West Kazakhstan Region Explained

West Kazakhstan Region
Native Name:
Settlement Type:Region
Coordinates:51.2333°N 73°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Kazakhstan
Blank Name Sec1:Districts
Blank Info Sec1:12
Blank1 Name Sec1:Cities
Blank1 Info Sec1:2
Blank2 Name Sec1:Townships
Blank3 Name Sec1:Villages
Blank3 Info Sec1:512
Seat:Oral
Seat Type:Capital
Leader Title:Akim
Leader Name:Nariman Turegaliev[1]
Area Footnotes:[2]
Area Total Km2:151339
Demographics Type2:GDP
Demographics2 Footnotes:[3]
Demographics2 Title1:Total
Demographics2 Info1:KZT 4,435.1 billion
US$ 9.606 billion (2022)
Demographics2 Title2:Per capita
Demographics2 Info2:KZT 6,467,800
US$ 14,008 (2022)
Utc Offset1:+5
Timezone1 Dst:not observed
Utc Offset1 Dst:+5
Postal Code Type:Postal codes
Postal Code:090000
Area Code Type:Area codes
Area Code:+7 (711)
Population Footnotes:[4]
Population Total:683327
Population As Of:2022
Population Density Km2:auto
Iso Code:KZ-ZAP
Registration Plate:07, L

West Kazakhstan Region (Kazakh: Батыс Қазақстан облысы|translit=Batys Qazaqstan oblysy; Russian: Западно-Казахстанская область|translit=Zapadno-Kazakhstanskaya oblast) is a region of Kazakhstan. The region has a population of 683,327 as of 2022.[5] Its administrative centre is Oral (also known as Uralsk and Ural'sk), a city of about 200,000 inhabitants.

The Region was created as West Kazakhstan Oblast in Kazakh SSR of Soviet Union. Between 1962 and 1992 it was named Ural’sk Oblast and was renamed in 1993 to the old name following the independence of Kazakhstan from the Soviet Union.

Geography

The region borders Russia and is near the Ural Mountains. The Ural River is the border between Asia and Europe and flows from Russia to the Caspian Sea through the region, meaning the extreme west of Kazakhstan is in Eastern Europe. West Kazakhstan region borders Aktobe Region to the east and Atyrau Region to the south, in addition to the following Russian Oblasts: Astrakhan Oblast to the south-west, Volgograd Oblast to the west, Saratov Oblast to the north-west, Samara Oblast to the north and Orenburg Oblast to the north-east.

It is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude. There are numerous lakes in the region, including Shalkar, Balykty Sarkyl, Botkul and Aralsor.[6]

Demographics

As of 2020, the West Kazakhstan Region has a population of 656,844.[7]

Ethnic groups (2020):[8]

76.83%

18.86%

1.36%

1.28%

Administrative divisions

The region is divided into twelve districts and the city of Oral.[9]

NamePopulation (2019)Area (km²)Density (/km2)CapitalContinent
Oral314,657731430.45OralEurope
Akzhaik40,102 25,200 1.59 Chapaevboth
Bokey Orda15,026 19,200 0.78 SaykynEurope
Borili56,533 5,600 10.10 AksayAsia
Kaztal28,823 18,600 1.55 KaztalEurope
Karatobe15,328 10,000 1.53 KaratobeAsia
Zhanakala24,023 20,800 1.15 ZhanakalaEurope
Zhanybek16,083 8,200 1.96 ZhanybekEurope
Shyngyrlau14,598 7,200 2.03 ShyngyrlauAsia
58,595 7,400 7.92 PeremyotnoyeEurope
Syrym18,520 11,900 1.56 ZhympityAsia
Taskala16,582 8,100 2.05 TaskalaEurope
Terekti37,974 8,400 4.52 Fyodorovkaboth
Two localities in the region have town status. These are Oral and Aksay.[9]

Economy

In the first half of 2019, the gross regional product amounted to ₸1.4 trillion, an increase of ₸145 million from the previous year. For 9 months of this year, industrial output amounted to almost ₸1.8 trillion. For the first quarter of 2020, the West Kazakhstan Region reported an unemployment rate of 4.8%, and an average monthly salary of ₸186,857.[10]

The development of the agro-industrial complex is also one of the drivers of the region’s economy. During the first half of 2020, the gross agricultural production of the region totaled ₸59.8252 billion, of which ₸59.6761 billion came from livestock farming, and the remaining amount coming from crop production and various agricultural services.[11] The main crops grown in the region include wheat, barley, sunflower, safflower, and potatoes. As of July 1, 2020, the region has approximately 691,800 heads of cattle, 227,100 horses, 1.63 million heads of poultry, 1.21 million heads of sheep, 243,900 goats, 16,200 pigs, and 2,300 camels. There are 196 agricultural cooperatives registered in the region.

