Qaraghandy (city)

Industrial city and capital of the Qaraghandy oblast (region) in central-eastern Kazakhstan; population (1996) 1,339,900. The city lies at the centre of an area rich in minerals, where coal, copper, tungsten, and manganese are mined. Iron and steel mills are located here, and food processing also takes place. Qaraghandy is joined by canal with the Irtysh River and lies on the railway line linking Almaty with the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Qaraghandy developed as a copper-mining community from the mid-16th century onwards. It was formally established as a mining settlement in 1857, became a town in 1932, and was made regional capital in 1936. The modern city consists of a number of separate built-up areas, all some distance from one another.