Map of Kazakhstan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Ethnic Kazakhs a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated to the region by the 13th century were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. Soviet policies reduced the number of ethnic Kazakhs in the 1930s and enabled non-ethnic Kazakhs to outnumber natives. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural 'Virgin Lands' program Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians but also some other deported nationalities) further skewed the ethnic mixture. Non-Muslim ethnic minorities departed Kazakhstan in large numbers from the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s and a national program has repatriated about a million ethnic Kazakhs back to Kazakhstan. These trends have allowed Kazakhs to become the titular majority again. This dramatic demographic shift has also undermined the previous religious diversity and made the country more than 70% Muslim. Kazakhstan's economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states largely due to the country's vast natural resources. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets diversifying the economy enhancing Kazakhstan's economic competitiveness and strengthening relations with neighboring states and foreign powers.


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Location: Central Asia northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural (Zhayyq) River in easternmost Europe

Geographic coordinates: 48 00 N 68 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 2,724,900 km²
Land: 2,699,700 km²
Water: 25,200 km²
Rank: 10
Comparative: slightly less than four times the size of Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 13,364 km
Border countries: (5) China 1765 km; Kyrgyzstan 1212 km; Russia 7,644 km; Turkmenistan 413 km; Uzbekistan 2,330 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked); note - Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea now split into two bodies of water (1070 km) and the Caspian Sea (1894 km)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: continental cold winters and hot summers arid and semiarid

Terrain: 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
Mean elevation: 387 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m: highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m

Natural resources: 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: 77.4%
Forest: 1.2%
Other: 21.4%

Irrigated land: 20,660 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: earthquakes in the south; mudslides around Almaty

Geography
Note: 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 km² of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004 Kazakhstan and Russia extended the lease to 2,050


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Population
Distribution: 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: 18,556,698 (July 2017 est.)
Rank: 62
Growth rate: 1.04% (2017 est.)
Growth rate rank: 116
Below poverty line: 2.7% (2015 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Kazakhstani
Adjective: Kazakhstani

Ethnic groups: Kazakh (Qazaq) 63.1% Russian 23.7% Uzbek 2.9% Ukrainian 2.1% Uighur 1.4% Tatar 1.3% German 1.1% other 4.4% (2009 est.)

Languages: Kazakh (official Qazaq) 74% (understand spoken language) Russian (official used in everyday business designated the 'language of interethnic communication') 94.4% (understand spoken language) (2009 est.)

Religions: Muslim 70.2% Christian 26.2% (mainly Russian Orthodox) other 0.2% atheist 2.8% unspecified 0.5% (2009 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 25.91%
15-24 years: 14.05%
25-54 years: 42.42%
55-64 years: 9.97%
65 years and over: 7.65% (2017 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.4
Youth dependency ratio: 40.3
Elderly dependency ratio: 10.2
Potential support ratio: 9.8

Median age
Total: 30.6 years
Male: 29.3 years
Female: 31.9 years
Rank: 113

Population growth rate: 1.04% (2017 est.)
Rank: 116

Birth rate: 18.1 births/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 98

Death rate: 8.1 deaths/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 88

Net migration rate: 0.4 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 64

Population distribution: 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

Urbanization
Urban population: 53.2% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.94% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: Almaty 1.523 million; ASTANA (capital) 759,000 (2015)

Environment
Current issues: 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; soil pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals and salination from poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices
International agreements party to: Air Pollution Biodiversity Climate Change Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 0.94 male/female
0-14 years: 0.98 male/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male/female
25-54 years: 0.95 male/female
55-64 years: 0.78 male/female
65 years and over: 0.53 male/female
Total population: 0.92 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 25 years (2014 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 19.6 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 22.3 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 17.2 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 82

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.1 years
Male: 65.9 years
Female: 76 years
Rank: 152

Total fertility rate: 2.25 children born/woman (2017 est.)
Rank: 94

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 55.7% (2015)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 3.27 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 7.2 beds/1000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2016 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 90
People living with hivaids: 26,000 (2016 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 68
Deaths: 1000 (2016 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21% (2016)
Rank: 94

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2% (2015)
Rank: 100

Education expenditures: 3.1% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 138

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.8%
Male: 99.8%
Female: 99.8%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years
Male: 15 years
Female: 15 years

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan
Conventional short form: Kazakhstan
Local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy
Local short form: Qazaqstan
Former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
Etymology: the name 'Kazakh' derives from the Turkic word 'kaz' meaning 'to wander' recalling the Kazakh's nomadic lifestyle; the Persian suffix '-stan' means 'place of' or 'country' so the word Kazakhstan literally means 'Land of the Wanderers'

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Astana
Geographic coordinates: 51 10 N 71 25 E
Time difference: UTC+6
Note: Kazakhstan has two time zones

Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (oblyslar singular - oblys) and 2 cities* (qalalar singular - qala); Almaty (Taldyqorghan) Almaty* Aqmola (Kokshetau) Aqtobe Astana* Atyrau Batys Qazaqstan [West Kazakhstan] (Oral) Mangghystau (Aqtau) Ongtustik Qazaqstan [South Kazakhstan] (Shymkent) Pavlodar Qaraghandy Qostanay Qyzylorda Shyghys Qazaqstan [East Kazakhstan] (Oskemen) Soltustik Qazaqstan [North Kazakhstan] (Petropavl) Zhambyl (Taraz)
Note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers ; in 1995 the Governments of Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 km² enclosing the Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (Baykonur formerly Leninsk); in 2004 a new agreement extended the lease to 2,050

Dependent areas

Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day 16 December (1991)

Constitution
History: previous 1937 1978 1993; latest approved by referendum 30 August 1995 effective 5 September 1995
Amendments: proposed by the president of the republic on the recommendation of Parliament or the government; the president has the option of submitting draft amendments to Parliament or directly to a referendum; passage of amendments to Parliament requires three-fourths majority vote of both houses and the signature of the president; passage by referendum requires absolute majority vote by more than one-half of the voters in at least two-thirds of the oblasts major cities and the capital followed by the signature of the president; amended several times last in 2017

Legal system: civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and by the theory and practice of the Russian Federation

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Kazakhstan
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Nursultan Abishuly NAZARBAYEV
Head of government: Prime Minister Bakytzhan SAGINTAYEV ; First Deputy Prime Minister Askar MAMIN (since 13 September 2016)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term ; election last held on 26 April 2015 (next to be held in 2020); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president approved by the Mazhilis; note - constitutional amendments in May 2007 shortened the presidential term from 7 to 5 years and established a 2-consecutive-term limit; NAZARBAYEV has official status as the 'First President of Kazakhstan' and is allowed unlimited terms
Election results: Nursultan Abishuly NAZARBAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Nursultan Abishuly NAZARBAYEV 97.8% other 2.2%

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate and the Mazhilis (107 seats; 98 members directly elected in a single national constituency by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms and 9 indirectly elected by the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan a 350-member presidentially appointed advisory body designed to represent the country's ethnic minorities)
Elections: Senate - last held on 28 June 2017 ; Mazhilis - last held on 20 March 2016 (next to be held by 2021)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Nur Otan 16; Mazhilis - percent of vote by party - Nur Otan 82.2% Ak Zhol 7.2% Communist People's Party 7.1% other 3.5%; seats by party - Nur Otan 84 Ak Zhol 7 Communist People's Party 7

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court of the Republic ; Constitutional Council (consists of 7 members)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges proposed by the president of the republic on recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council and confirmed by the Senate; judges normally serve until age 65 but can be extended to age 70; Constitutional Council - the president of the republic the Senate chairperson and the Majilis chairperson each appoints 1 member for a 3-year term and each appoints 1 member for a 6-year term; chairperson of the Constitutional Council appointed by the president of the republic for a 6-year term
Subordinate courts: regional and local courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ADB CICA CIS CSTO EAEU EAPC EBRD ECO EITI (compliant country) FAO GCTU IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU MIGA MINURSO NAM (observer) NSG OAS (observer) OIC OPCW OSCE PFP SCO UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO (observer) ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Erzhar KAZYKHANOV
In the us chancery: 1401 16th Street NW Washington DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] 232-5,488
In the us FAX: [1] 232-5,845
In the us consulate general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador George KROL
From the us embassy: Rakhymzhan Koshkarbayev Ave. No 3 Astana 10,010
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [7] 70-21-00
From the us FAX: [7] 54-09-14
From the us Consulate General: Almaty

Flag description: a gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle both centered on a sky blue background; the hoist side displays a national ornamental pattern 'koshkar-muiz' (the horns of the ram) in gold; the blue color is of religious significance to the Turkic peoples of the country and so symbolizes cultural and ethnic unity; it also represents the endless sky as well as water; the sun a source of life and energy exemplifies wealth and plenitude; the sun's rays are shaped like grain which is the basis of abundance and prosperity; the eagle has appeared on the flags of Kazakh tribes for centuries and represents freedom power and the flight to the future

National symbols: golden eagle; national colors: blue yellow

National anthem
Name: 'Menin Qazaqstanim'
Lyrics and music: Zhumeken NAZHIMEDENOV and Nursultan NAZARBAYEV/Shamshi KALDAYAKOV
Note: adopted 2006; President Nursultan NAZARBAYEV played a role in revising the lyrics

National heritage


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Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 42

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 170

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 77

Gross national saving:
Rank: 78

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 55.8%
Government consumption: 12.2%
Investment in fixed capital: 23%
Investment in inventories: 5.3%
Exports of goods and services: 33.3%
Imports of goods and services: -29.6%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4.8%
Industry: 33.9%
Services: 61.3%

Agriculture products: grain (mostly spring wheat and barley) potatoes vegetables melons; livestock

Industries: oil coal iron ore manganese chromite lead zinc copper titanium bauxite gold silver phosphates sulfur uranium iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery electric motors construction materials

Industrial production growth rate: 1.3% (2016 est.)
Rank: 134

Labor force: 8.999 million (2016 est.)
Rank: 54
By occupation agriculture: 18.1%
By occupation industry: 20.4%
By occupation services: 61.6%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 67

