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Atyrau

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Overview

Atyrau (UK: , US: ; Kazakh: Атырау, pronounced [ɑtəˈrɑw] ; Russian: Атырау), known until 1991 as Guryev (Russian: Гурьев), is a city in Kazakhstan and the capital of Atyrau Region. Atyrau is a transcontinental city, at the mouth of the Ural River on the Caspian Sea, between Europe and Asia, 2,700 kilometres (1,700 miles) west of Almaty and 351 kilometres (218 miles) east of the Russian city of Astrakhan.

Atyrau is famous for its oil and gas industries. It has a population of 355,117 as of 2020. It is predominantly made up of Kazakhs, the minorities being Russians, Koreans, Tatars and Uzbeks.

Facts

Rank

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Coordinates

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

Media

From Wikipedia1,839 words

WBP editorial3

Cross‑border rhythm

Atyrau’s daily life is calibrated to the river that splits two continents. On the European side, traders still juggle the weight of oil freight with the cadence of a local market where Kazakh cheeses and freshly‑caught Caspian fish sit side by side. Across the water, the Asian quarter’s cafés serve strong tea while the calls to prayer echo from a modest mosque hidden among low‑rise blocks. This subtle juxtaposition gives visitors a chance to watch how the city’s infrastructure—bridges, pipelines, and railways—honour two geopolitical identities without overt fanfare. A short walk along the riverbank at twilight offers a quiet moment to sense this fluid blending, a perspective seldom captured in guidebooks.

Beyond the oil curtain

While Atyrau’s economy is dominated by hydrocarbons, the surrounding region holds a quieter narrative of nomadic heritage. Venturing a few kilometres north, the flat steppe opens to seasonal herding routes where Kazakh families still tend to their goats and camels, their yurts dotting the horizon like ancient punctuation. Small family‑run guesthouses welcome curious travellers with fermented kumis and stories of the Great Silk Road’s lesser‑known caravan stops. Timing your visit for the late summer, when the steppe grasses turn golden, lets you witness the annual “Kokpar” horse‑game, a raucous yet communal tradition that contrasts sharply with the city’s corporate skyline.

Practical crossing points

Navigating Atyrau’s continental split requires a bit of local savvy. The central bridge over the Ural is the most straightforward route, but rush hour can turn the span into a bottleneck, especially when oil‑sector shift changes release a wave of commuters. An alternative is the older, lower‑capacity pedestrian crossing that local fishers use; it offers a slower pace and a chance to watch fishermen unload their catch directly onto riverbanks. For those arriving by train, the station on the Asian side provides a convenient link to the Caspian coastal railway, while the newer airport on the European side handles most international flights. Planning transfers around these nuances can shave hours off a tight itinerary.

Introduction

City in Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan City in Atyrau Region, KazakhstanAtyrau Атырау/Atyrau (Kazakh)CityClockwise from top: Central Bridge above the Ural River which connects Europe and Asia during the evening; European side of Atyrau; Isatay and Makhambet Monument; An orthodox church; Catholic Cathedral The city government building; The Marriott Executive Apartment during the morning. FlagSealAtyrauLocation in KazakhstanShow map of KazakhstanAtyrauLocation in EuropeShow map of EuropeAtyrauLocation in AsiaShow map of AsiaCoordinates: 47°07′00″N 51°53′00″E / 47.11667°N 51.88333°E / 47.11667; 51.88333Country KazakhstanRegionAtyrau RegionFounded1640City status1885Government • Akim (mayor)Shakir KeikinElevation−20 m (−66 ft)Population (2024) • City404,129 • Metro501,467Time zoneUTC+05:00 (Kazakhstan Time)Postal code060001–060011Area code(+7) 7122Vehicle registrationE, 06HDI (2024)0.856high · 4GDP (nominal)2024• Total $36,035 billion(KZT17,8 trillion million)• Per capita $89,196(KZT 19 974,1 thousand)Websiteatyrau.gov.kz/index.php/en/ Atyrau (UK: /ˌætɪˈraʊ, -ˈrɔː/, US: /ˌɑːtɪˈraʊ, -ˈrɔː/; Kazakh: Атырау, pronounced [ɑtəˈrɑw] ⓘ; Russian: Атырау), known until 1991 as Guryev (Russian: Гурьев), is a city in Kazakhstan and the capital of Atyrau Region. Atyrau is a transcontinental city, at the mouth of the Ural River on the Caspian Sea, between Europe and Asia, 2,700 kilometres (1,700 miles) west of Almaty and 351 kilometres (218 miles) east of the Russian city of Astrakhan. Atyrau is famous for its oil and gas industries. It has a population of 355,117 as of 2020. It is predominantly made up of Kazakhs, the minorities being Russians, Koreans, Tatars and Uzbeks.

