Kokshetau (; , ; ), formerly known as Kokchetav (, ; the official name between 1868 and 1993) is a lakeside city in northern Kazakhstan and the capital of Akmola Region (oblys), which stretches along the southern shore of Lake Kopa, lying in the north of Kokshetau Hills, a northern subsystem of the Kokshetau Uplands (Saryarka) and the southern edge of the Ishim Plain. It is named after the Mount Kokshe.
It was the administrative center of Kokshetau Region (oblast) from 1944 to 1991 as part of the Soviet Union and from 1991 as part of Kazakhstan to 1997 when it was abolished. It is also situated at the junction of the Trans-Kazakhstan and South Siberian railways. Kokshetau lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. The climate of Kokshetau features hot summers and cold winters.
It has 150,649 inhabitants (2022 est.), up from 123,389 (1999 census), while Akmola Region had a total population of 738,587 (2019 est.), down from 1,061,820 (1989 census), making it the tenth most populous region in Kazakhstan. The city's history has been influenced by people of many nations and religions. Kokshetau retains multiethnic population, with 59% ethnic Kazakhs (up from 36%), the rest being mostly 28% ethnic Russians (down from 42%) and other ethnic groups such as Ukrainians, Tatars and Germans. Kokshetau City Administration (area of ), with a population of roughly 165,153 residents, includes one settlement administration (which consists of the work settlement of Stantsyonny) and the Krasnoyarsk rural district, which includes two rural settlements (the villages of Krasny Yar and Kyzyl-Zhuldyz).
The city is considered to have been founded in 1824 as a military fortress, while it was granted city status in 1895. It was the centre of Kokshetau Region, which was abolished in 1997. It is well known for its nature and tourist sites, such as Burabay and Zerendi, among others. The city's main football team is FC Okzhetpes. Kokshetau is about from Petropavl, northwest of the national capital Astana along the A1, from Omsk along the A13, and from Kostanay. The city is served by Kokshetau Airport (KOV). The akim (mayor) is Bauyrzhan Gaisa from the Amanat Party.
Kokshetau is an important economic, educational, and cultural centre of the Akmola Region. Attractions in and around Kokshetau include Akmola Regional Museum of History and Local Lore, Bukpa Hill, Kokshetau City Park, Kokshetau City History Museum, Museum of Literature and Art. The northwest entrance to Burabay National Park () and Burabay spa town is a little over 43 miles (70 km) from Kokshetau. Kokshetau was awarded the title Kazakhstan City of Culture for the year 2021.
Names and etymology
The name Kokshetau (; ) is of Kazakh origin literally meaning a (), kokshe / "", meaning () and tau / "", meaning () — the name of always turning blue, as if in a deep haze of mountains, thus "Blueish Mountain/Smoky-Blue Mountain" in English. That is how from ancient times Kazakhs were calling the highest mountain in Akmola Region "Mount Kokshe" (947 m), located 60 miles away from the city.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan declared its independence on 16 December 1991 (Kazakhstan Independence Day), and on 7 October 1993, by the Resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the city of Kokchetav () was renamed to the more Kazakh sounding Kokshetau as part of the government's campaign to apply Kazakh names to cities, but the city's airport still retains KOV as its IATA code. In Russian it became known as Kokshetau.
Chronology of name changes
Historically, several names in various languages have identified Kokshetau.
Stanitsa Kokchetavskaya (1827–1868; which is a romanized back-transliteration from Russian name in Cyrillic: ; ) Kokchetav (1868–1993; in publications dating from the Soviet period, the city name was occasionally spelled in English as "Kokchetav", which is a back-transliteration from post-revolution Russian name in Cyrillic: , Russian name in Cyrillic script (1868-1918): ; Kazakh name in Yañalif script (1929-1940): , Kazakh name in Cyrillic script (after 1940): ) Kokshetau (since 1993; which is a romanized back-transliteration from Russian name in Cyrillic: ; Kazakh name in Cyrillic script: , Kazakh name in Latin script (new version before 2021): , Kazakh name in Latin script (latest version of the Kazakh Latin alphabet after 2021): )