Balkhash (city)

Balqasch ( Kazakh Балқаш / Balqasch, in Latin script Balqaş; Russian Балхаш / Balkhash ) is a town with 87,000 inhabitants ( 2009) at the Lake Balkhash area Karaganda in Kazakhstan.

Geography

The city is located about 500 km west of the border with China on the north shore of the lake at an altitude of 440 m. For urban area includes four villages: Gulschat, Sajaq, Saryschagan and Schaschubai.

Population

History

It was founded in 1937 as an industrial city around the Metallurgical Combine of Balqasch. The still mined copper there was largely responsible for the development of the city.

Environmental problems

Environmental problems threaten the city and the surrounding region. The largest employer in the city, the metallurgical combine buries its waste 300 meters from the lake. According to experts arrive as 25,000 tons of heavy metals in the lake.

Traffic

Airport

Balkhash has a regional airport, via which it is connected with the provincial capital Karaganda by the airline SCAT.

Railway

The town lies on the railway line from Mojynty after Aqtogai and is thus connected to the zentralkasachische route network and to the Turksib.

Highways

By Balkhash runs the major north -south route M36.

Sons and daughters of the town

  • Yuri Lonchakov (* 1965), Russian cosmonaut
  • Vasily Shirov ( born 1974 ), Kazakh boxer
1931 Vehicle registration plates of Kazakhstan Kazakh language Balkhashtsvetmet SCAT Airlines Abay (town) Priozersk, Kazakhstan Temirtau Tokarevka, Kazakhstan
101068
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