Kazakhstan

Allen Krueger - Anthropologist Daryl Burleigh - Comic Christal Vitko - story teller
 * Kristen Loughney - News Reporter

View a funny [|comic] about Genghis Khan

News from the South Pacific: [|http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/a]**

Google Earth for Kazahkstan
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=48.019573,66.923685&z=5&t=h&hl=en

( Wed ) || -4 || 0 || ||   || snow, fog ||   || ( Thu ) || -4 || -1 || ||   ||^   ||^   ||^   || snow, fog ||   || ( Fri ) || -6 || -1 || ||   || partly cloudy ||   ||   || Minimum || Daily Maximum ||^  ||^   || [|sia-pacific/default.stm]
 * ===Weather Forecast=== ||
 * //Issued at 15:30 (Local time) 24 Feb 2009// || Date |||| Temperature [|o__C__] |||| Weather ||
 * ^  || Minimum || Maximum ||^   ||^   ||
 * 25 Feb
 * 26 Feb
 * 27 Feb
 * || >> || Click [|here] for temperatures in oF ||  ||
 * Climatological Information ||
 * ||  || Month |||| Mean Temperature [|o__C__] || Mean Total Rainfall (mm) || Mean Number of Rain Days ||
 * ^  || Daily
 * ||  || Month |||| Mean Temperature [|o__C__] || Mean Total Rainfall (mm) || Mean Number of Rain Days ||
 * ^  || Daily
 * Jan || -11.1 || -1.3 || 33 || 7.6 ||
 * Feb || -9.5 || 0.2 || <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">38 ||^  ||^   || 9.1 ||
 * Mar || <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">-2.4 || <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">7.1 || <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">62 || 15.7 ||
 * Apr || <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">5.6 || <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">16.5 || <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">109 || 20.4 ||
 * May || <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">10.9 || <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">21.7 || <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">104 || 20.0 ||
 * Jun || <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">15.2 || <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">26.5 || <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">58 || 13.1 ||
 * Jul || <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">17.6 || <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">29.7 || <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">35 || 8.8 ||
 * Aug || <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">16.3 || <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">28.8 || <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">27 || 6.3 ||
 * Sep || <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">11.0 || <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">23.4 || <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">28 || 6.7 ||
 * Oct || <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">4.6 || <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">15.9 || <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">59 || 11.3 ||
 * Nov || <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">-3.3 || <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">6.2 || <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">51 || 11.9 ||
 * Dec || <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">-8.8 || <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">0.4 || <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">37 || 9.1** ||  ||   ||

Transnational Issues
Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary delimitation with Kazakhstan; field demarcation of the boundaries with Turkmenistan commenced in 2005, and with Uzbekistan in 2004; demarcation is scheduled to get underway with Russia in 2007; demarcation with China was completed in 2002; creation of a seabed boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains under discussion; equidistant seabed treaties have been ratified with Azerbaijan and Russia in the Caspian Sea, but no resolution has been made on dividing the water column among any of the littoral states Refugees and internally displaced persons 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
 * //Disputes - International//
 * //refugees// (country of origin): 5,000 (Russia) (2006)
 * //Illicit drugs//

News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6668229.stm

Until recently, the constitution sated that a president can only serve two consecutive terms. However, Parliament voted to do away with term limits allowing President Nazarbayev to remain president indefinitely. n June, Nazarbayev dissolved parliament and called for elections in August, two years ahead of schedule. The opposition complained that the move did not give them adequate time to campaign.As its economy blossoms, Kazakhstan's democratic principles continue to wither. In the past several years, the president has harassed the independent media, arrested opposition leaders, and passed a law making it virtually impossible for new political parties to form

China Buys up More Kazakhstan Oil http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6086556.stm

In 2000, oil was discovered in Kazakhstan's portion of the Caspian Sea. It is believed to be the largest in the last 30 years. Because of this discovery, "China has moved to increase its energy supplies by spending $1.9bn on Kazakh Oil reserves." Also, the US is a major investor in Kazakhstan's oil and gas industry. The US is expected to pump more than 3.5 million barrels of oil a day in the coming decade.Has the potential to become one of Central Asia's richest countries because of its huge mineral and oil reserves and its liberalized economy.