Kokshetau, formerly known as Kokchetav, between 1868 and 1993, is a lakeside city in northern Kazakhstan and the capital of Akmola Region. It stretches along the southern shore of Lake Kopa, lying in the north of Kokshetau Hills, a northern subsystem of the Kokshetau Uplands (Saryarka) and the southern edge of the Ishim Steppe. It is named after Mount Kokshe.
Kokshetau is the 17th-most populous city in Kazakhstan, the 4th-most populous city in northern part of the country, and the largest city in Akmola Region. It was the administrative center of Kokshetau Region (oblast) from 1944 to 1991 as part of the Soviet Union and from 1991 as part of Kazakhstan to 1997 when it was abolished. It is also situated at the junction of the Trans-Kazakhstan and South Siberian railways. Kokshetau lies at an elevation of approximately 234 m (768 ft) above sea level. The climate of Kokshetau features hot summers and cold winters.
It has 183,170 inhabitants (2026 est.), up from 123,389 (1999 census), while Akmola Region had a total population of 738,587 (2019 est.), down from 1,061,820 (1989 census), making it the tenth most populous region in Kazakhstan. The city's history has been influenced by people of many nations and religions. Kokshetau retains multiethnic population, with 59% ethnic Kazakhs (up from 36%), the rest being mostly 28% ethnic Russians (down from 42%) and other ethnic groups such as Ukrainians, Tatars and Germans. Kokshetau City Administration (area of 425 km2 [164 sq mi]), with a population of roughly 165,153 residents, includes one settlement administration (which consists of the work settlement of Stantsyonny) and the Krasnoyarsk rural district, which includes two rural settlements (the villages of Krasny Yar and Kyzyl-Zhuldyz).
The city is considered to have been founded in 1824 as a military fortress, while it was granted city status in 1895. It was the centre of Kokshetau Region, which was abolished in 1997. It is well known for its nature and tourist sites, such as Burabay and Zerendi, among others. The city's main football team is FC Okzhetpes. Kokshetau is about 185 km (115 mi) from Petropavl, 300 km (190 mi) northwest of the national capital Astana along the A1, 318 km (198 mi) from Omsk along the A13, and 384 km (239 mi) from Kostanay. The city is served by Kokshetau Airport (KOV). The akim (mayor) is Anuar Kumpekeev from the Amanat Party.
Kokshetau is an important economic, educational, and cultural centre of the Akmola Region. Attractions in and around Kokshetau include Akmola Regional Museum of History and Local Lore, Bukpa Hill, Kokshetau City Park, Kokshetau City History Museum, Museum of Literature and Art. The northwest entrance to Burabay National Park (Kazakh: «Бурабай» мемлекеттік ұлттық табиғи паркі, romanized: «Burabai» memlekettık ūlttyq tabiği parkı) and Burabay spa town is a little over 43 miles (70 km) from Kokshetau. Kokshetau was awarded the title Kazakhstan City of Culture for the year 2021.
Names and etymology
- English: Kokshetau, a transliteration of the Russian form
- Kazakh: Көкшетау, romanized: Kökşetau [kɵkʂʲetɑw] ⓘ
- Russian: Кокшета́у, romanized: Kokshetau Russian pronunciation: [kəkʂɛtaʊ]
The name Kokshetau (Kazakh: Kökşetau; pronounced [køkɕetɑw]) is of Kazakh origin literally meaning a (lit. 'smoky-blue mountain'), kokshe / "көкше", meaning (lit. 'blueish') and tau / "тау", meaning (lit. 'mountain') — the name of always turning blue, as if in a deep haze of mountains, thus "Blueish Mountain/Smoky-Blue Mountain" in English. That is how from ancient times Kazakhs were calling the highest mountain in Akmola Region "Mount Kokshe" (947 m), located 60 miles away from the city.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan declared its independence on 16 December 1991 (Kazakhstan Independence Day), and on 7 October 1993, by the Resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the city of Kokchetav (Russian: Кокчета́в, IPA: [koktɕɪˈtav]) was renamed to the more Kazakh sounding Kokshetau as part of the government's campaign to apply Kazakh names to cities, but the city's airport still retains KOV as its IATA code. In Russian it became known as Kokshetau.
Chronology of name changes
Historically, several names in various languages have identified Kokshetau.
