Geographical location of Atyrau.
'Atyrau' (,
pronounced ; historical name 'Guriev') is a city in
Kazakhstan, and the capital of
Atyrau Province. It is located 2700 kilometers west of
Almaty and 350 kilometers east of the Russian city of
Astrakhan. Other transliterations include ''Aterau, Atirau, Atyraw, Atırav, Atıraw.''
Geography
The Manjali Mosque on Satpaev, Atyrau
Atyrau is Kazakhstan's main
harbour city on the
Caspian Sea at the
delta of the
Ural River. Atyrau city is approximately 20 meters below sea level. The city is considered by many to be located both in
Asia and
Europe, as it is divided by the
Ural River, which is often considered the boundary between Europe and Asia.
History
The wooden fort at the mouth of the
Yaik River was founded in
1645 under the name of 'Nizhny Yaitzky gorodok' (literally, ''Lower Yaik Fort'') by the Russian trader
Mikhaylo Guryev, a native of
Yaroslavl, who specialized in trade with
Khiva and
Bukhara. The fort was plundered by the
Yaik Cossacks, leading the Guriev family to rebuild it in stone (1647-62).
Tsar Alexis sent a garrison of
Streltsy to protect the fort from Cossack incursions. Despite these efforts, the Cossack rebel
Stepan Razin held the town in 1667 and 1668. The fort gradually lost its strategic significance and was demolished in 1810. Between
1708 and
1992 the city was known as 'Guriev'.
Modern city
Modern Atyrau is famous for its oil and fish industries. It has 142,500 inhabitants (
1999 census), almost 80% ethnic
Kazakhs, the rest being mostly
Russians and other ethnic groups such as
Koreans and
Bulgars.
Since
1 February 2006, its mayor is
Bergey Ryskaly.
See also
★
Tengiz Field
★
Atyrau Football Club
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