Aktobe Region

Aktobe Region (Kazakh: Ақтөбе облысы, romanized: Aqtöbe oblysy; Russian: Актюбинская область) is a region of Kazakhstan. The name Aktobe comes from Kazakh aq 'white' and töbe 'hill'; supposedly, Aktobe's initial settlers were able to see white mountains far to the north. The Aktobe regional capital is the city of Aktobe. The region is located in the western part of Kazakhstan. Its area is 300,629 km² (the largest in Kazakhstan), which is 11% of the territory of Kazakhstan. Its population was 909,673 as of 1 June 2022.

The region was formed as a result of the administrative-territorial reform on March 10, 1932 as part of the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Historically, it was preceded by the Aktobe gubernia (province), which existed in 1921-1928 and the Aktobe Okrug (district) that existed from 1928-1929. 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).

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 in the Aktobe and Kyzylorda regions.

The region is administratively divided into twelve districts and the city of Aktobe.

^* Eight localities in Aktobe Region have town status. These are Aktobe, Alga, Embi, Kandyagash, Khromtau, Shalkar, Temir, and Zhem.
^* Two more localities - Shubarkuduk and Shubarshi - have status of urban-type settlement.

Aktobe region is a large industrial region of Kazakhstan. The basis of the industrial sector are the mining and chemical industries, and ferrous metallurgy. Mineral reserves are: gas - 144.9 billion m³, oil - 243.6 million tons, oil and gas condensate - 32.7 million tons. There are large deposits of chromite (1st place in the CIS), nickel-cobalt ores, phosphorite, potassium salts, etc.