History

[edit] This section needs expansion. You can help by adding missing information. (May 2026) The wooden fort at the mouth of the Yaik River was founded in 1645 as Nizhny Yaitzky gorodok (literally, Lower Yaik Fort) by the Russian trader Gury Nazarov, a native of Yaroslavl, who specialized in trade with Khiva and Bukhara. The fort was plundered by the Yaik Cossacks, leading the Guriev family to rebuild it in stone (1647–62). Tsar Alexis sent a garrison of Streltsy to protect the fort from Cossack incursions. Despite these efforts, the Cossack rebel Stepan Razin held the town in 1667 and 1668. The fort gradually lost its strategic significance and was demolished in 1810. Between 1708 and 1992 the city was known as Guriev. The Kazakh name Atyrau means 'river delta'. Two parts of the world have the city. The side of Samarskaya (right side of the river) lies in Europe and the left bank of Bukharskaya is in Asia. It was established in 1615, by the employer Mikhail Guriev, who applied the decree to tzar Mikhail Fedorovich for a monopoly in the mouth of Ural to fish sturgeons.

Origin of the name

[edit] Murzaev E. Dictionary of popular geographical terms (1984) states: "The branched coast of a large lake or sea, on which appeared the bay and islands, the estuaries of rivers and capes. The north-eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, including its alyp, the locals still call Atyrau." A. Nurmaganbetov and M. Khobdabayev state: "The word atyrau, which earlier means "island", also grasps the concept of the word saga -" the mouth of the river, "and this is natural, whatever the river, at the point where it enters the ocean or the sea, its mouth branches out, and between each branch appears dry. We think that this is the main reason for joint use of Atyrau together with the "mouth of the river". Ecological Kazakh–Russian Dictionary (2001) states: Atyrau is a tract, a cane shoal in the mouth of the Urals.

Geography

[edit] Atyrau (together with Aktau) is Kazakhstan's main harbour city on the Caspian Sea, Atyrau at the delta of the Ural River. Atyrau city is approximately 20 metres (66 feet) below sea level. The city is considered to be located both in Asia and Europe, as it is divided by the Ural River. The city is a hub for the oil-rich Caspian Depression; because of this, many oil wells have been drilled in the Tengiz Field and Kashagan Field areas. An oil pipeline runs from Atyrau to Samara, where it joins the Russian pipeline system. A separate oil pipeline runs from the Tengiz field to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiisk.

Demographics

[edit] At the beginning of 2020, the population of the city is 290,700 people, 355,117 people in the territory of the city akimat. National composition (at the beginning of 2020): Kazakhs – 313 534 people (88.29%) Russians – 29 466 people (8.30%) Koreans – 2 987 people (0.84%) Tatars – 1 934 people (0.54%) Uzbeks – 1 320 people (0.37%) Ukrainians – 709 people (0.20%) Karakalpaks – 700 people (0.20%) Azerbaijanis – 510 people (0.14%) Germans – 406 people (0.11%) Karachais – 357 people (0.10%) Dargins – 229 people (0.06%) Belarusians – 210 people (0.06%) Bulgarians – 197 people (0.06%) Others – 2 558 people (0.72%) In total – 355,117 people.

