North Kazakhstan Region (Kazakh: Солтүстік Қазақстан облысы, romanized: Soltüstık Qazaqstan oblysy; Russian: Северо-Казахстанская область, romanized: Severo-Kazakhstanskaya oblast) is a region of Kazakhstan, with a population of 539,111. Its capital is Petropavl, with a population of 193,300 people.
History
North Kazakhstan region in 1987
During the 19th century, the territory of the region was home to several Middle Zhuz tribes, including Argyns, Kerei, and Kypshak. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the region underwent significant resettlement as a result of the opening of the Siberian railway and the Stolypin agrarian reform. As a result, Ukrainians became the majority population in the northern regions of Kazakhstan and the area was referred to as the "Grey Wedge."[6]
In the early 20th century, the North Kazakhstan region was the center of the Akmola province of the Kirghiz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR). The West Siberian uprising, a large anti-Bolshevik armed uprising, was suppressed by the Reds during this time. The North Kazakhstan region was officially formed from the northern regions of the Karaganda region and the Karkaralinsky district in 1936.
In 1939, the city of Stepnyak and 11 southern districts were ceded to the newly formed Akmola region. In 1966, the North Kazakhstan region was awarded the Order of Lenin. The administrative-territorial reform of 1997 resulted in the inclusion of several districts of the abolished Kokchetav region into the North Kazakhstan region, which had a large proportion of the Kazakh population. The region's structure included modern districts such as Akkayynsky, Esilsky, Zhambylsky, Bulaevsky, and Timiryazevsky, among others, in which the Russian population was predominantly still living.
