Orenburg

Orenburg (Russian: Оренбу́рг, pronounced, Kazakh: Орынбор, romanized: Orynbor), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies in Eastern Europe, near the boundary of Europe and Asia, along the banks of the Ural River, being approximately 1,480 kilometers (920 mi) southeast of Moscow.

Orenburg is close to the border with Kazakhstan. Founded in the 18th century, the city was an important place for Kazakh–Russian trade in the 19th century, the founding place of the first two Kazakh republics in the 20th century, and then the first capital of the Kazakh ASSR from 1920 to 1925.