- Stanitsa Kokchetavskaya (1827–1868; which is a romanized back-transliteration from Russian name in Cyrillic: стани́ца Кокчетавская; Kazakh: Көкшетау бекінісі, lit. 'The village of Kokshetau')
- Kokchetav (1868–1993; in publications dating from the Soviet period, the city name was occasionally spelled in English as "Kokchetav", which is a back-transliteration from post-revolution Russian name in Cyrillic: Кокчета́в, Russian name in Cyrillic script (1868-1918): Кокчѣтавъ; Kazakh name in Yañalif script (1929-1940): Kɵkşetau, Kazakh name in Cyrillic script (after 1940): Көкшетау)
- Kokshetau (since 1993; which is a romanized back-transliteration from Russian name in Cyrillic: Кокшета́у; Kazakh name in Cyrillic script: Көкшетау, Kazakh name in Latin script (new version before 2021): Kókshetaý, Kazakh name in Latin script (latest version of the Kazakh Latin alphabet after 2021): Kökşetau)
Physical geography and geology
Location
Kokshetau is located in the country of Kazakhstan and lies in the northern portion of Akmola Region. The city is located on the border of the West Siberian Plain, on the southeastern shore of Lake Kopa, at an altitude of 234 meters above sea level, in the Kokshetau Mountains, north part of the Kokshetau Hills, the foothills of which surround the city from the south and west. It covers an area of 234 km2 (90 sq mi). It is located about 300 kilometres (190 mi) north-west of the national capital of Astana.
The city lay along low hills and by a kidney-shaped lake. There are numerous hills in the vicinity of the city (Bukpa Hill). The city is located in the flat part of the interfluve of the Kylshakty river, flowing in the eastern part of the city, and the Shagalaly river, flowing from the western side of the city. The city has several parks and gardens. Also, within the city limits can be found small forests, mostly consisting of birches and pine plantations. The Kokshetau area is known for its two national parks, Burabay and Kokshetau.
The village of Krasny Yar lies adjoined directly to the west of Kokshetau, on the bank of the River Shagalaly. Also contiguous with Kokshetau, directly to the east, with no natural border, is the smaller village of Stantsyonny.
Nearby cities
- Petropavl
- Astana
- Ekibastuz
- Omsk (Russia)
- Kostanay
- Rudny
- Shchuchinsk
- Karaganda
- Kurgan (Russia)
- Tyumen (Russia)
Nearby towns
- Atbasar
- Arkalyk
- Tara (Russia)
- Taiynsha
- Akkol
- Derzhavinsk
- Ereymentau
- Esil
- Ishim (Russia)
- Makinsk
- Stepnyak
- Stepnogorsk
Nearby villages
- Krasny Yar
- Stantsyonny
- Kyzylzhulduz
- Kyzyltan
- Kaindy
- Akkol (Zerendi District)
- Kishkenekol
- Astrakhanka
- Balkashino
- Shortandy
- Zerendi
- Zhaksy
Time
The time offset from the UTC used by Kokshetau is 5 hours after UTC, or UTC+5:00 (Kazakhstan Time). This is also used by all of Kazakhstan. This time apply throughout the year as Kazakhstan does not observe Daylight saving time (DST).
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification, Kokshetau lies in a cold semi-arid climate zone (Köppen climate classification: BSk) with extreme continental influences. The city has an extreme continental climate with long, very cold, frigid, snowy, dry winters and warm, dry, sunny summers (featuring occasional brief rain showers). Winter is frosty and long (more than 5 months). In spring, prevails clear and dry weather, with a large number of sunny days. Autumn begins in August or September, and the weather is observed from clear at the beginning of the season, to cloudy in October–November. The average annual temperature in Kokshetau is 3.6 °C (38.5 °F). Summer temperatures occasionally reach 35 °C (95 °F) while −30 to −35 °C (−22 to −31 °F) is not unusual between mid-December and early March.
The warmest month is July with daily mean temperature near 20.5 °C (68.9 °F), and the coldest month is January, with a daily mean of −14 °C (7 °F). Snow and ice are dominant during the winter season. July is the wettest month (averaging 68.5 mm (2.7 in) of precipitation) while March is the driest (averaging 10.5 mm (0.4 in) of precipitation). Yearly precipitation amounts to 313 mm (12.3 in). Typically, the city's Lake Kopa and rivers of Kylshakty and Shagalaly are frozen over between the second week of November and the beginning of April.
- Average January temperature: −14 °C (7 °F)
- Average July temperature: +20.5 °C (68.9 °F)
- Average annual precipitation: 176 mm (7 in) to 512.5 mm (20 in)
Legal status and administrative-territorial division
Kokshetau is the capital (administrative centre) of the Akmola Region (oblys, county, area). Kokshetau city administration (Kazakh: Kökşetau qalasy äkımdıgı, Russian: Городская администрация Кокшетау) (area of 425 km2 [164 sq mi]), with a population of roughly 193,492 residents, includes one settlement administration and the Krasnoyarsk rural district, which includes two rural settlements, served by the city public transport system.
Kokshetau was the centre of a region covering seventy-eight thousand square kilometres of the Virgin Lands; it administered 15 agricultural districts and connected 4 other towns, 116 state farms, and 25 collective farms, and that region encompassed a population of more than 600,000.
