Natural resources of Kazakhstan

Water resources of Kazakhstan

There are 7 rivers in Kazakhstan, the total length of which is more than 1000 km: Irtysh, Ishim, Ural, Syrdarya, Tobol, Ili, Chu.

There are more than 40 thousand lakes in Kazakhstan, 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. Almost all lakes fielddrainless, the water in the desert zone of the lakes is salty, salt mining is carried out in the lakes. Lakes are found in almost all natural zones, but the quantity and quality of water is not the same, as follows: in the forest-steppe zone there are about 740 lakes, in the steppe zone there are over 1870 lakes, in the semi-desert zone - 216 lakes, in the desert zone - 142 lakes. Total surface lakes of Kazakhstan reaches 45 thousand km. square. The largest lakes in Kazakhstan include Alakol, Zaysan, Tengiz, Seletyteniz, Sasykkol, Balkhash.

Minerals are one of the riches of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan ranks sixth in the world in terms of natural resource reserves. Of the 110 elements of the periodic table, 99 have been identified in the depths of Kazakhstan. The republic has a high potential in strategic raw materials - this is, first of all, oil and gas, which attracts Western countries, the USA, as well as Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Japan and China.

Kazakhstan ranks first among the CIS countries in terms of reserves of such minerals as chrome ores and lead, second in reserves of oil, silver, copper, manganese, zinc, nickel and phosphorus raw materials, third in gas, coal, gold and tin.

The republic is actively mining silver, chromites, lead and zinc. The republic ranks first among the CIS countries, second in the production of oil, coal, copper, nickel and phosphate raw materials, third in gold production.

Other countless riches of Kazakhstan include mineral, medicinal, industrial and thermal waters, which today are not fully used.

Soil and plant resources of Kazakhstan

The territory of Kazakhstan is mainly occupied by infertile soils. The plant resources of the republic are formed by forest, medicinal and fodder plants.

Kazakhstan can be called a low-forest state, since the area covered by forest is only 4,6% of the country's territory. The total forest area is 21 million hectares. About 250 species of medicinal plants are found on the territory of Kazakhstan. Medicinal plants are valuable raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry.

In Kazakhstan, 10 state nature reserves and 12 state national natural parks have been organized, the purpose of which is to preserve natural conditions for the habitat of rare animals and birds, as well as plants.

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