Mangischlak

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Mangischlak
Geographical location
Mangischlak (Mangghystau)
Mangischlak
Coordinates 44 ° 22 ′  N , 50 ° 52 ′  E Coordinates: 44 ° 22 ′  N , 50 ° 52 ′  E
Waters 1 Caspian Sea
length 300 km
width 200 km

Mangischlak (also Mangyschlak, Kazakh Mangistau , DMG: Manqïšlaq) is the name of a large peninsula on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea , which gives it its characteristic bean shape. It belongs to the administrative region of Mangghystau , a western province of Kazakhstan .

The peninsula belonging to Kazakhstan measures around 200 × 300 km and is a semi-desert or desert . Its elevated central and southern part reaches up to 556 m above sea level in the Mangistau Mountains (Gora Bessoki) and is geologically assigned to the Ustyurt plateau , while the flat northern part geomorphologically represents a depression (−35 m) and mostly as a separate peninsula ( Busatschi , Russ . Poluostrov Buzaci ) is counted.

Mangischlak is only sparsely populated today (mostly Kazakhs, Turkmen, Russians, Transcaucasians), but in ancient times it was a crossroads of different cultures. You can find old places of prayer of Nestorians , Zoroastrians and Sufis , who are now the destination of pilgrims and individual tour groups and have their own guest houses. The largest necropolis of Mangischlak is the Schopan Ata pilgrimage site in the Sauskan desert with underground meditation rooms and 5000 tombs from 10 centuries.

Tourist destinations are also some canyons (including Schakpak Ata, Sultan Epe and Zhygylghan) with fossils and ancient settlements. Furthermore, in the Karatau Mountains, the colored clay formations of Kokala, the mountain Scherkala and the neighboring excavation site Kyzyl Kala. This mountain range (in contrast. Of the same name in eastern Kazakhstan as Mangistau called) takes place in three parallel mountain ranges of the headland (Tjub Karagan) in Fort-Shevchenko more than 200 km to the east and provides an orographic connection to the Ustyurt Plateau . The two lateral ridges are also called Ak-tau.

Turkmen , nomadic Kazakhs and Transcaucasians were among the early inhabitants, and Russians have increasingly joined them since the tsarist empire . The largest settlements are the cities of Aqtau (Russian Shevchenko ) on the seashore and Shangaöse (Russian Nowy Usen ) in the central highlands.

The Aqtau nuclear power plant (power plant and plutonium breeder) is located near Aqtau and there was a nuclear test area in the south of the peninsula.

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  • Map of Central Asia , Brockhaus Atlas, 1980.

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