Almaty Province

The area Almaty ( kasach. Алматы облысы / Almati oblisi; Russian Алматинская область / Almatinskaja Oblast ) is a province in Kazakhstan. It involves the to the big city Almaty ( Alma -Ata to 1994 ) cross -border region, from which derives the name. Although the province surrounding the town completely, but this is not part of the administrative unit, but an independent district.

The Almaty province has an area of ​​about 224,000 km ², making it the fifth largest of Kazakhstan. The population is about 1.9 million (without the city of Almaty ), administrative capital of the province is Taldyqorghan with 115,000 inhabitants. The population consists of about 65 % ethnic Kazakhs, second largest population group are the Russians with about 17.3 % share of the population, followed by the Uyghur ( 9.2% of the total population), the Turks (2%), Azerbaijanis (1.1% ) and Soviet Koreans ( 1%). In addition there are larger numbers of Ukrainians, Tatars, Chechens and 13,000 Russia German ( 0.8%). In 1989 their number amounted to more than 94,000 (then 5.7 % of the population ), but has been drastically reduced as a result of emigration to Germany, especially in the first years after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Geography

Included but politically - administratively separated from the province ( oblast Almaty) is Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city and former capital ( in the Soviet period and the early period of independence ).

The Almaty province borders Kyrgyzstan, and the Chinese province of Xinjiang ( Sinkiang ), Uygur Autonomic area. Furthermore, it borders three other Kazakh provinces: Zhambyl in the West, the North East and East Kazakhstan Karaganda ( Shyghys Qazaqstan ) in the north.

The Lake Balkhash (on Kazakh Balqasch Koli ) covers part of the Province in the northwest. The south-eastern border with China and Kyrgyzstan (airline about 500 miles) is occupied by the western part of the nearly 2,000 km long Tian -Shan Mountains, located on the Northern Slope Almaty.

Flora and Fauna

The nature of the area Almaty ( Seven Rivers Country ) is a special through its various geographical zones of the desert to the eternal ice. In the foothills and the mountain slopes grow a variety of plants, herbs and trees, there live hundreds of animal species, including the snow leopard. In the lower mountain zone ( below 600 meters) there are green deciduous forests in the floodplains there are orchards (mainly apples), aspen forests and hawthorn bushes. The fauna is diverse. Here you will encounter rabbits, squirrels, hamsters, badgers and brown bears. In the high mountains live Mountain Goats, Pamirschafe and gray steppe squirrels. In the woods there are many birds: waxwings, owls, mountain jackdaws, partridges and pheasants. The area around the Balkhash are best visited in mid-May, the steppe is a " red poppies carpet " covered.