5.1.1 Read and translate the text The Republic of Kazakhstan

The Republic of Kazakhstan is a sovereign independent state in the center of the Eurasian continent. It is the second largest of the former Soviet Republics, extending some 1,900 km from the Volga river in the west to the Altai mountains in the east and about 1,300 km from the Siberian plain in the north to the Central Asian deserts in the south. To the south it borders the Republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. To the east there is an international frontier with the People’s Republic of China. There is a long border in the north with the Russian Federation and a 2,320 coastline on the Caspian Sea in the south-west. The total area is 2,717,300 sq km, and in the ninth place in the world by its territory size. The landscape of Kazakhstan is diverse. The northern forest-steppe becomes steppe, semi-desert and desert in the south. The Western regions are dominated by the lowlands of the Caspian Depression, which is drained by the river Ural. To the east of the western lowlands is the vast Turan plain, much of which is sparsely inhabited desert. On the eastern and south-eastern borders there are high mountain rangers. The major rivers are the Irtysh, which rises in the north-east of the Republic and flows north, across Siberia, and empties into the Arctic Ocean; the Ural, in the west, which flows south into the Caspian Sea; and the Syrdarya which rises in the Tien Shan mountain range and empties into the Aral Sea. The waters of the Syrdarya have been extensively used for irrigation, causing serious desiccation of the Aral Sea. The climate of Kazakhstan varies widely throughout the country. Average January temperatures range from -19° C in the north to -3°C in the south, but temperatures in northern regions may fall as low as -40°C or below.

Kazakhstan’s relatively developed economic structure is based on its vast deposits of natural resources such as iron ore, oil and natural gas. In addition Kazakhstan is a major producer and exporter of agricultural products – primarily grain, wool and meat. The main branches of industry are metallurgy, production of heavy machinery, industrial equipment, chemicals, textiles and processed foods. National currency of Kazakhstan is tenge introduced in 1993.

Kazakhstan can be divided into 5 main zones, according to climatic and economic conditions. They are: Eastern, Northern, Central, Southern, Western Kazakhstan. The population of Eastern Kazakhstan is about 1,7 mln. people. The main cities are Semipalatinsk, Oskemen, Zyrianovsk. The region is rich in polymetal ores, containing lead, zink, copper and gold, silver. The main branches of industry are metallurgy and production of heavy machinery, non-ferrous metallurgy, machine-building, timber cutting. Northern Kazakhstan is the granary of the country, about three quarters of agricultural land is used for grain production. The useful minerals are deposits of iron, hard coal, limestone. Industries include machine-building, instrumental plants, food-processing. Central Kazakhstan covers the territory of 398 square km. The main cities are Karaganda, Dzeskazgan, Temirtau. The population is overwhelmingly urban – more than 80% live in cities. The region is famous for hard coal deposits, about 30% of the Republic’s hard coal stocks are concentrated in Central Kazakhstan. Highly developed industries: are ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, chemical industry, construction industry. In Southern Kazakhstan agriculture is developed. The population density is the highest in the Republic. The main cities are: Kyzylorda, Aralsk, Taraz. The region is the main centre of irrigated viticulture, with well-developed cotton, sugar, beet and rice growing. Western Kazakhstan is mainly famous for its mineral resources, such as oil, gas and chromate, copper. The Tengiz oil-field is one of the largest in the world. The region attracts foreign investors to stimulate the development of the industry in the region.