Aktogay ( kz, Ақтоғай, ', اقتوعاي ) is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in
Ayagoz District
Ayagoz ( kk, Аякөз ауданы, ; اياكٶز اۋدانى) is a district of Abai Region in eastern Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Ayagoz
Ayagoz or Ayakoz ( kk, Аягөз, ''Aiagöz''), formerly Se ...
,
East Kazakhstan Region
East Kazakhstan Region ( kk, Шығыс Қазақстан облысы, translit=Şyğys Qazaqstan oblysy; russian: Восточно-Казахстанская область, Vostochno-Kazakhstanskaya oblast) is a region of Kazakhstan. It occupi ...
of
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
and major
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
hub of Turkestan-Siberian Railway.
Aktogay is located in Balkhash-Alakol lowlands, close to Balkhash lake. The Ayagoz river’s mouth is located nearby Aktogay. The climate is continental. Summer is hot +40°, winter is cold -40°. The distance to district center Ayagoz is 100 km, to the region center Ust-Kamenogorsk is 420 km, to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan is 1250 km.
The major copper deposit is discovered close to Aktogay town. This is the fourth reserves of copper in the world.
Aktogay Mine and copper extraction plant was completed there and the copper cathodes production started in 2011. The capital cost account $1.5-2 billion and the production capacity is 100.000 tones per annum.
The city is about 30 km from
Lake Balkhash
Lake Balkhash ( kk, Балқаш көлі, ''Balqaş kóli'', ; russian: озеро Балхаш, ozero Balkhash) is a lake in southeastern Kazakhstan, one of the largest lakes in Asia and the 15th largest in the world. It is located in the ea ...
.
Transport
Aktogay lies on the main line of
Turkestan–Siberia Railway
The Turkestan–Siberian Railway (commonly abbreviated as the ''Turk–Sib'', kk, Түрксіб, translit=Türksib, , ; russian: Турксиб, translit=Turksib) is a broad gauge railway that connects Central Asia with Siberia. It starts nort ...
. As a result of the Soviet–Chinese accords of 1956, the railway to
Dostyk
Dostyk ( kk, Достық, ''Dostyq'') or Druzhba (russian: Дружба) is a small town in Kazakhstan's Almaty Region, on the border with Xinjiang, China. It is a port of entry (by highway and railroad) from China. The rail portion serves as ...
(in
Alataw Pass
The Dzungarian Gate (or Altai Gap or Altay Gap) is a geographically and historically significant mountain pass between China and Central Asia. It has been described as the "one and only gateway in the mountain-wall which stretches from Manchuria ...
) was built in 1959, but by that time
relations between two countries had soured and Chinese
Lanxin railway was not extended to Kazakhstan border in the following thirty years. In 1985 Aktogay was linked with
Sayaq Sayaq is a town in Karaganda Region in eastern Kazakhstan.
Transport
It is the terminus of a branch of the national railway system.
See also
* Railway stations in Kazakhstan
Railway stations in Kazakhstan include:
Maps
UN Mapreliefweb ma ...
station, so a railway connection to Central Kazakhstan become available. After connection with China at the Alataw Pass in 1990, a railway bridge
Ürümqi
Ürümqi ( ; also spelled Ürümchi or without umlauts), formerly known as Dihua (also spelled Tihwa), is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the far northwest of the People's Republic of China. Ürümqi developed its ...
—Dostyk—Aktogay—Sayak—
Balqash—
Moyynty was created.
In 2012, a new line was opened between
Zhetigen
Zhetigen ( kk, Жетіген, ''Jetıgen'', جەتٸگەن; russian: Жетыген, ''Zhetygen'') is a small town in Almaty Region of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mai ...
, via a
break-of-gauge
With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally cannot ...
trans-shipment hub at
Korgas
Khorgas, officially known as KorgasThe official spelling according to , (Beijing, ''SinoMaps Press'' 1997); ( zh, s=霍尔果斯, t=霍爾果斯, p=Huò'ěrguǒsī; kk, قورعاس, Qorǵas), also known as ''Chorgos'', ''Gorgos'', ''Horgos' ...
, to a junction in China at
Jinghe.
Climate
See also
*
Railway stations in Kazakhstan
Railway stations in Kazakhstan include:
Maps
UN Mapreliefweb map Towns
(Stations should be in line order)
Existing
* Ganyushkino - near Russian border
* Atyrau
* Beyneu
* Aqtau - port on Caspian Sea
* Aqtober - near Russian border
* Embi ...
References
{{reflist
Populated places in East Kazakhstan Region
Railway stations in East Kazakhstan Region