Korday

Korday or Kordai ( _kz. Қордай, _ru. Кордай) is a village in Zhambyl Province of Kazakhstan, and the administrative center of that province's Korday District. It has been formerly known under its old Russian name of Georgievka.

European route E40, known locally as Highway M-39 (based on the old USSR highway numbering scheme), on its way from Bishkek to Almaty crosses the Chu River at Korday, making Korday border crossing arguably the most important crossing on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border. (The Kazakhstan point of entry is known as Korday, while its counterpart on the Kyrgyz side is called Akjol, or Akjol-Chu). Buses, passenger vans, and taxis take passengers from the Kyrgyz side of the crossing to Bishkek and from the Kazakh side to the railway junction of Shu, Kazakhstan, while others go directly between Bishkek and Almaty thru the Korday checkpoint. Trucks carry goods, mostly Chinese imports, from Bishkek's Dordoy Bazaar to Kazakhstan and further on to Russia.

Incidents of truckers fording the Chu River away from the bridge, to circumvent the customs, have been reported as well. [ [http://www.iwpr.net/?p=rca&s=f&o=162097&apc_state=henirca2004 Kazakstan: Smugglers Target Open Border] By Gaziza Baituova, 14-Dec-04]

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