Information about the region

Kostanay region (kaz. Kostanai oblysy) is a region in the north of Kazakhstan. The administrative center is the city of Kostanay.

Kostanay region is located in the northern part of Kazakhstan, in the Trans-Urals, mainly in the steppe zone.

Square

196 001 sq. km.

Neighboring regions and countries:

in the north — Kurgan (Russia),
in the north-east — North Kazakhstan,
in the south-east — Akmola,
in the south — Karaganda, in the southwest - Aktobe,
in the west — Orenburg and Chelyabinsk (Russia).

Climatic conditions

Temperate sharply continental, arid. Winter is cold, with little snow, with strong winds and blizzards; summer is hot, dry. The average temperature in January: -18.5°C in the north, -17°C in the south. The average temperature in July is +18.5°C in the north, +21.5°C in the south. The average annual precipitation: in the north — 300 mm, in the south — 170 mm.

Geographical data

Kostanay region is a land of several thousand salt lakes. They could have turned into salt marshes long ago, if not for the peculiarities of the local nature, thanks to which they do not completely dry out.

Most of the Kostanay region is occupied by the Turgay and Trans-Ural plateaus with altitudes of 200-300 m. This area is divided everywhere by ravines with steep slopes, interspersed with extensive hollows and wide valleys. The largest are the Turgay hollow with the Ubagan River and a chain of fresh and salt lakes, as well as a valley in the upper reaches of the largest river here, the Tobol. It flows almost through the entire territory from south to north, starting from the spurs of the Southern Urals. In the spring, it and its tributaries flood heavily: this period accounts for up to 95% of the total annual flow. But in the summer they become shallow or break into separate stretches. In order to retain flood water and use it for irrigation, several dams and dams have been built on the rivers that completely regulate the flow.

In the north-west there are foothill plains and spurs of the Urals, and in the north-east there is the Pre-Turgai plain descending to the north with heights of 120-150 m. There are also a lot of small and shallow lakes: in total, there are more than 5 thousand of them in the region, the Kazakh melkosopochnik occupies the southeast.