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 2.7% (2015 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 4.3%
Highest 10: 22%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 141

Budget
Revenues: $27.21 billion
Expenditures: $27.57 billion
Surplus or deficit: -0.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 52

Taxes and other revenues: 20.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
Rank: 149

Public debt:
Rank: 172

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 214

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 19

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 41

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 74

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 74

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 63

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 109

Current account balance:
Rank: 181

Exports:
Rank: 51
Commodities: oil and oil products natural gas ferrous metals chemicals machinery grain wool meat coal
Partners: Italy 20.3% China 11.5% Russia 9.5% Netherlands 8.9% Switzerland 7.3% France 4.9% (2016)

Imports:
Rank: 62
Commodities: machinery and equipment metal products foodstuffs
Partners: Russia 36.2% China 14.5% Germany 5.7% US 5.1% (2016)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 50

Debt external:
Rank: 39

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 36

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 49

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100%
Production: 100.4 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Production rank: 36
Consumption: 95.26 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Consumption rank: 34
Exports: 1.614 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Exports rank: 47
Imports: 1.618 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Imports rank: 58
Installed generating capacity: 22.06 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 39
Generation sources fossil fuels: 86.1% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 74
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 124
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 13.3% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 111
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0.8% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 145

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 1.595 million bbl/day (2016 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 16
Crude oil exports: 1.292 million bbl/day (2016 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 13
Crude oil imports: 145,800 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 37
Crude oil proven reserves: 30 billion bbl (1 January 2017 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 12

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 228,600 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products production rank: 47
Products consumption: 186,300 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 57
Products exports: 846 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 109
Products imports: 44,490 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 89

Natural gas
Production: 21.38 billion m³ (2016 est.)
Production rank: 30
Consumption: 13.1 billion m³ (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 50
Exports: 13.7 billion m³ (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 20
Imports: 4.7 billion m³ (2015 est.)
Imports rank: 34
Proven reserves: 2.407 trillion m³ (1 January 2017 es)
Proven reserves rank: 15

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 257.8 million Mt (2014 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 25

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 3,931,100
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 21
Fixed lines rank: 39
Mobile cellular total: 25.395 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 138
Mobile cellular rank: 45

Telephone system
General assessment: inherited an outdated telecommunications network from the Soviet era requiring modernization
Domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; number of fixed-line connections is inadequate; mobile-cellular usage increased rapidly and the subscriber base approaches 140 per 100 persons
International: country code - 7; international traffic with other former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (2017)

Broadcast media: state owns nearly all radio and TV transmission facilities and operates national TV and radio networks; there are 3 TV channels: Kazakhstan KAZsport Balapan; and 4 radio stations: Kazakh Radiosy Shalkar Astana and Classic; some former state-owned media outlets have been privatized; households with satellite dishes have access to foreign media; a small number of commercial radio stations operate along with state-run radio stations; recent legislation requires all media outlets to register with the government and all TV providers to broadcast in digital format by 2018; broadcasts reach 98.63% of the population as well as neighboring countries (2017)

Internet
Country code: .kz
Users total: 14,100,751
Users percent of population: 76.8%
Users rank: 45

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 81

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is 2 years but Kazakhstan is transitioning to a largely contract force; military cadets in intermediate (ages 15-17) and higher (ages 17-21) education institutes are classified as military service personnel (2017)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 10
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 71
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 5,081,631
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 37,669,008 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: UP (2016)

Airports: 96 (2013)
Rank: 59
With paved runways total: 63
With paved runways over 3047 m: 10
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 25
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 15
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With paved runways under 914 m: 8
With unpaved runways total: 33
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 5
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 7
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 13

Heliports: 3 (2013)

Pipelines: condensate 658 km; gas 12,432 km; oil 11,313 km; refined products 1095 km; water 1465 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 14,184 km
Broad gauge: 14,184 km 1.520-m gauge (2014)
Rank: 19

Roadways
Total: 97,418 km
Paved: 87,140 km
Unpaved: 10,278 km
Rank: 48

Waterways: 4,000 km (on the Ertis (Irtysh) River (80%) and Syr Darya (Syrdariya) River) (2010)
Rank: 25

Merchant marine
Total: 11
By type: cargo 1 petroleum tanker 8 refrigerated cargo 1 specialized tanker 1
Foreign owned: 3 (2010)
Rank: 109

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Caspian Sea - Aqtau Atyrau (Gur'yev)
River port: Oskemen Pavlodar Semey (Semipalatinsk) (Irtysh River)


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Disputes international: Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary delimitation with Kazakhstan; field demarcation of the boundaries commenced with Uzbekistan in 2004 and with Turkmenistan in 2005; ongoing demarcation with Russia began in 2007; demarcation with China was completed in 2002; creation of a seabed boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains under discussion; Azerbaijan Kazakhstan and Russia ratified Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance while Iran continues to insist on a one-fifth slice of the sea

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Rank: li>a href='../rankorder/rankorderguide.html'>Guide to Country Comparisons
Stateless persons: 8,451

Illicit drugs: significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS markets as well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe; significant consumer of opiates