Western Kazakhstan is one of the economic and geographical regions of the republic of the same name. In addition to this part of the country, the Northern, Central, Southern and Eastern regions are distinguished as part of this state, each of which has a whole set of features that distinguish it from the rest (geographical location, climate, topography, features of the economy, etc.)
a brief description of
The western region, as the name implies, is located in the western part of the country and is the only economic and geographical territory of Kazakhstan that has access to a large body of water (the Caspian Sea). In the west and north, the represented region borders with the Russian Federation, in the south with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and in the east with the Northern, Central and Southern regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Location Features
A distinctive feature of this region is the fact that Western Kazakhstan is located on the border of Europe and Asia. Most of the region is located on the territory of the East European Plain and the Caspian Lowland. So, the Mangyshlak peninsula, territorially related to the Caspian lowland, is located at an altitude of 132 m above sea level (Karagie basin). In the north of the economic and geographical area there are southern spurs of the Urals, which are a small mountain chain called Mugodzhary, the highest point of which is Mount Boktybai (657 m).
Climatic conditions
Western Kazakhstan has a mostly continental climate, characterized by hot summers and frosty winters. However, in the territory located near the Caspian Sea, weather conditions are milder with an average January temperature of -5 ° .
Water and natural resources
The region has an extensive coastline of the Caspian Sea and a river network of internal flow (the Ural, Emba, Volga, etc.), as well as a variety of small salt lakes. Western Kazakhstan in its bowels has large reserves of oil, gas (deposits of Tengiz, Kashagan, etc.), chromium, nickel, zinc, copper and coal.
The presence of oil and gas makes the represented region the largest oil and gas region of Kazakhstan, which plays an important role in the economic life of the state.
Industry
In the territory of Western Kazakhstan there are Aktyubinsk paint and varnish factory, Aktyubinsk plant of chrome compounds, Atyrau oil refinery and chemical plant of the city of Alga. All enterprises are in working condition.
Recently, in the region, machine building, light and food industries have received great development. Also, the territory of Western Kazakhstan became famous for its agriculture, represented by animal husbandry, crop production and the fishing industry.
Infrastructure
The long coastline of the Caspian Sea determines the presence of ports in the region, the largest of which is located in the city of Aktau. In several settlements there are airports (Atyrau, Aktau, Aktobe, Uralsk), a well-developed road network, represented by both automobile and railways. The gas and oil pipeline network is served by Kaztransoil, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium and others.
There are several branches of republican banks and the National Bank of the state in the region. The economy of Western Kazakhstan is associated with the construction of a gas processing plant, a new gas pipeline and the Beineu-Zhezkazgan railway line.
History of the region
Historically, the territory of Western Kazakhstan was at the crossroads of the Silk Road. At the end of the XIX century, large fairs appeared in the region (Temir, Urdinskaya and others). Many cities of Western Kazakhstan have preserved their historical heritage, expressed in the everyday life of the countryside and the architecture of cities. The history of Western Kazakhstan is intertwined with the history of the ancient town called Saraichik, which was on the trade route from Europe to China. Here are the historical part of Uralsk, the Mausoleum of Becket-ata, objects of the defense complex of the USSR, located in the city of Emba.
West region now
Currently, this region includes 4 regions: West Kazakhstan, Aktobe, Atyrau and Mangistau. Most people live in the Aktobe region (830 thousand), and least of all in Atyrau (555 thousand). The largest cities are Aktobe (440 thousand), Uralsk (230 thousand) and Atyrau (217 thousand). According to 2012 data, the population of Western Kazakhstan is approximately 2.5 million people, which in terms of the number of people / area of the region makes the density of the represented economic and geographical area the lowest in the country. In the national composition, Kazakhs (more than 1.8 million) and Russians (300 thousand) are distinguished. Also in the region live Tatars, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Azerbaijanis and other nationalities.
Thus, Western Kazakhstan is a territory with a rich historical and natural heritage, which allows developing the economy of both a particular region and the whole country. By potential, this region is considered one of the strongest, since there are all conditions for further development in various industries and not only. At least this will help the extraction of various natural resources. Some of them are able to hold tightly the economy of Western Kazakhstan and create all the conditions for the formation of a powerful region, which is planned to be done in the coming years.