South Kazakhstan Province
Encyclopedia
South Kazakhstan Province is the southernmost province
of Kazakhstan
, with a population of 2,282,500 people. Its capital is Shymkent
, with 539,600 people. Other cities in South Kazakhstan include Turkestan, Sayram
, Kentau
, Arys
, Shardara, Jetysu, Saryag'ash and Lenger. This province and Atyrau Province
are Kazakhstan's two smallest provinces; both are about 117,300 square kilometers in area. South Kazakhstan borders the neighboring country of Uzbekistan
(and is very near the Uzbekistan capital Tashkent
), as well as three other Kazakhstan provinces: Karagandy Province (to the north), Kyzylorda Province (to the west) and Jambyl Province (to the east). The Syr Darya
passes through the province, on its way to the Aral Sea
. Also, an oil pipeline runs from Turkmenabat
, Turkmenistan to Omsk
, Russia
(where it connects with a larger, Siberia
n pipeline) through South Kazakhstan. Oil, lead
and zinc
are refined in Shymkent.
As such, South Kazakhstan Province is the only province with a demographic breakdown where ethnic Russians are not in the first or second most populous categories. Census results are old and made using Soviet methods that served propaganda over accuracy, but they still point to Kazakhs being the most populous, closely followed by Uzbeks, with Russians bringing in a distant third.
The population of Southern Kazakhstan, despite obvious numerical prevalence of Kazakhs (which has considerably amplified from the beginning 1990 and now the share of Kazakhs in the population makes an order of 72 %), differs a considerable ethnolanguage variety. So in the area population it is traditionally wide (about 18 % of all population) the Uzbeks making a considerable part of the population of some cities and areas of area are presented (to Sauries, Turkestan, Aksukent, Ikan), live Russian (basically in the city of Shymkent though their share was considerably reduced for last 20 years from more than 23 % in 1980 to nearby 6 % now), Tadjiks, Koreans, Kurds live also. Are extended Kazakh, Russian (including as means of international dialogue) and Uzbek languages.
.
Some places of historical interest include the cities of Turkestan, Otrar
and Sayram. Sayram was the birthplace of Ahmed Yasavi
(1103–66), a great Sufic scholar and author that lived and worked throughout Central Asia. He is entombed in a mausoleum complex that stands in present-day Turkestan, and which has been named a World Heritage Site
by UNESCO
. It was commissioned by Amir Temur (Tamerlane) to increase his standing among the area. The mausoleum was built by Persian masters, though it was left unfinished with the death of Tamerlane. The original scaffolding that would have been used to apply the colored-tile still protrudes from the front entrance.
Provinces of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is divided into 14 provinces . The provinces are further subdivided into districts .Notes:* Almaty and Astana cities have the status of State importance and do not relate to any province....
of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, with a population of 2,282,500 people. Its capital is Shymkent
Shymkent
Shymkent , formerly known as Chimkent , is the capital city of South Kazakhstan Province, the most populated region in Kazakhstan. It is the third most populous city in Kazakhstan behind Almaty and Astana with a population of 629,600 . A major railroad junction on the Turkestan-Siberia Railway, the...
, with 539,600 people. Other cities in South Kazakhstan include Turkestan, Sayram
Sayram
Sayram is a city located in southeastern South Kazakhstan Province on the Sayram Su River, which rises at the nearby 4000 meter mountain Sayram Su. In medieval times, the city and countryside were located on the banks of the Arys/Ares River, into which the Sayram Su river flows.The city...
, Kentau
Kentau
Kentau , is a town in South Kazakhstan Province of Kazakhstan. It is located at the foot of the Karatau mountains 30 km northeast of the city of Turkestan . Kentau was formed in August 1955...
, Arys
Arys, Kazakhstan
Arys , is a town in South Kazakhstan Province of Kazakhstan. The population of the city was reported in 2007 as 37.6 thousand; together with the district administratively subordinated to the city's government, it was 64.7 thousand....
