Karaganda or Karagandy is a major city in central Kazakhstan and the capital of the Karaganda Region. It is the fifth-most populous city in the country, with a population of 497,777 as of the 2020 Census, marking an increase from 459,778 in 2009 and 436,864 in 1999. Karaganda is located approximately 230 kilometers (140 miles) southeast of Kazakhstan's capital city, Astana.

Historically, Karaganda has been a central hub for coal mining, which has shaped its economy and development. The city saw significant growth during the Soviet Union, driven by the expansion of its coal industry. Coal remains a key sector in the city's economy, with mining continuing to be a significant contributor to its industrial base.

In addition to its industrial roots, Karaganda is home to a growing population and a rich cultural heritage. The city hosts several educational institutions, such as Karaganda State University, which support its role as an academic and research center in central Kazakhstan. Karaganda's infrastructure and economy have been evolving, with modernization efforts in various sectors, including transportation, healthcare, and housing.

Karaganda is also known for its historical significance, having played an important role in the industrial development of the Soviet Union. Today, it stands as a key city in Kazakhstan, contributing to the country's economy while maintaining its historical and cultural heritage.

Etymology

The name Karaganda is derived from "caragana" bushes (Caragana arborescens, Caragana frutex), which are abundant in the area.

History

Old Town

right|255px|thumb|Saint Joseph Cathedral

Modern-day Karaganda dates back to 1833, when local shepherd allegedly found coal on the site of the city, prompting a coal mining boom. By the late 19th century, the local mines had attracted workers from nearby villages, Russian merchants, and entrepreneurs from France and England.

1962 electromagnetic pulse incident

right|255px|thumb|Nurken Abdirov Street at the corner of Gogol Street.

Karaganda suffered the most severe electromagnetic pulse effects ever observed when its electrical power plant was set on fire by currents induced in a long shallow buried power cable by Soviet Test ‘184’ on 22 October 1962. The test was part of the Soviet Project K nuclear tests (ABM System A proof tests), and consisted of a 300-kiloton high-altitude nuclear explosion at an altitude of over Zhezkazgan.

Prompt gamma ray-produced EMP induced a current of 2,500 amps measured by spark gaps in a stretch of overhead telephone line to Zharyq, blowing all the protective fuses. The late-time MHD-EMP was of low enough frequency to enable it to penetrate into the ground, overloading a shallow buried lead and steel tape-protected long power cable between Aqmola (now called Astana) and Almaty. It fired circuit breakers and set the Karaganda power plant on fire.

Late 20th century

Kuznetsov's master plan for the city was intended to accommodate 300,000 inhabitants, which was surpassed by the late 1960s.

2023 Kostenko mine fire

On 28 October 2023 the Kostenko mine, a coal mine in Karaganda run by ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the local unit of ArcelorMittal, caught fire, killing at least 32 people. In weeks prior to the fire, the Kazakhstani government announced it was in talks to take over part of ArcelorMittal Temirtau's operations, in part due to its dissatisfaction by ArcelorMittal's failure to invest more in its operations, including equipment upgrades and safety precautions.

Climate

Karaganda has a Continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with warm summers and very cold winters. Precipitation is moderately low throughout the year, although slightly heavier from May to July. Snow is frequent, though light, in winter. The lowest temperature on record is , recorded in 1938, and the highest temperature is , recorded in 2002.

|source 2 = NOAA (sun, 1961–1990), Deutscher Wetterdienst (daily sun 1961-1990)

</div>

Pollution

Due to the prominence of heavy industry in Karaganda, the city experiences a high level of air pollution. Air pollution tracking company IQAir found it to have Kazakhstan's highest level of PM2.5 concentration among cities measured from 2017 to 2022, and the 23rd highest in the world among cities measured.

According to the World Air Quality Report 2024, Karaganda is one of the world's most polluted cities.

Economy

Karaganda is a largely industrial city, and coal mining is a major component of its economy. As of 2023, the city hosts 8 coal mines, and during the times of the Soviet Union, hosted as many as 26.

On 31 May 2022, the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions in the Karaganda Ethnopark, a new monument to the victims of the Holodomor was opened. The monument is located near the mosque on the territory of the Ethnopark, created from granite by Zharmukhamed Tlegenuly. The height of the monument on the pedestal is 1.2 m.

Parks

The Central Park serves as Karaganda's main park. In 2011 an art-installation was installed in Karaganda, dedicated to this phrase.

Author Flora Leipman, a British resident who moved to the Soviet Union during the 1930s, wrote about her time in the Karlag Prison near Karaganda, and her subsequent decades where she lived in Karaganda, in her book The Long Journey Home. The labor camp described in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich where the author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn had served some time was located near Karaganda.

Notable residents

<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦--->

<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->

right|thumb|140px|[[Gennady Golovkin, 2017]]

thumb|upright|[[Russians in Kazakhstan|Russian Kazakhstani athlete Dmitriy Karpov]]

  • Gennady Golovkin, boxer, former WBA, WBC, IBF and IBO Middleweight Champion, holds the greatest knockout ratio in middleweight championship history and silver medalist in the 2004 Summer Olympics
  • Nurken Abdirov, Soviet World War II pilot and Hero of the Soviet Union. A statue in Abdirov's honor is in the center of the city.
  • Anjelika Akbar, pianist
  • Toktar Aubakirov, former cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-13) and member of Kazakhstan parliament
  • Boris Avrukh, chess grandmaster
  • Alexander Dück, professional ice hockey player
  • Konstantin Engel, professional football player
  • Inna German, female volleyball player.
  • Akhmad Kadyrov, former President of the Chechen Republic
  • Dimitri Kotschnew, professional ice hockey player
  • Andrei Krukov, Olympic figure skater (1998 Winter Olympics)
  • Juri Litvinov, Olympic figure skater (1998 Winter Olympics) and national champion
  • Aslan Maskhadov, third President, Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
  • Valery Oisteanu, writer, photographer, and performance artist
  • Aleksandr Shustov, gold medal-winning high jumper
  • Dmitriy Karpov, bronze medal-winning decathlon and heptathlon athlete (2004 Summer Olympics)
  • Aleksei Grigorievich Stakhanov, Director of Number 31 mine (1943-1957) and Hero of the Soviet Union as a folk hero mine worker with 14 times quota production
  • Pavel Vorobiev, professional ice hockey player
  • Joseph Werth, Bishop of Transfiguration, Novosibirsk, Russia
  • Anatoli Zarapin, Russian professional football coach and former player

Sister cities

  • Songpa-gu, South Korea (since 1994)
  • Kamianske, Ukraine
  • Arak, Iran (since 2008)

See also

  • Karlag
  • Karaganda Region

Notes

References