Aqtöbe
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Aqtöbe (Kazakh: Ақтөбе; Russian: Актюбинск or Aktyubinsk; alternative transliteration: Aktöbe) is a city on the Ilek River in Kazakhstan. With a population of 320,000, it is the capital of Aqtöbe Oblast. Aqtöbe has a mixed ethnic community, including Kazakhs, Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars, Uighurs, Chechens, Armenians, Jews and Greeks. Before perestroika the city also was home to a sizeable German community.
The name "Aqtöbe" comes from Kazakh "aq" (white) and "töbe" (hill); the name is a reference to the heights on which the original 19th century settlement was located.
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[edit] History
The territory of modern-day Aqtobe oblast has borne witness to the rise and fall of many Central Asian cultures and empires. The region has figured prominently in the history of the Kazakh "Little Horde" (Kaz. Кіші Жуз, Rus. Младший Жуз). The Kazakh war-leader Eset Batyr (Kaz. Есет Батыр) based his campaigns against the Dzungars from this area. His mausoleum is located 35 km. to the south of Aqtobe city. Abulkhair Khan (1693 - 1748) was also based in this region.
In March of 1869 a Russian military fort with a garrison of 300 was built at the confluence of the Kargala and Ilek Rivers, along the Orenburg - Kazalinsk caravan route. From this period Slavic settlers began to immigrate to the region in order to farm, and very soon neighborhoods had been built around the fort. In 1874 the fort was expanded in size, and streets were laid out to and from the fort's gate. In 1891 the settlement was labelled a district city, and officially named "Aktyubinsk": Актюбинск.
In the late 19th. and early 20th centuries the settlement rapidly expanded in size. While the 1889 population was listed as 2600, the 1909 population had increased more than four times to 10716 official residents. The physical characteristics of the city had developed as well, and by the turn of the century the city could boast two churches, a seminary, a Tatar mosque, a "Russian - Kyrgyz" boys' school and girls' school, a clinic, a bank, a post office, a city park, a movie theater and two mills. The Trans-Aral Railway was extended through the city in 1901, and in the years before World War I industry and economy began to develop in the town, including the construction of an electric factory, a brick factory and an annual trade fair.
The city was affected by the Russian Revolution of 1905, and strikes and riots took place during the period 1905 - 1907. Bolshevik revolutionaries were very active in the city (at least according to official Soviet histories), and on January 21, 1918 Bolshevik power was secured over the city in the course of the Russian Civil War. An All-Kazakhstan Conference of Soviet Workers was later held in 1920.
In 1932 Aqtobe was named capital city of Aqtobe oblast (province). The city developed extensively during World War II as a result of the evacuation and reconstruction of factories from the Ukraine and from Moscow, including a worker's cooperative, a ferroalloy factory, and an X-ray factory. Chromium likewise began to be mined and processed in the oblast. In the 1960's, an extensive expansion of the city was undertaken by Soviet authorities, resulting in the construction of the city "Center" and sports stadium.
Since Kazakhstani independence in 1991 the city's society and economy have dramatically changed. Older heavy industries have declined and been replaced in importance with the energy sector. The city has continued to expand with new construction and with many Kazakh immigrants moving to the city from the surrounding countryside.
[edit] Geography and Climate
Aqtobe Oblast is located in Western Kazakhstan, and is the second largest oblast by area in Kazakhstan. The city of Aqtobe is located where the Kargala and Ilek rivers meet. It is in the north-central part of Aqtobe oblast. The Russian city of Orenburg is located some 200 km to the northwest, while the Russian city of Orsk is about 150 to the northeast. The area around the city of Aqtobe is mostly flat steppe, with low hills rising to the northeast. Other rivers, such as the Emba and the Ural River, flow through the oblast. The oblast is bordered on the south by the Aral Sea. The natural vegetation cover around Aqtobe city is steppe, while the southern parts of the oblast are semi-desert.
Aqtobe's climate is continental, with wide seasonal variations in temperature. In winter, temperatures can reach a low of -30C, with an average of -18C. Summer temperatures can reach a high of 30C, with an average temperature of 25 C. The weather can change rapidly, especially during spring and autumn (the especially windy days in March when the weather changes are known locally as the Бес Қонақ, or "Five Guests". Precipitation usually occurs in early spring and late autumn/early winter, and is otherwise sporadic throughout the year. Overall, Aqtobe receives about 300mm of precipitation per year [1].
[edit] Demographics
While Aqtobe Oblast is the second-largest oblast in area in Kazakhstan, it has the second-lowest population density of 2.3 people per square km [2]. The 1999 Census estimated that approximately 682,600 people lived in the oblast, and over 250,000 people lived within the city of Aqtobe[3]. While the census does not enumerate ethnic breakdowns by oblast, Aqtobe and Aqtobe oblast would appear to host a large Kazakh ethnic majority (55.6%)[4]. Russians are the second-largest ethnic group (23.7%)[5] , and smaller ethnic groups also inhabit the Oblast, especially the city of Aqtobe. Among these are sizeable Ukrainian, Tatar, Chechen, Armenian, Jewish, and Greek populations, among many others. The Volga Germans once maintained a large community in Aqtobe, but since the early 1990's many of their number have emigrated to Germany. The population in this oblast is very mobile, and concrete numbers and percentages can rapidly become obsolete.
