Aktobe Region

The Aktobe Region s a region of Kazakhstan. The name Aktobe comes from Kazakh ak 'white' and tobe 'hill' or 'top (of something)'; supposedly, Aktobe's initial settlers were able to see white mountains far to the north. The Aktobe regional capital is the city of Aktobe. Aktobe region is located in the western part of Kazakhstan. Its area is 300,629 km2 (second-largest in Kazakhstan), which is 11 per cent of the territory of Kazakhstan. The population is 909 673 as of June 1, 2022.

It was formed as a result of the administrative-territorial reform on March 10, 1932 as part of the cossack KSSR. Historically, it was preceded by the Aktobe district, which existed in 1921-1928. In 1936, the region became part of the Kazakh SSR separated from the RSFSR and since 1991, after the collapse of the USSR, as part of the independent Republic of Kazakhstan.

The region is bordered to the North by the Orenburg Oblast of Russia, to the northeast by the Kostanay Region, to the Southeast by the Karaganda and Kyzylorda regions of Kazakhstan, to the South by the Republic of Karakalpakstan of Uzbekistan, to the southwest by the Mangystau Region, to the West by the Atyrau Region and to the Northwest by the West Kazakhstan Region of Kazakhstan.

The administrative center is the largest city of Western Kazakhstan, Aktobe (from 1891 to 1999 — Aktyubinsk hence the name of the region).

Geography

The area of the region is 300,600 square kilometers, making it the second largest region of Kazakhstan, after Karaganda Region. Aktobe Region borders Russia (Orenburg Oblast) to the north and Uzbekistan (Karakalpakstan) to the south, and also borders six other Kazakh regions: the Atyrau Region to the west, the Mangystau Region to the south-west, the Karaganda Region to the east, the Kostanay Region to the north-east, the Kyzylorda Region to the south-east, and the West Kazakhstan Region to the north-west. The Ilek River, a tributary of the Ural River, flows through the region. The Barsuki Desert is an arid, sandy area of the region.

Social sphere

Culture

In Aktobe region currently, there are 4 regional libraries, 1 folk art center, 1 philharmonic hall, 2 theaters, 19 museums, 13 archives, 1 planetarium and 1 center for patriotic education.

The regional philharmonic named after G. Zhubanova has 10 creative groups. Creative teams take part in many national and international competitions and festivals, widely promote the art of the Kazakh people, take prizes, and make a huge contribution to the development of the region.

The regional center of folk art organizes and conducts cultural events of various directions. The center works to coordinate, promote and distribute folk art, coordinate the activities of cultural and leisure institutions in the region and organizations.there are creative teams that have 156 «folk» and «exemplary» titles.

New productions are prepared on the theater stages every year. Every year, the theater covers more than 60 thousand spectators, the theater's repertoire is replenished with about 10 new productions. Creative achievements of the theater team have been repeatedly noted in various directing and acting fields.

Regional libraries, museums and archives are annually replenished with new funds. In order to activate the industry, funds are being digitalized.

In addition, the region has the country's first stationary planetarium. Since 2008, Aktobe planetarium has become a member of the Association of cooperation, which includes about 100 Russian and Eurasian planetariums.

In the village of Aliya, Kobda district of Aktobe region, there is a regional center for patriotic education «Aliya». The center has all conditions for holding cultural and sports events and recreation for young people. The center works in close contact with war and labor veterans, museums in the Moscow, St. Petersburg, Pskov, and Ural regions, where the heroine was raised , studied, and fought.

Tourism

Today in the Aktobe region there are 75 sacred objects, including 27 objects of national and 48 local significance. The most popular among them are sacred objects of national significance: the «Eset Batyr» mausoleum complex, the «Kobylandy Batyr» memorial complex, the «Abat Baitak» mausoleum, the «Khan molasy» necropolis, the «Keruen Saray» complex and the «Kotibar Batyr Basenuly» mausoleum.

Currently, in addition to visiting sacred and cultural and historical sites, the following types of tourism are popular in the Aktobe region:

• ecological tourism: Kargaly reservoir (sturgeon ponds, Aschelisay(«wolf») waterfall), chalk mountains «Aktolagay» (Baiganin district), Irgiz-Turgay Nature Reserve (Irgiz district);
• therapeutic- sanative (medical) tourism: the sanatorium-pantoleonta «Zaru» (Martuk district), sanatorium dispensary «Shipager» (Alga district), sands «Barkyn (Uil district);
• entertainment tourism: aqua park «Tree of life Aktobe», recreation and entertainment park «Green land», recreation park «Yurta park».

There is also a tourist portal dedicated to the region www.visitaktobe.kz, tourist information desks are installed at the airport and on the Arbat in Aktobe.

On August 24, 2019 the first international tourist festival «Qarg'aly Fest» was held. The number of participants is more than 4,000 people.