Oskemen

Oskemen (Kazakh: Өскемен, Russian: Усть-Каменогорск/Ust-Kamenogorsk) is the capital of the East Kazakhstan Province, on the eastern part of Kazakhstan. Covering 540 sq km (210 sq mi), it has a population of 289,000 people (2012 estimate).

Oskemen was founded in 1720 by Russian emperor Peter the Great and was called Усть-Каменная (Ust-Kamennaya) until 1868. It began as a fortress at the confluence of the Ulba River with the Irtysh River. In keeping with the emperor's intention to mine gold, Oskemen began as a mining town. It yielded non-ferrous metals such as uranium, beryllium, tantalum, copper, lead, silver and zink.

Oskemen has the highest river lock in the world. The Ust-Kamenogorsk Lock has a drop of more than 40 m. While it is now of the same height as the upper lock of the Three Gorges Dam, only the Ust-Kamenogorsk Lock is in permanent use.

Visiting Oskemen

You can fly to Oskemen from Almaty. There are also trains from Almaty and Astana.

Sights & Attractions to visit in Oskemen

A church in Oskemen in Oral, Kazakhstan

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