Subzonobiome VIIa of the Arid Semi-Deserts and Deserts of Kazakhstan

Abstract

Kazakhstan is a political unit encompassing a very extensive area. It stretches from 55.5°N to 41°N (1500km) and from 46.5°E to 87.3°E (3000km), covering a total of 2.7 million km² (Fig. 4.1). The western part of Kasakhstan, which forms part of the Caspian Depression, and the northern region, which is a continuation southwards of the Siberian steppe zone, are not dealt with in this section. The former has been considered in Part 3 of this volume, while the latter, the steppe zone, was settled and turned into farmland as part of a large-scale agricultural scheme before any ecological investigation had been made of the area. After several years of good rainfall, yields were satisfactory; these were followed, however, by a long period of drought when harvests failed completely, showing that agriculture is an unprofitable undertaking in this region.