Balqash

Balqash
Балқаш ( kas. ) | Балхаш ( Russian )

coat of arms

Basic data

State :

Kazakhstan

Territory :

Karagandy

Founded :

1931

Coordinates :

46 ° 51 ' N , 74 ° 58' E Coordinates: 46 ° 50 '30 " N , 74 ° 57' 48" E

Height :

440 m

Area :

230 km²

Residents :

79,191 (Jan 1, 2020)

Population density :

344 inhabitants per km²

Time zone :

EKST ( UTC + 6 )

Telephone code :

(+7) 71036

Postal code :

100300-100316

License plate :

09 (old: M, K)

Äkim ( Mayor ) :

Alexander Agliulin

Website :

balkhash.gov.kz

Location in Kazakhstan

View of the city of Balqasch, 2004

Balkhash ( Kazakh Балқаш , Russian Балхаш Balkhash ) is a town with 79,191 inhabitants (at January 1, 2020) at Lake Balkhash in the region Karaganda in Kazakhstan .

geography

City center, 2007

Winter road, 2008

The city is located about 500 km west of the Chinese border and about 300 km south of Karagandy on the north bank of Lake Balkhash at an altitude of 440 m.

Four settlements belong to the urban area :

Gulschat , 60 km to the southwest
Sajaq , 210 km to the east
Saryschaghan , 150 km to the southwest
Shashubai , 1 km to the southwest

population

Ethnicity	number
Kazakhs	35,485
Russians	29,846
Ukrainians	2.223
German	2,194
Tatars	1,344
Korean	1,320
Belarusians	396
Chechens	194
Others	1,098

history

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

Since the independence of Kazakhstan, official names have been written in Kazakh , which is why there are different spellings for the city and, for example, Lake Balkhash .

environmental issues

Environmental problems threaten the city and the surrounding region. The city's largest employer, the Metallurgical Combine, buries its waste 300 meters from the lake. According to experts, 25,000 tons of heavy metals get into the lake every year.

traffic

Airport

Balkhash has a regional airport, through which it is connected to the provincial capital Karagandy by the airline SCAT .

railroad

The city lies on the railway line from Mojynty in the west to Aqtogai in the east and is therefore connected to the central Kazakh route network and the Turksib .