Karaganda, Kazakhstan, Central Asia

Karaganda is city and administrative centre of Karaganda oblast of Kazakhstan. Karaganda city is situated at the centre of the important Karaganda coal basin. Karaganda is the second largest city in the republic and derives its name from the cara-gana bush, which grows abundantly in the surrounding steppe.

History of the city - Karaganda, Kazakhstan, Central Asia
The first settlement appeared in 1856, and small-scale coal mining began in 1857 to supply a nearby copper smelter. Mining ceased in Karaganda in the 1920s but expanded quickly after 1931 following completion of a railway link and a decree that the Karaganda basin was to be developed as a major coal-mining area to supply industry in the Urals. Karaganda was made a city in 1934 and Karaganda oblast centre in 1936. By 1939 Karaganda population had swollen to 166,000. Forced labour was extensively used in Karaganda development.

Karaganda Kazakhstan, Central Asiaimportance increased during World War II, when the Germans occupied the Donets basin and the Parkhomenko coalmining machinery works was among those evacuated to Karaganda Kazakhstan. Coal mining and the production of coal-mining machinery still dominate in Karaganda's industry, but there are also major iron and steel works, utilizing ore from Karazhal and Lisakovsk. In addition, there are large cement plants and also food and other light industries. By 1972 the concentration of industry in Karaganda Kazakhstan had reduced water supplies in a region already semiarid and necessitated the construction of the Irtysh-Karaganda Canal, dedicated in that year.

Administrative location - Karaganda, Kazakhstan, Central Asia
Karaganda Kazakhstan city consists of several dozen settlements scattered over an area of approximately 300 square miles (800 square km), but there are two main areas, the Old and New towns. The Old Town grew up in a haphazard fashion in the early years and includes more than 20 pit settlements. The New Town, to the south, begun in 1934 and was designed as the cultural and administrative centre of Karaganda. It has wide streets, parks and such monumental buildings as the Miners' Palace of Culture.

There are several institutions of higher education, including a university (1972) and medical and polytechnic institutes in Karaganda Kazakhstan. There are also a number of research and design institutes, a museum, theatres, a television centre and a botanical garden in Karaganda Kazakhstan.