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Kyzylorda

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Kyzylorda is a city in south-central Kazakhstan.

Syr Darya
Syr Darya

It sits right by the Syr Darya river. This river flows through the heart of the city. Kyzylorda is the capital of the Kyzylorda Region. As of 2020, the city has 242,462 people living there. If you count the nearby villages, the number grows to 312,861. The city serves as a supply center for oilfields in the Turgay Basin. It also has its own airport for travelers.

The weather in this area is a cold desert climate. This means the summers feel very hot. The winters can feel very cold. It does not rain much during the year. This is especially true during the summer months. You might see light snow during the winter. The temperature can change a lot. One record high was 44 degrees Celsius in 2021. The lowest temperature was recorded in February 1969.

This place has a very long history. A settlement once existed under a man named Seljuk. The modern city began around the year 1817. There was once a Kokand fortress called Ak-Mechet. This name means "white mosque." In 1853, Russian troops took the fort. They built a new fort called Fort-Perovsky. Later, the city was renamed Kzyl-Orda. This name means "red city." In 1925, it was the capital of the Kazakh ASSR. The capital moved to Alma-Ata in 1927.

Many people in the region work in farming. Kyzylorda is very well known for rice production. There are hundreds of hectares used for growing rice. The city even has two rice mills to help. Education is also very important here. Kyzylorda State University was started in 1950. It is a big center for science and culture. The university has 11 faculties. It trains students in 54 different specialties.

There are many interesting things to see nearby. You can visit the site of the vanished Aral Sea. People also visit the Baikonur cosmodrome. You might see archaeological sites in Sauran and Shyganak. There are also ancient mausoleums to explore. The city is even twinned with other places. It has sister cities like Arvada in the United States. It is also twinned with Bolu and Bursa in Turkey.

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