Mangyshlak or Mangghyshlaq Peninsula is a large peninsula located in western Kazakhstan. It borders on the Caspian Sea in the west and with the Buzachi Peninsula, a marshy sub-feature of the main peninsula, in the northeast. The Tyuleniy Archipelago lies off the northern shores of the peninsula. The area is between desert and semidesert with a harsh continental dry climate. There are no rivers and no fresh water springs. Geologically, the Mangyshlak Peninsula is part of the Ustyurt Plateau. To the north, three mountain ranges stretch across the peninsula, the North and South Aktau Range and the Mangystau Range, with the highest point reaching 555 m. Administratively, the peninsula is in Kazakhstan's Mangystau Province. The largest city, and the capital of the province, is Aktau (formerly Shevchenko).

Etymology

The peninsula's name stems from Ming Qishlaq, which means "1000 winter encampments" in Turkic languages. It was formerly also known as Siyāhkūh.

History

The Mangyshlak peninsula was overtaken in 1639 by Kalmyks. Upon the Soviet takeover of Russian Turkestan, the territory of the Transcaspian Oblast, which contained the Mangyshlak Peninsula, was initially assigned to the Turkestan ASSR. In August 1920, under pressure from Kazakh activists, Mangyshlak was transferred to the Kazakh ASSR.

Cartography

The area was mapped by Fedor Ivanovich Soimonov during the Caspian Expedition, which surveyed the Caspian Sea from 1719 to 1727.

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