Jewel of the Caspian Sea. Another name for Aqtau was Shevkenko. Aqtau did not begin its existence until 1963. I was originally built as a Soviet Model of how cities should be built. It has wide, straight streets and sandy beaches. It was called Shevkenko for awhile because of a poet who was exiled there as a political prisoner.
Aqtau means white mountain in Kazak, so named after the vast, flat steppes surrounding the city It has become somewhat of a tourist location because of its location along the Caspian Sea. Just dont plan on taking a bath while you are there as the water comes out of the tap brown. Currently, there is very little industry still in Aqtau. The main industry is oil. A few foreign oil companies have established offices in Aqtau as they extract oil from the steppe of Mangistau Oblast.
It is far from any other cities with few ways to travel to them. Most of the cities supplies are freighted in by air. 7. Kyzl Orda - The heart of Kazakhstan Other names for Kyzl Orda include Qyzylorda, Ak-Mechet and Perovsk. Kyzl Orda is a truly Kazakstan city. It was originally founded as the far western fortress Ak-Mechet for the Kokand khanate state. In 1853, Russian forces took it over and renamed it Perovsk. From 1925 until 1929, Kyzl Orda was the capital of the Kazak Soviet Socialist Republic SSR. Today, Kyzl Orda is the capital of the Kyzl Orda Oblast or state.
Located along the Syrdariya River, it is a fertile rice growing area. Unlike many of the other areas along the Syrdariya, they are unable to grow cotton because of their northern latitude. The climate of Kyzl Orda has also under gone a change since the Soviets took power. Talking to Kazaks who have lived there for many years, they have noticed that the winters are colder and the summers hotter.
Much of this may be attributable to the shrinking of the Aral Sea. Of the cities in Kazakstan, Kyzl Orda is one of the most Kazak cities. Over 90 of the population speaks Kazak as the mother tongue and it is one of the few large cities in Kazakstan that one can get around in using only Kazak.