, Shardara, Jetysu, Saryag'ash and Lenger. This province and Atyrau Province
Atyrau Province
Atyrau Oblast is a province of Kazakhstan. It is situated in the west of the country around the northeast of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Atyrau, with a population of 142,500 people; the province itself has 480,000 people...
are Kazakhstan's two smallest provinces; both are about 117,300 square kilometers in area. South Kazakhstan borders the neighboring country of Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
(and is very near the Uzbekistan capital Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
), as well as three other Kazakhstan provinces: Karagandy Province (to the north), Kyzylorda Province (to the west) and Jambyl Province (to the east). The Syr Darya
Syr Darya
The Syr Darya , also transliterated Syrdarya or Sirdaryo, is a river in Central Asia, sometimes known as the Jaxartes or Yaxartes from its Ancient Greek name . The Greek name is derived from Old Persian, Yakhsha Arta , a reference to the color of the river's water...
passes through the province, on its way to the Aral Sea
Aral Sea
The Aral Sea was a lake that lay between Kazakhstan in the north and Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan, in the south...
. Also, an oil pipeline runs from Turkmenabat
Türkmenabat
Türkmenabat , formerly and since the medieval times, Chardzhou , also spelled Çärjew, Chardjui, Charjou, Chardzhev, Charjev, Chärjew, or Charjew , ancient Amul, is a town in Turkmenistan, capital of Lebap Province...
, Turkmenistan to Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(where it connects with a larger, Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
n pipeline) through South Kazakhstan. Oil, lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
are refined in Shymkent.
Demographics
The South Kazakhstan Province is the most densely populated of Kazakhstan's many regions. This derives from the oblast's gentler climate, better irrigation infrastructure, and proximity to historical population centers [such as Uzbekistan's Tashkent and the Silk Road cities of Samarkand and Bukhara]. SKO is also the fastest growing of Kazakhstan's Province, due to two main factors. One is the birthrate among traditional Kazakh and Uzbek families, where families of five to eight children are commonplace. The other is the exodus of cheap migrant labor from northern Uzbekistan. These migrant workers sometimes become full-fledged immigrants, and if they are ethnic Kazakhs this process is easily green-lighted through local governments for an (unacknowledged and under-the-table) fee.As such, South Kazakhstan Province is the only province with a demographic breakdown where ethnic Russians are not in the first or second most populous categories. Census results are old and made using Soviet methods that served propaganda over accuracy, but they still point to Kazakhs being the most populous, closely followed by Uzbeks, with Russians bringing in a distant third.
The population of Southern Kazakhstan, despite obvious numerical prevalence of Kazakhs (which has considerably amplified from the beginning 1990 and now the share of Kazakhs in the population makes an order of 72 %), differs a considerable ethnolanguage variety. So in the area population it is traditionally wide (about 18 % of all population) the Uzbeks making a considerable part of the population of some cities and areas of area are presented (to Sauries, Turkestan, Aksukent, Ikan), live Russian (basically in the city of Shymkent though their share was considerably reduced for last 20 years from more than 23 % in 1980 to nearby 6 % now), Tadjiks, Koreans, Kurds live also. Are extended Kazakh, Russian (including as means of international dialogue) and Uzbek languages.
History
Historically speaking, South Kazakhstan Province is home to Kazakhstan's oldest and greatest marvels. Two thousand years ago it was part of the northern border of the Persian Empire. It owes its long history of habitation to a mixing of Persian culture and science with the native Turkic/Mongol tribal clans. South Kazakhstan Province was part of the Satrap of SogdianaSogdiana
Sogdiana or Sogdia was the ancient civilization of an Iranian people and a province of the Achaemenid Empire, eighteenth in the list on the Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great . Sogdiana is "listed" as the second of the "good lands and countries" that Ahura Mazda created...
.
Some places of historical interest include the cities of Turkestan, Otrar
Otrar
Otrar or Utrar is a Central Asian ghost town that was a city located along the Silk Road near the current town of Karatau in Kazakhstan. Otrar was an important town in the history of Central Asia, situated on the borders of settled and agricultural civilizations...
and Sayram. Sayram was the birthplace of Ahmed Yasavi
Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi
The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi is an unfinished mausoleum in the city of Turkestan, in southern Kazakhstan. The structure was commissioned in 1389 by Timur, who ruled the area as part of the expansive Mongol Empire, to replace a smaller 12th-century mausoleum of the famous Turkic poet and...
(1103–66), a great Sufic scholar and author that lived and worked throughout Central Asia. He is entombed in a mausoleum complex that stands in present-day Turkestan, and which has been named a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
. It was commissioned by Amir Temur (Tamerlane) to increase his standing among the area. The mausoleum was built by Persian masters, though it was left unfinished with the death of Tamerlane. The original scaffolding that would have been used to apply the colored-tile still protrudes from the front entrance.