Mangystau Province

Mangystau Province Маңғыстау облысы Мангистауская область
—  Province  —
Map of Kazakhstan, location of Mangystau Province highlighted
Coordinates: 43°52′N 052°00′E / 43.867°N 52°E / 43.867; 52Coordinates: 43°52′N 052°00′E / 43.867°N 52°E / 43.867; 52
Country	Kazakhstan
Capital	Aktau
Government
– Akim	Krymbek Kusherbayev
Area[1]
– Total	165,600 km2 (63,938.5 sq mi)
Population (2006-12-01)[2]
– Total	373,400
– Density	2.3/km2 (5.8/sq mi)
Time zone	West (UTC+5)
– Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+5)
Postal codes	130000
Area codes	+7 (729)
ISO 3166 code	KZ-MAN
Vehicle registration	R
Districts	5
Cities	3
Townships	6
Villages	30
Website	www.mangystau.kz

Mangystau Province (Kazakh: Маңғыстау облысы, Mañğıstaw oblısı) is a province of Kazakhstan. Its capital is Aktau (a seaport), which has a population of 154,500 (2004 census); the entire Mangystau province has a population of 373,400.

Geography

The province is located in the southwest of the country, and includes Mangyshlak Peninsula. It has much of Kazakhstan's Caspian Shore. It also borders neighboring countries Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Mangystau also borders two other Kazakh provinces(counter-clockwise), Aktobe Province and Atyrau Province. The area of the province is 165,600 square kilometers. Engineers discovered petroleum in the area in the days of the Soviet Union, drilling commenced, and much of the area was built up around the industry.

The territory of Mangystau includes lots of different landscapes and desert lands: Caspian lowland, plateaus (Usturt, Mangyshlak, Kendirli-Kayasan), mountains (Aktau, Karatau), cavities, desert, mountains and mountain ridges. That kind of landscape forms an original multigraded labyrinth, painted with green, yellow, pink and red sediment of loam. The highest point is Otpan mountain at 556 metres (1,824 ft). The lowest point is the bottom of Karagie cavity, 132 metres (433 ft) below sea level.

Climate

Due to its vast territory, the province has a wide variety of climate conditions. The climate of north Mangystau is cold in winter due to its settlement in Usturt plateau, the location of the plateau is mainly above sea level. On the whole, the climate is continental with cold winters and mild summers. The average temperature −3 °C (27 °F) in January and +26 °C (79 °F) in July. The average annual rainfall is 150 millimetres (5.9 in).

History

The first written sources on Mangystau province dates back to the 1890s.

Demographics

Mangystau Province in winter time

According to the 1999 Census, Kazakhs (50.9%) outnumbered ethnic Russians (32.9%) by a wide margin.^[3]

• Population (2009): 416 500 people (2,6 %, 14 place)
• Density: 2,5 people / km ² (13 place)
• National structure: Kazakhs — 70,9 %; RussianS — 22,9 %
• Are: 165,600 in km ² (6,1 %, 7 place)

References

1. ^ Official site – Climate and Geography
2. ^ Official site – Province population
3. ^ ru:Мангистауская область

External links

Media related to Mangystau Province at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website