Aktau
| Aktau | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Government | |
| - Mayor | Salimgerey Bekbergenov |
| Population (2004) | |
| - City | |
| Time zone | [[UTC+5]] ([[UTC+5]]) |
Aktau (Kazakh: Ақтау - Aqtau; Russian: Актау - Aktau) is a city in Kazakhstan's Mangyshlak Peninsula and country's only seaport on the Caspian Sea. It is the capital of Mangystau Province in the western Kazakhstan. Aktau literally means "white mountain" in Kazakh, so named after the cliffs overlooking the sea.
Aktau has a block system - that's why streets of the city have no names and all addresses in
Aktau consist of three numbers: the block number, the building number and the apartment number.
History
Aktau was built in 1961 as a small village after large amounts of crude oil was discovered in the region. In 1963 Aktau gained status of city. From 1964 to 1991, city was named Shevchenko to honour the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, who was once sent away to this remote location because of his political separatism . Aktau was once the site of a nuclear power station. The BN-350 FBR went online in 1973, and closed in 1999. In addition to providing power for the city, BN-350 was also used for producing plutonium and for desalination to supply fresh water to the city.
The area code of the city is 7292.
Transport
International airport, rail-way station and a developed seaport. Buses and taxis are main transports in the city.
- Fixed fee for buses is 35 tenge (0.25$)
- Fixed fee for a taxi is 200 tenge (1.5$) around the city (as of September 2007).
Every second car will pick you up if you just raise your hand. This is a general way of catching taxi in most part of the country.
Climate and leisure
Climate is continental, with dry summers and mild winters. Mean January
temperature: -4'C, mean July temperature: +27'C
Beach season lasts from May to September with average sea temperature: +21'. Aktau has rocky hills and sandy beaches at the
seashore.
There are several modern resorts on the coast to the south of the city.
Sights
- Regional Studies & History Museum
- WWII Eternal Flame Memorial
- Beket-Ata mosque
- The Dramatic Theatre
- Yntymak Square
Aktau city project
On September 11, 2007 President Nursultan Nazarbayev gave a start to the project Aktau city in order to develop tourism and attract investments [1]. Totally new city will be built to the north-west of the current city. 4 millions sq. meters of residential and business buildings are to be constructed. Architecture style is derived from UAE's construction experience under the patronage of Sheikh Abdullah ibn Zaid Al Nahayan
Sister Cities
External Links
- Aqtau.kz (Google translation)
- Aktau seaport
- Mangystau region akimat
- Lada weekly newspaper
- Tumba weekly newspaper
- Ogni Mangystau daily newspaper
- Aktau current weather
- Marriott hotel
- Aktaumarket.com / Business Information
References
- ^ New city project Khabar news agency
- ^ Visit of M.Saakashvili to Kazakhstan 31 Channel March 31, 2005
- ^ KZ-Today September 11, 2006
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