Shymkent

Oblast (region) in southern Kazakhstan; area 114,100 sq km/44,054 sq mi; population (1996) 1,859,000. The capital is Shymkent. Industries include non-ferrous metallurgy (lead and zinc mining and smelting), engineering, and textile production. There is cultivation of cotton and livestock raising.

Shymkent is an arid region of steppe and desert. It borders on Uzbekistan to the south. Principal rivers are the Syr Darya and the Arys. There are outliers of the Tien Shan mountain range in the south. Cities include Arys and Turkestan. The province was known until 1962 as South Kazakhstan oblast.