Zhezkazgan

Infobox City
official_name = Zhezkazgan
native_name = Жезқазған

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pushpin_label_position =bottom
pushpin_mapsize = 280
pushpin_map_caption =Location in Kazakhstan
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name =‎ flag|Kazakhstan
subdivision_name1 = Karagandy Province
established_title = Founded
established_date = 1938
government_type =
leader_title = Akim (mayor)
leader_name = Musa Tanabayev
area_magnitude =
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population_as_of=1999
population_footnotes =
population_total = 90,000
population_urban =
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timezone = BTT
utc_offset = +6
timezone_DST =
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latd=47|latm=47|lats=0|latNS=N
longd=67|longm=42|longs=0|longEW=E
elevation_footnotes=
elevation_m =
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postal_code_type = Postal code
postal_code = 100600
area_code = +7 7102
website = http://www.jezkazgan.kz
footnotes =

Zhezkazgan, also known as Zhezqazghan ( _kk. Жезқазған - "Zhezqazghan", _ru. Джезказган - "Dzhezkazgan"), is a city in Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan, on a reservoir of the Kara-Kengir River. It has a population of 90,000 (1999 census). Its urban area includes the neighbouring mining town of Satpayev, total population 148,700. 55% of the population are Kazakhs, 30% Russians, with smaller minorities of Ukrainians, Germans, Chechens and Koreans.

Geography

Zhezkazgan is situated in the very heart of the Kazakh upland, far away from a big river. It has an extreme continental climate. The average temperature ranges from 24°C (75°F) in July to -16°C (3°F) in January.

History

The city was created in 1938 in connection with the exploitation of the rich local copper deposits. In 1973 a large mining and metallurgical complex was constructed to the southeast to smelt the copper that until then had been sent elsewhere for processing. Other metal ores mined and processed locally are manganese, iron and gold.

During the Soviet era, Dzhezkazgan was the site of a Gulag labor camp, Kengir, mentioned in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's book, "The Gulag Archipelago", and Alexander Dolgun's "An American In The Gulag".

Industry

Today the city is the headquarters of the copper conglomerate Kazakhmys, the city's main employer. The company has subsidiaries in China, Russia and the UK and is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Transport

Although Zhezkazgan is centrally located in the country, it has limited connections to the other regions by rail, except for a rail line to the regional capital city Karagandy. By road Zhezkazgan is connected to the cities Karagandhy (by class-B european main road E018), Kyzylorda and Arkalyk (both by the European road E123). By air the city is connected to Astana and Almaty from airport.

Trivia

The Baikonur Cosmodrome lies 400 km to the south west and, by tradition, every cosmonaut plants a tree in Zhezkazgan's Sejfulin-Boulevard to mark his safe return from space.

Famous residents

Russian actor Oleg Yankovsky is the most famous of the city's natives.

References

External links

* [http://www.jezkazgan.kz City website]
* [http://podrobnosty1.narod.ru/ZHEZ/zhezphoto.htm Photos of the city]

* [http://www.photosight.ru/ownpage.php?authorid=145200 Photos of the city (Zhezkazgan' pics)]

* [http://www.panoramio.com/user/439820 Photos of Zhez by loginovskikh]

* [http://wikimapia.org/#lat=47.8017406&lon=67.7117443&z=14&l=1&m=a&v=2 Wikimapia - Карта города Жезказган (снимки Google) - Добавь описание объектов!]