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General information
Mangystau region is located in the south-west of the country, mainly on the Mangyshlak peninsula and the Ustyurt plateau. The eastern border of the region occupies the entire coastline of the Caspian Sea. The region adjoins Atyrau and Aktobe regions, and shares international borders with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The area of Mangystau region is 165,600 km2, the seventh largest region in Kazakhstan. The population density here is relatively low, at 4.6 persons per square kilometre.
The region’s population was 766.9 thousand people at the beginning of 2023; slightly more than half (54.8%) are rural dwellers, and the other 45.2% live in urban areas.
The ethnic composition of the region (as of 2022) is dominated by Kazakhs (91.5%), with 4.8% Russians and other nationalities making up 3.7%.
Administrative division
The regional centre of Mangystau region is the city of Aktau, with a population of 263,900 people. There are two other cities: Zhanaozen (74,400 people) and Fort-Shevchenko (8,700 people). The region is divided into five rural areas. There are 3 cities and 59 auls in the region.
Regional Centre
The city of Aktau is located on the east coast of the Caspian Sea, which is the only sea gate to Kazakhstan. «Aktau» is translated from the Kazakh language as the «white mountain».
Aktau is one of the youngest cities in Kazakhstan. It was established after the discovery of oil and uranium deposits in the region, when researchers and workers began to arrive.
In 1957, a working settlement called Aktau appeared on the coast of the Caspian Sea, which in a few years grew into a town, and in 1963 Aktau was given city status.
It is worth noting that the city developed from scratch, within the framework of a single master plan developed by the Leningrad Design Institute; it includes several dozen numbered microdistricts.
In 1964, it was decided to rename the city Shevchenko in honour of the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, who in the middle of the 19th century was in exile in Kazakhstan. Over the next decades, the city and the port developed intensively, increasing its industrial and logistical capacity. In 1991, the name Aktau was given back to the city.
History of the region
Mangystau is a very young region; its establishment as a separate administrative unit within the Republic comes directly from the discovery in the 1950s of the rich deposits of uranium, rare earth metals, oil and gas on the peninsula of Mangyshlak. After these discoveries and the development of subsurface resources, the key population centres of the region emerged: Aktau, Zhanaozen, and the townships of the petroleum technicians – Zhetybai, Kalamkas and Karazhanbas.
The region’s foundation date is 20th March 1973. At that time, Mangyshlak region was formed by the separation of a number of southern districts from Guryev (now Atyrau) region.
In 1988, Mangyshlak region was abolished, but restored in 1990; after Kazakhstan gained independence in 1991, the region became known as Mangystau.
Climate and Nature
The terrain of Mangystau region varies from north to south; the north is in the Caspian Depression (link to p5ch2-Geography-Terrain), the south, by contrast, is at higher altitude. In the south, there are the Mangystau mountains and the Kenderli-Kayasan plateau; in the east is the Ustyurt plateau (link to p5ch2 - Geography - Relief) with its steep cliffs. The centre of the region is on the Mangyshlak peninsula, where the Karagiye Depression (link to p5ch2 - Geography - Relief) (132 m below sea level) marks the lowest point in Kazakhstan.
The region has practically no river network, although there is a large reserve of groundwater.
The climate is continental, and extremely dry. Winters are short – the average temperature of January is about -3°C, and the summer is hot and dry, with an average temperature of July +26°C. However, almost every year, the summer temperature gets up to +40°- 45°C.
Mineral reserves are rare and diverse, with little or no analogy in world geology. Main minerals here are hydrocarbons, which make the region account for a third of all oil extracted in Kazakhstan. There are some 70 deposits, which have already been developed. The largest deposits are Uzen, Karazhanbas, Northern Buzachi, Kalamkas. The great prospective deposits are on the shelf of the Caspian Sea.
The most extensive deposits of uranium and rare earth metals are also in Mangystau region. Deposits of iron ore, phosphorites, brown coal, mineral and common salt are also explored.
Economy
Mangystau is an industrial region with an emphasis on hydrocarbon production. In 2022, regional enterprises produced goods worth KZT 3111.7 billion. According to this indicator, Mangystau region is among the top five in terms of industrial production, along with Atyrau, West Kazakhstan, Karaganda, Pavlodar regions. 6.5% of the country's total industrial output is produced in this region. Mining and quarrying account for 88.6% of the region’s industry; oil production in 2022 amounted to 16.7 million tonnes. The oil pipeline infrastructure is geared to serve both domestic and international markets.
The largest companies in the region are Mangistaumunaigas, KazMunayGas Exploration&Production, Karazhanbasmunai and Mangistau Nuclear Power Plant.
The share of manufacturing industry is 6.6% of the sector, which includes chemical industry, mechanical engineering, production of final metal products, production of final petroleum products, production of non-metallic mineral products.
The volume of gross agricultural output in 2022 amounted to KZT 24.3 billion, of which animal husbandry took an 80.8% share. Camel breeding is also well developed in the region.
Transport and infrastructure play a special role in the region’s economy. The seaport of Aktau is of strategic importance for the economy not only of the region but the whole country. In recent years, the Special Economic Zone «Aktau Seaport» has seen growth in development.
Tourism
Mangystau region has a rich and ancient history connected to the Great Silk Road.
Among the most famous historical and natural sights in the region are the underground mosque Beket-Ata, Bozjyra tract, mount Sherkala, the Karagiye Depression, the Ustyurt Plateau, Cape Zhigylgan and the valley of balls Torysh.
The following 7 projects launched in 2020-2022 can be noted as an impetus of tourism development: «Rixos Water World Aktau» hotel complex, «Laguna» Waterpark of the «Holiday Inn Aktau» hotel complex, «Tetysblu» Theme Park, «Teniz Village» glamping, «AURA» recreation center, «Sartas» Visitor Center, «Flamingo Resort» recreation center.
Official website of the governor of Mangystau region https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mangystau?lang=en