Administrative districts and microdistricts
Kokshetau is divided into seven administrative districts (Kazakh: аудандар).
- Aul
- Beybitshilik
- Bostandyk
- Bukpa
- Kokshe
- Sary-Arka
- Zhaylau
Districts
Traditionally, Kokshetau was divided into seventeen administrative microdistricts (Kazakh: шағын аудандар) that today have no administrative function. These are administrative units that possess no independent governance structures. They are used for management of utilities and publicly owned housing.
Kokshetau includes the following microdistricts:
Kokshetau authorities
The city administration and Kokshetau City Mäslihat is in the Kokshetau Akimat building on Mukhtar Auezov Street. Kokshetau City Mäslihat is a representative body of the city, elected every four years and holds its sessions in Kokshetau Akimat. The Mayor of Kokshetau is Amanat Party member Bauyrzhan Gaisa.
The bodies of local self-government of Kokshetau are:
- Kokshetau City Mäslihat, a representative body. Consisting of 17 deputies for four years.
- Mayor of Kokshetau, head of the Kokshetau City Administration manages the administration on the principles of unity of command.
Regional authorities
Most key buildings of the regional government are along Abai Street and Mukhtar Auezov Street. Abai Street is named after a Kazakh poet, composer and Hanafi Maturidi theologian philosopher Abai Qunanbaiuly. On the eastern side of Abai Street on Abylai Khan Square sits the Akmola Regional Akimat, in a modern cream and brown-toned building.
The bodies of local self-government of Akmola region are:
- Akmola Regional Mäslihat (parliament of Akmola Region), a representative body. Consisting of 32 deputies for five years.
List of akims (mayors) of Kokshetau (1992–present)
The Akim (Kazakh: әкім, äkım) of Kokshetau is the chief authority in the city of Kokshetau. The position was established in 1992. The mayor is responsible for the administration of government services, the composition of councils and committees overseeing Kokshetau City Administration departments and serves as the chairperson for the meeting of the Kokshetau City Mäslihat. The mayor also functions to help devise long-term development plans in consultation with other stakeholders and bodies to improve the condition, livability, and sustainability of the city.
Politics
The city council (Kokshetau City Mäslihat) of Kokshetau is made up of 17 representatives that are elected every four years. The Kokshetau City Mäslihat governs the city alongside the Akim (Mayor). The 2023 local government elections for Kokshetau City Mäslihat in Kokshetau yielded the following results:
History
Early history
Kokshetau past incorporates all the main stages and turning points of the history of Kazakhstan. For many centuries, nomadic Kazakh tribes lived on the territory of the former Kokshetau Region. The territory of Kokshetau was part of the Middle Horde, the clans of the tribal union of the Argyns that occupied vast regions of Northern and Central Kazakhstan. In the 18th – 19th centuries, the headquarters of famous khans, such as Abylai Khan, Kasym Khan, Kenesary Khan, were located on the land of Kokshetau Region.
The Battle of Kokshetau Mountains, part of the First Sino–Kazakh War, was fought between the Kazakh Khanate and Dzungar remnants against the Qing dynasty military, which ended with the Chinese victory and temporary occupation, before harsh winter ultimately decimated the Chinese force and eventual withdrawal.
Foundation of Kokshetau (1824–1917)
As Russia's hand stretched southwards, Kokshetau was initially founded on 29 April 1824 as an administrative outpost at the foot of the southern side of Mount Kokshe on the shores of Lake Ulken Shabakty. The Middle Horde signed treaties of protection with Russia. The local population strongly opposed the fact that the new settlement was placed in the chosen place. In the summer of 1827, the district order was transferred to the new place where the city of Kokshetau is now located. The settlement began to be called Kokchetav. The construction of the settlement began at the foot of Bukpa Hill, on the southern shores of Lake Kopa, and a picket was set up to protect the district order.
By the middle of 19th-century, the population of the settlement was significantly increasing due to the migration of the peasants from Russia (Povolzhye) and Ukraine who were driven to migrate by starvation and poverty to farm the steppe. In 1868, when the Akmolinsk Oblast was formed, Kokshetau became a district city in this region, which further developed as a center of agricultural and animal husbandry and as a resort town. In 1876, the city lost its military significance. The line and fortress were abolished. In 1895, Kokshetau was granted city status. By that time the population in the town was above 5 thousand people.
Soviet era (1918–1991)
In 1928, Kokshetau District was divided into several boroughs and until 1944 Kokshetau's territory was part of Karaganda Region and later part of North Kazakhstan Region. On 16 March 1944, according to the Decree of the Presidium of Supreme Soviet of Kazakh SSR, Kokshetau became the administrative center of the newly created Kokchetav Oblast. Relatively rapid growth and development of Kokshetau took place during the years of development of virgin lands, especially in the second half of the 1950s.