In general, today 42 large new investment projects worth over ₸1 trillion are being implemented in the region, creating about 5,000 jobs. As of 2020, the region has 7 large-scale investment projects with foreign participation, totaling about ₸1.9 trillion, and projected by the regional government to create more than 500 jobs.[12]

Culture

The West Kazakhstan Region has a rich historical and cultural heritage. In the region, there are more than 6,000 historical and archaeological sites of different eras and more than 500 historical, architectural and art monuments, 14 of which are monuments of national significance. In the field of culture and art of the region there are 717 state-run organizations. In order to study, preserve and popularize the historical and cultural heritage in the region there are 24 museums in the region, including 2 private ones, and 13 in rural areas.[13] At the end of 2019, the region was home to 364 libraries, of which, 340 were in rural areas, hosting 1,303,352 visitors and 5,819,524 works. The region's libraries are in a process of digitalizing their works, with 4,642 books and 175 other works being digitalized in the first half of 2020. The region is also home to 263 cultural centers, 237 of which are located in rural areas.

Sport

The capital Oral is home to Kazakhstan's only professional bandy club, Akzhaiyk. In 2016 the national championship was won by the regional team[14] and in the variety rink bandy, a national title was obtained in 2014.[15]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ru. Нариман Турегалиев стал акимом Западно-Казахстанской области. tengrinews.kz. 2022-12-02.
  2. Web site: Солтүстiк Қазақстан облысының ресми интернет-ресурсы | БАСТЫСЫ . Sko.kz . 2018-08-13 . 2018-08-18.
  3. Web site: DOSM . Department of Statistics Kazakhstan . 2023-03-01 . stat.gov.kz . 2 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102130402/https://stat.gov.kz/en/industries/economy/national-accounts/publications/81256/ . live.
  4. Web site: ru:Численность населения Республики Казахстан по отдельным этносам на начало 2019 года. http://stat.gov.kz/api/getFile/?docId=ESTAT306055. 2020-05-17. Committee on Statistics of the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. ru, kk.
  5. Web site: ru:Численность населения Республики Казахстан по отдельным этносам на начало 2019 года. http://stat.gov.kz/api/getFile/?docId=ESTAT306055. 2020-05-17. Committee on Statistics of the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. ru, kk.
  6. Web site: M-39 Topographic Chart (in Russian). 8 August 2022.
  7. Web site: Численность населения Республики Казахстан по отдельным этносам на начало 2020 года . Stat.kz . 2020-08-03 .
  8. Web site: Численность населения Республики Казахстан по отдельным этносам на начало 2020 года . Stat.kz . 2020-08-03 .
  9. Web site: ru:История. History. http://www.bko.gov.kz/?id=186&menuid=62&module=text&action=&section=14&lang=ru. 4 June 2012. Западно-Казахстанская область. ru.
  10. Web site: ru:ОСНОВНЫЕ СОЦИАЛЬНО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЕ ПОКАЗАТЕЛИ. https://stat.gov.kz/region/253160?lang=ru. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200804003557/https://stat.gov.kz/region/253160?lang=ru. 2020-08-04. 2020-08-03. Committee on Statistics of the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. ru.
  11. Web site: ru:Сельское хозяйство. Agriculture. https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/bko/activities/446?lang=ru. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200804005739/https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/bko/activities/446?lang=ru. 2020-08-04. 2020-08-03. Akimat of the West Kazakhstan Region. ru.
  12. Web site: ru:Инвестиции. Investment. https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/bko/activities/443?lang=ru. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200804004720/https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/bko/activities/443?lang=ru. 2020-08-04. 2020-08-03. Akimat of the West Kazakhstan Region. ru.
  13. Web site: ru:Культура. Culture. https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/bko/activities/230?lang=ru. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200803165456/https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/bko/activities/230?lang=ru. 2020-08-03. 2020-08-03. Akimat of the West Kazakhstan region. ru.
  14. Web site: Сборная ЗКО стала чемпионом Казахстана по хоккею с мячом . Sports.kz . 2018-08-18.
  15. Web site: На чемпионате РК по ринк-бенди команда ЗКО заняла первое место.