Zhanaozen ( kk, Jañaözen, , pronounced
">ɑŋɑøˈzʲen, formerly known as Novy Uzen (russian: Новый Узень), is a city in the
Mangystau Region
Mangystau ( kk, Маңғыстау облысы, Mañğystau oblysy; russian: Мангистауская область, Mangistauskaya oblast) is a Regions of Kazakhstan, region of Kazakhstan. Its capital is Aktau (a seaport), which has a popula ...
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 ...
located south-east of the city of
Aktau
Aktau ( kk, Aqtau, Ақтау , russian: Актау) is a city in Kazakhstan, located on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. Its current name means "white mountain" in Kazakh, which may be due to its cliffs that overlook the Caspian. From 1964 to ...
. The name of the town means "new river" in Kazakh. Janaozen is a city of regional significance.
It is completely surrounded by the territory of
Karakiya District
Karakiya District ( kk, Қарақия ауданы, Qaraqiia audany, ) is a district of Mangystau Region in south-western Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Centr ...
, but administratively does not belong to the district. It had a population of 147,962 in 2018; the census population in 2009 was 113,014, and that in 1999 had been 63,337.
[Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan.]
History
The town of Zhanaozen was founded in 1964, after the opening of an oil field in Uzen. On 21 October 1968 Novy Uzen took the status of a settlement of town type, and since 20 March 1973 the status of a city of regional significance. June 1989 saw large disorders. Novy Uzen was renamed Zhanaozen in October 1993.
2011 oil strike
In May 2011, workers from the
Ozenmunaigas oil field went on
strike
Strike may refer to:
People
* Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
over pay. The strike was declared illegal by local courts and the state oil company sacked nearly 1000 employees.
Some of the sacked workers then occupied the town square in protest. On 16 December 2011 police were accused of firing on them.
[''Kazakh oil strike: 10 dead in Zhanaozen clashes'']
BBC, retrieved 16 December 2011 Fifteen people (workers and police officers) were killed according to government officials, though opposition sources put the death toll in the dozens.
[''Kazakhstan curfew on oil town Zhanaozen after fatal clashes'']
BBC, retrieved 17 December 2011 In disturbances that day local government offices, a hotel and an office of the state oil company were set on fire, according to General Prosecutor
Askhat Daulbayev.
[ Eighty-six people were injured in the clashes – according to the authorities – and due to shortage of hospital beds in Zhanaozen, many were taken to be treated in the regional capital ]Aktau
Aktau ( kk, Aqtau, Ақтау , russian: Актау) is a city in Kazakhstan, located on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. Its current name means "white mountain" in Kazakh, which may be due to its cliffs that overlook the Caspian. From 1964 to ...
, about 150 km away.[
]
2022 protests
The 2022 Kazakh protests
The 2022 Kazakh unrest, also known as Bloody January () or the January tragedy (), was a series of mass protests that began in Kazakhstan on 2 January 2022 after a sudden sharp increase in liquefied gas prices following the lifting of a governm ...
began in Zhanaozen after a sharp increase in gas prices (the Kazakh government claiming this was due to high demand and price fixes), corruption, authoritarianism, human rights violations, and police brutality. The protest soon spread to other regions of Kazakhstan, and as of Jan 8, 2022, the government has resigned and the new government has promised to change the gas prices to 50 Kazakhstani tenge
The tenge ( or ; kk, теңге, teñge, ; sign: ₸ ; code: KZT) is the currency of Kazakhstan. It is divided into 100 tiyn ( kk, тиын, tıyın also transliterated as ''tiyin'').
History
After the breakup of the Soviet Union in December ...
for the next 6 months.
Location and geography
Zhanaozen is located in the desert on Mangyshlak Peninsula
Mangyshlak or Mangghyshlaq Peninsula ( kk, Маңғыстау түбегі, translit=Mañğystau tübegı; russian: Полуостров Мангышла́к, translit=Poluostrov Mangyshlák) is a large peninsula located in western Kazakhstan. It ...
.
Climate
Zhanaozen has a cold desert climate
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
(Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''BWk'') with sharp continental
Continental may refer to:
Places
* Continent, the major landmasses of Earth
* Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US
* Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US
Arts and entertainment
* ''Continental'' (al ...
influences. Strong winds are present on a big extent of year.
Winters not long, but rather frosty. Average winter temperature -5 -7 degrees Celsius, can sometimes reach -15 -17 degrees Celsius. Snow cover low power. Strong winds cause long snowstorms.
Summer always hot, droughty and long. Average summer temperature +34 +36 degrees Celsius, can sometimes reach +45 degrees Celsius. The extremely rare rains have storm character. Average annual amount of precipitation of 120 mm. Rainfall is evenly distributed for all year slightly the increase in rainfall is observed during the spring period.
Population
Population of the town with the adjacent villages of Kyzylsay (3,500 people), Tenge (18,700 people) and Rakhat (30,800 people) for the end of the 2012 reporting period made 129,600 people or 22.2% of the total population of the Mangystau region. In comparison, of 2012 the population increased on 4,500 people due to birth rate growth. National structure - Kazakhs
The Kazakhs (also spelled Qazaqs; Kazakh: , , , , , ; the English name is transliterated from Russian; russian: казахи) are a Turkic-speaking ethnic group native to northern parts of Central Asia, chiefly Kazakhstan, but also parts o ...
, Russians
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118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate)
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, Karakalpaks
The Karakalpaks or Qaraqalpaqs (; kaa, Qaraqalpaqlar, Қарақалпақлар, قاراقلپقلر), are a Turkic ethnic group native to Karakalpakstan in Northwestern Uzbekistan. During the 18th century, they settled in the lower reache ...
and other nations.
Sport
Sports clubs
Futsal club of Munaishy acting in the championship of Kazakhstan on a futsal.
Sports constructions
*Stadium of Amin Tuyakov.
*Physical culture-improvements complex (PIC) of Rakhmet Utesinov.
*"Energetik" children-young mans sport school (CYSS).
Transport
Zhanaozen is a terminal station at the railway connecting it to Gorgan (Zhanaozen — Gyzylgaya — Bereket
Bereket, formerly Gazanjyk or ''Kazandzhik'' (russian: Казанджик or tk, Газанҗык gɑˈzɑnd͡ʒik), is a city in Balkan Province in western Turkmenistan. Bereket is the administrative centre of Bereket District.
Bereket is lo ...
— Gyzyletrek
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— Gorgan
Gorgan ( fa, گرگان ; also romanized as ''Gorgān'', ''Gurgān'', and ''Gurgan''), formerly Esterabad ( ; also romanized as ''Astarābād'', ''Asterabad'', and ''Esterābād''), is the capital city of Golestan Province, Iran. It lies appro ...
).
The city transport is presented by generally passenger "GAZelle
A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . This article also deals with the seven species included in two further genera, ''Eudorcas'' and ''Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third f ...
s" (12 routes, approx. 120 units) and private taxi. The cost of a passenger journey — 40 tenge (half price for children), and a taxi — 150-300 tenge.
Famous residents
* Altynay Sapargalieva
Altynay Sapargaliyeva ( kk, Алтынай Сапарғалиева, , , pronounced ltəˈnɑj sɑpɑrʁɑləjevˈnɑ born 30 November 1989) is a Kazakh singer who placed third in ''SuperStar KZ 3''.
As a child, she sang a member of the gir ...
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
* Emb ...
References
{{Cities of Kazakhstan
Cities and towns in Kazakhstan
Populated places in Mangystau Region
Populated places established in 1968