Country
Kazakhstan Kuwait
Leader
Population
17,522,010 2,646,314
Life Expectancy
69.630 years 77.280 years
Capital City
Astana Kuwait
Largest city
Almaty (population: 2,000,900) As Salimiyah (population: 147,649)
Human Development Index
0.807 0.912 GDP per capita $13,200 US $42,200 US
Literacy Rate
99.5% 93.3%
Corruption Perception Index
2.2 4.3
Percentage of Women in Parliament
12.3% 3.1% Wealthiest Citizens Alijan Ibragimov ($1.2bn US) Nasser Al-Kharafi & family ($8.1bn US) Unemployment Rate 5.400% 2.200%
Death Penalty
NA Legal
Political System
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch constitutional emirate
Independence date
16 December 1991 (from Soviet Union) 19 June 1961 (from UK) Religions Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7% Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shia 30%), other (includes Christian, Hindu, Parsi) 15% Languages Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 95% (2001 est.) Arabic (official), English widely spoken Exports oil and oil products 59%, ferrous metals 19%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001) oil and refined products, fertilizers External Debt $122,900,000,000 $ $41,730,000,000 US Exchange Rate tenge (KZT) per US dollar - 120.25 (2008 est.), 122.55 (2007), 126.09 (2006), 132.88 (2005), 136.04 (2004) Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US dollar - 0.2679 (2008 est.), 0.2844 (2007), 0.29 (2006), 0.292 (2005), 0.2947 (2004) Military Budget as percentage of GDP 1.100% 5.300% Beijing Olympics Medal Count 13 0 Location Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural River in eastern-most Europe Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia Area 2,724,900 km sq 17,818 km sq Coastline 0 km 499 km Climate continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
