Uralsk, also spelled ural'sk, is a city and administrative centre of West Kazakhstan oblast, western Kazakhstan, along the Ural River. Population of Uralsk Kazakhstan is about 225,000 (2002 est.).
History
Uralsk was founded in 1613 or 1622 by Cossacks fleeing a tsarist punitive campaign. Uralsk was known as Yaitsky Gorodok until 1775, when its name was changed following the Pugachov Rebellion. Uralsk was a centre of both the Stenka Razin (1667) and Yemelyan Pugachov (1773) uprisings and was the headquarters of the Ural Cossacks.
Uralsk Kazakhstan had a lively trade with European Russia in fish from the Ural River and livestock products from the Kazakh steppes. Uralsk commercial importance began to decline in the early 20th century when the new railway to Turkistan bypassed it.
Economy
Uralsk industries today include leather and footwear, meatpacking, flour milling, some engineering and a licorice works.
Main attractions
Uralsk Kazakhstan has teacher-training and agricultural institutes, the oldest theatre in Kazakhstan, and a museum with historic Cossack mementos. |
