East Kazakhstan Region
East Kazakhstan Region
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Flag Coat of arms | |
Map of Kazakhstan, location of East Kazakhstan Region highlighted | |
| Coordinates: 49°57′N 82°37′E / 49.950°N 82.617°E | |
| Country | Kazakhstan |
| Established | 1932 |
| Capital | Öskemen |
| Government | |
| • Akim | Ermek Kosherbayev |
| Area | |
• Total | 97,726 km2 (37,732 sq mi) |
| Population (2025) | |
• Total | 723,967 |
| • Density | 7.4081/km2 (19.187/sq mi) |
| GDP (Nominal, 2024) | |
| • Total | KZT 4,801 billion (US$ 10.081 billion) · 10th |
| • Per capita | KZT 6,617,000 (US$ 13,896) |
| Time zone | UTC+5 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+5 (not observed) |
| Postal codes | 070000 |
| Area codes | +7 (722), +7 (723) |
| ISO 3166 code | KZ-VOS |
| Vehicle registration | 16, F, U |
| Districts | 15 |
| Cities | 10 |
| Townships | 30 |
| Villages | 870 |
| HDI (2022) | 0.787 high · 5th |
| Website | akimvko |
East Kazakhstan Region is a region of Kazakhstan. It occupies the easternmost part of Kazakhstan, and includes parts of the Irtysh River, Lake Markakol, and Lake Zaysan. Its administrative center is Öskemen (also known as Ust'-Kamenogorsk). The region borders Altai Krai and Altai republic in Russia in the north and northeast and the People's Republic of China, via Xinjiang, in the south and southeast. The easternmost point of the Oblast is within about 55 kilometres of the westernmost tip of Mongolia; however, Kazakhstan and Mongolia do not share a common border, as the two countries are separated by a small part of the China–Russia border with easternmost point of Kazakhstan and Mongolian Friendship peak being only 37 kilometers apart.
The region was created by the merger of two Soviet-era Kazakhstan oblasts: the old Vostochno-Kazakhstanskaya (East Kazakhstan) Oblast and Semipalatinsk Oblast. On 17 March 2022, it was announced that East Kazakhstan region would be divided, creating the Abai Region. This came into force on 8 June 2022, with eight districts of East Kazakhstan Region being transferred to the new region. The new border dividing Abai Region and East Kazakhstan region roughly corresponds to the border that existed between the two Soviet-era oblasts.