Climate

[edit] Atyrau's climate is semi-arid (Köppen climate classification BSk), just shy of being classified as arid (Köppen climate classification BWk), with hot summers and cold winters. Precipitation is low throughout the year. Snow is common, though light in winter. The lowest temperature on record is −37.9 °C (−36.2 °F), recorded in 1909, and the highest temperature is 44.6 °C (112.3 °F), recorded in August 1940. It is much more continental than areas further west on the European continent, with summers characterized by temperatures averaging 33 °C (91 °F) and lack of precipitation, resembling continental hot-summer mediterranean climates, and subarctic winters with little snow but with chilling temperatures. These vast temperature swings are more comparable to Siberia and the North American plains. The unofficial record high temperature is 50 °C (122 °F) on 4 July 1911, which would be the highest temperature recorded in Kazakhstan. Climate data for Atyrau (1991–2020, extremes 1881–present) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 10.5(50.9) 15.0(59.0) 26.3(79.3) 34.5(94.1) 38.9(102.0) 42.8(109.0) 42.7(108.9) 44.6(112.3) 40.1(104.2) 29.6(85.3) 20.0(68.0) 11.9(53.4) 44.6(112.3) Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −3.0(26.6) −1.3(29.7) 6.8(44.2) 17.3(63.1) 25.3(77.5) 31.3(88.3) 33.7(92.7) 32.2(90.0) 24.7(76.5) 15.6(60.1) 5.3(41.5) −1.2(29.8) 15.6(60.1) Daily mean °C (°F) −6.4(20.5) −5.6(21.9) 1.9(35.4) 11.6(52.9) 19.4(66.9) 25.1(77.2) 27.4(81.3) 25.6(78.1) 18.4(65.1) 10.2(50.4) 1.5(34.7) −4.2(24.4) 10.4(50.7) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −9.3(15.3) −9.0(15.8) −2.1(28.2) 6.5(43.7) 13.7(56.7) 18.8(65.8) 21.0(69.8) 19.2(66.6) 12.7(54.9) 5.5(41.9) −1.6(29.1) −7.0(19.4) 5.7(42.3) Record low °C (°F) −37.9(−36.2) −37.4(−35.3) −32.3(−26.1) −12.3(9.9) −2.3(27.9) 2.3(36.1) 8.1(46.6) 4.8(40.6) −5.7(21.7) −15.7(3.7) −29.8(−21.6) −35.8(−32.4) −37.9(−36.2) Average precipitation mm (inches) 16.0(0.63) 12.0(0.47) 15.6(0.61) 16.6(0.65) 27.8(1.09) 16.9(0.67) 11.6(0.46) 9.7(0.38) 9.0(0.35) 18.3(0.72) 16.0(0.63) 15.8(0.62) 185.3(7.30) Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) 3(1.2) 6(2.4) 2(0.8) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 1(0.4) 2(0.8) 6(2.4) Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 4.4 2.9 3.2 3.8 3.9 3.0 2.3 1.5 2.0 3.2 3.9 4.3 38.4 Average rainy days 4 4 6 8 9 7 6 5 5 8 10 6 78 Average snowy days 14 11 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 11 50 Average relative humidity (%) 84 80 74 58 50 45 45 46 52 64 80 84 64 Mean monthly sunshine hours 98 138 167 245 311 330 343 323 267 196 105 75 2,598 Mean daily sunshine hours 3.2 4.9 5.4 8.2 10.0 11.0 11.1 10.4 8.9 6.3 3.5 2.4 7.1 Source 1: Pogoda.ru.net Source 2: NOAA (sun, 1961–1990), Deutscher Wetterdienst (daily sun 1961-1990)

Industry

[edit] Oil industry[edit] The third biggest refinery in Kazakhstan is located in Atyrau. Atyrau Refinery is operated by KazMunayGas and has a capacity of 16,600 m3/day (2012). A deep oil refining complex is under construction which is the final stage of complete reconstruction of Atyrau Oil Refinery. This project is designed to process 2.4 million tons/year of raw materials (oil and vacuum gas oil). The project will increase the depth of the oil processing at the refinery by 2016 to 85%. The volume of oil refining will reach 5.5 million tons per year. Atyrau is located near Tengiz field, which is operated in part by Chevron. Most families of Chevron employees live in Dostyk village, a compound that includes housing, recreational facilities, and an international school. Atyrau also has expatriate populations working for Agip, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, and ConocoPhillips. Environmental problems[edit] As a result of the oil industry, the air in the city is polluted with toxic hydrogen sulfide gas. The air in the city was found to regularly exceed the maximum permissible concentration and constantly had a 'rotten eggs' smell.

Transportation

[edit] Air[edit] Entrance to the Atyrau Airport Atyrau Airport (IATA: GUW, ICAO: UATG) serves the city of Atyrau. The airport is located 8 km northwest of Atyrau. The airport hosts 6 airlines, mostly operating domestic flights, and is the focus city of the flag carrier airline Air Astana. In 2019, it was the 5th busiest airport in Kazakhstan, as 937,032 people had passed the airport in that year. There are some international destinations, such as flights to Moscow, operated by Aeroflot, Amsterdam and Istanbul, both operated by Air Astana. Railway[edit] Train from Moscow to Almaty staying at the Atyrau Railway Station There is a railway station, located northeast of Atyrau. There are mainly domestic routes, such as routes to large cities Almaty, Aktobe and Astana, but there's also international routes, such as a route to Russian cities Astrakhan, Saratov, Moscow, Volgograd and Tajikistani cities Kulob, Khujand, Dushanbe and Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent.

Bridges of Atyrau

[edit] On August 28, 1965, the first real reinforced concrete bridge in the city, passing through the Ural River, was built and put into operation. The bridge is 259 meters (850 feet) long and 10 meters (33 feet) high. The bridge connects Satpayev Avenue and Abay Street. On the right European coast on Satpayev Avenue, the akimat (mayor's office) of the city and akimat (governor) of the Atyrau region adjoin the bridge. In 2001, a unique pedestrian suspension bridge was built. The 551-meter-long (1,808-foot) bridge is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest pedestrian bridge in the world. From the middle of the bridge over the Urals there are views of Azattyk Avenue and its surroundings. In 2009, the Sultan Beibars was opened – a four-lane bridge with a throughput capacity of 5–7 thousand cars a day, 800 meters (2,600 feet) long with access roads, 380.74 meters (1,249.1 feet) long and 22 meters (72 feet) wide. The width of the roadway is 16 meters (52 feet), plus two walking paths of 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) each.