largest mountain systems in the world, Altai and Tien Shan.

 The Kazakhstani part of Altai occupies almost a tenth of the territory of the entire republic. The Kazakh part of the Altai-Sayan mountain system includes Southern Altai, Western Altai and the Kalbinsky ridge. The Tien Shan mountains are located in the southeast of Kazakhstan; the Kazakh part includes the northern, western and central Tien Shan. The length of the Tien Shan from west to east is 2500 km.

The water resources of Kazakhstan include 7 rivers, the total length of which is more than 1000 km: Irtysh, Ishim, Ural, Syrdarya, Tobol, Ili, Chu. And 12 rivers, the total length of which is more than 500 km, about 7 thousand rivers, the length of which exceeds the 10 km mark. Most of the rivers in Kazakhstan flow into the Caspian and Aral Seas, and only the Irtysh, Ishim, and Tobol bring their waters to the Kara Sea. There are more than 40 thousand lakes in Kazakhstan, and over 4000 reservoirs have been built in which fresh water reserves are accumulated. A large number of lakes are located in the Caspian and Turan lowlands, the West Siberian Plain, in the low mountains of Saryarka and the southeastern mountainous regions. The seas of Kazakhstan are unique in nature. Each of them has its own peculiarity. The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water in the world, which is located between Europe and Asia, washing the western part of Kazakhstan, as well as the shores of Russia, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan. The Aral Sea is an endorheic salt lake, which is located in Central Asia on the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan; today the sea is an environmental disaster.

 Climate of Kazakhstan.

In general, the climate of Kazakhstan is characterized as sharply continental. The weather in different parts of the country can vary dramatically due to the large area. The country is located in the southern part of the temperate climate zone. The seasons on its territory are clearly defined.

 Fauna of Kazakhstan.

The fauna of Kazakhstan includes 490 species of birds, 172 species of mammals, more than 100 species of fish, 51 species reptiles, 12 species of amphibians, the world of invertebrates is also very rich - more than 50 thousand species (insects alone have more than 30 thousand species). In Kazakhstan, along with all known animals, birds and insects, there are quite rare forms of life: for example, reptiles such as the Danatine toad or the Alai gologla. Rare animal species include the snow leopard, stone marten, Turkestan lynx, and argali. To preserve the unique flora and fauna, protected areas were created on the territory of Kazakhstan. The main objectives of which are to preserve the picturesque landscape in its natural state; study of flora and fauna; creating appropriate conditions for restoring the numbers of many species of rare and endangered animals and plants. Rare species of Kazakhstan's fauna have been preserved in protected areas; many species of endangered animals have found their refuge there.