Aqtobe has a fast-paced apartment-building boom, possibly due to the expansion of the oil industry and immigration from nearby villages. The construction boom is connected with the general economic growth in the oblast and in Western Kazakhstan [6]
[edit] Law and Government
Aqtobe is the capital city of Aqtobe oblast. An akim (governor) is appointed by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan to act as chief executive. Aqtobe has both an oblast and a municipal government (whose chief is also called Akim). The Municipal akim is appointed by the oblast akim.
Oblast headquarters for the Kazakh National Security Committee (KNB), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and for the Registry of the Republic of Kazakhstan are located in Aqtobe.
Aqtobe is the Headquarters for the Western Military District of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This district's responsibilities include defence of the Caspian Sea region, and the district is commanded by a Rear-Admiral[7]. A Russian military presence is maintained in the oblast at the Emba missile testing range[8].
[edit] Economy
Agriculture and ranching play a large role in Aqtobe oblast's economy and in rural employment. Beef, mutton and dairy products are major products in this area.
Heavy industry was established in Aqtobe during the Second World War. Many of today's fasted-growing industries in Aqtobe are related to food production (such as the company "Ramazan"), construction ("Dastani") or vodka distilling ("Ayazhan"). A number of foreign companies, notably German and Austrian firms, have established partnerships with local light industry firms. Both copper and chrome are mined in the Khromtau district of Aqtobe Oblast.
However, the major engine of economic growth in Aqtobe and Aqtobe oblast has been the development of energy resources. The Chinese National Petroleum Company (CNPC} owns a 60% stake in AktobeMunaiGaz, and is investing heavily in oil and natural gaz extraction from Aqtobe oblast oilfields[9]. A pipeline has been constructed to transport oil to Xinjiang.
The revenues from oil and gas extraction have helped to develop banking, real estate, and support services in Aqtobe.
[edit] Education
Aqtöbe is host to a number of state and private institutions of higher learning, including Zhubanov State University and the West Kazakhstan Medical Academy. The military of Kazakhstan also maintains a pilot school in the city. During the Soviet Era many pilots were trained there.
[edit] Culture
There are two theaters in Aqtobe, as well as one Children's Palace theater.
There are also two museums in Aqtobe: the Oblast Museum, dedicated to the natural and human history of Aqtobe oblast, and the Aliya Moldagulova museum. There is also a geological exhibition in the city.
Two Russian Orthodox churches are located in Aqtobe, two mosques (with a third mosque due to be completed in 2006), as well as a Catholic and a Pentecostal church.
There are a large number of outdoor bazaars and indoor shopping centers located across the city. Most unusually, a major indoor shopping center shares space with the Nurdaulet mosque in the city Center.
[edit] Infrastructure
[edit] Transportation
Aqtobe maintains daily international rail service with Moscow (via Saratov), Bishkek, and Tashkent, as well as daily domestic service to Aktau, Atyrau, Almaty and Astana
An international airport offers daily flights to Moscow, Almaty, Astana, Aktau, Atyrau, Baku and Erevan.
Bus service connects Aqtobe with villages in Aqtobe Oblast and across the border with Russia.
[edit] Utilities and Energy
[edit] Famous People
Aqtobe and its environs were home to 36 Heroes of the Soviet Union. Among them:
- Aliya Moldagulova (1925 - 1944). Sniper, killed in combat during the lifting of the Siege of Leningrad.
- Viktor Ivanovich Patsayev (1933 - 1971). Cosmonaut.
[edit] See also
- Kazakhstan
- Kazakh Steppe
- List of Kazakh historical figures
- History of Kazakhstan
- Politics of Kazakhstan
- Military of Kazakhstan
- Demographics of Kazakhstan
- Economy of Kazakhstan
- List of schools in Kazakhstan
- Education in Kazakhstan
- Communications in Kazakhstan
- Transport in Kazakhstan
[edit] Notes
1. "Yearly Rainfall and Evaporation". Wild Natures
2. "Population", Ibid.
3.National Statistical Agency of Kazakhstan, 1999 Census.
4. Market Research Report BRIF Central Asia.
5.Ibid.
6. "The Sun in Each Window." Official Site of the RK President. 2005.
7.Plater-Zyberk, H."Kazakhstan: Security and Defense Challenges". London: Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Conflict Studies Research Centre. 2003. ISBN 1-904423-05-1
8. Ibid.
9.Kazakhstan, China Sign Multibillion Dollar Oil Deal. The Jamestown Foundation Monitor,Volume 3, Issue 178 (September 25, 1997)
[edit] References
Aktobe - Gorod Slavnoi Istorii. Komitet po upravleniyu zemel'nimi resursami ministyerstva cel'skogo khozyaistva Pespubliki Kazakhstana (Комземресурсы). Astana, Kazakhstan 1999. (Russian)
[edit] External links
- Aqtobe Akimat Online Site and links provided by Aqtobe Oblast Government.(In Russian and Kazakh)
- Rika TV Portal. News and Information from an Aqtobe media outlet. (In Russian)
- Wild Natures - Holidays in Kazakhstan"A Dutch organization, promoting and investing in touristic and agricultural projects in Kazakhstan" Information and Links (English)
