The ninth territory in the world in terms of its area and its location in two parts of the world - Europe and Asia - makes Kazakhstan very attractive for tourists. There are endless steppes and high mountains, turbulent rivers and clean lakes, national natural parks and modern megacities of many thousands. The country includes fourteen territorial entities and more than eighty cities. All regions of Kazakhstan are different in area, relief and density of the population living in them.
Repeating the alphabet
The names of the regions of Kazakhstan have practically not changed since the time when the country was part of the large union state of the USSR. The names of many of them coincide with the name of the regional center, others are tied to geographical landmarks. The city of republican subordination Alma-Ata and the capital of the country Astana have a special status and are not included in any of the regions.
The alphabetical list of regions of Kazakhstan is opened by the Akmola region in the northern part of the country with the center in Kokshetau, which was developed during the campaign for the development of virgin lands. Karaganda, famous by proverbs, still serves as the administrative center of the region of the same name and tops the list of coal-mining regions of the country. The South Kazakhstan region with the center in Shymkent closes the alphabetical list. Previously, the city was called Chimkent, and now the transcription of its name from Kazakh casts doubt on one of the iron spelling rules in Russian.
The great silk road
One of the most ancient Kazakh cities was founded in the 7th century BC. Today, the center of the Zhambyl region of Kazakhstan is called Taraz, and the monuments of ancient architecture of the X-XI centuries preserved on its territory are recognized as a national treasure. Through Taraz, like dozens of other Kazakh settlements, the Great Silk Road ran, linking the Mediterranean and East Asia in antiquity.
The rest of the regional centers of Kazakhstan cannot boast of such an ancient history. They were usually founded in the 18th-19th centuries as military fortifications.
Familiar strangers
Every Russian resident heard this name of a small Kazakh town. On the coat of arms of Baikonur, a rocket flaunts against the background of a blue globe lying in open human palms. The city does not belong to any of the regions of Kazakhstan and has a special status due to its lease by the Russian Federation for a period until 2050. Once closed, the city still has access control for entering the territory. Residents serve the Baikonur cosmodrome and escort the cosmonauts into orbit.
