Kazakhstan is located in the center of the Eurasian continent. Occupying 2 million 724.9 thousand square kilometers, the country is in ninth place in terms of area among the countries of the world. In the north and west, the republic shares borders with Russia, in the east with China, in the south with Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
In terms of the richness of its mineral resources and their diversity, Kazakhstan is included in the group of countries rich in minerals. The mineral resource base of which is formed by deposits of the fuel and energy complex, ferrous, non-ferrous, noble and rare metals. The Republic ranks first in the world in terms of proven reserves of zinc, tungsten and barite, second - silver, lead and chromite, third - copper and fluorite, fourth - molybdenum, sixth - gold.
The current state of the mineral resource base of Kazakhstan is one of the world's leading countries in terms of the richness of its mineral resources and their diversity.
The mineral resource complex is of strategic importance for the country, as it accounts for up to 70% of GDP and most of the foreign exchange earnings. Kazakhstan is a major exporter of energy raw materials, ferrous, non-ferrous and precious metals.
In particular, Kazakhstan accounts for 41% of the world's uranium and 16% of chromium.
The most significant reserves are hydrocarbons, uranium, coal, ferrous metals, which, with rational use, can still be the basis of the economic and industrial development of the republic for a considerable time: from 50-80 (hydrocarbons, chromium, iron) to 100 years or more (uranium, coal, manganese).
