"Ekibastuz, city and major opencut coal-mining centre in northeastern Kazakhstan, on the Ertis-Qaraghandy Canal. Coal was discovered in the region in 1876 and was mined on a small scale. Only after construction of a railway in 1953 did large-scale exploitation of Ekibastuz’s rich but low-grade coal seams begin. In the 1970s Ekibastuz was the third largest coal-mining centre in the Soviet Union, but still consisted of isolated settlements, although a city centre was emerging. A regional station for the production of electrical power is located near the city to provide power for export to European Russia and to the Urals. The city has a plant for the production of reinforced concrete, a repair plant for transport and mining equipment, a dairy, a brewery, and a number of educational institutions. Pop. (2006 est.) 132,455."Ekibastuz was a small coal mining city in Kazakhstan started by a native Kazakh. Ekibastuz was named from the lake right next to the village, Lake Ekibastuz, meaning "two-headed lake". The original purpose of this city's existence is to find mineral resources in that region for Kazakhstan to use. Because of this, Ekibastuz in its early years never really developed past a group of isolated settlements for many years until a railroad was constructed to effectively transport resources. Today, Ekibastuz is one of the largest coal mines in the Soviet Union, and great business due to abundant resources allowed the city to mature and expand from settlements into an exuberant habitat with 125,012 people (2009 Census). Ekibastuz, unlike the Soviet Union, was left abandoned during the World Wars due to the war being prioritized above this new coal town. Ekibastuz was not nearly as developed as the Soviet Union in 1951, and did not even begin to develop until 1954 when the first train was loaded with coal. Similar to the Gulag, Ekibastuz was a place of punishment for people, and in 1958 George Malenkov and his wife for the first group to be exiled to Ekibastuz and kept under close surveillance.
Ekibastuz Official Name & Seal
"Ekibastuz." Encyclopedia Britannica. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/181635/Ekibastuz>.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmxk2L6CDWI
https://www.welt-atlas.de/map_of_kazakhstan_4-744
https://www.welt-atlas.de/map_of_kazakhstan_4-744
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ReplyDeleteI watched the video at the bottom first and I really liked it as a light hearted video showing the people of Ekibastuz and how happy the are with their lives. I like how the blog is set up neatly. I found it interesting that at first the city was not very intensely targeted for coal but overtime it became the third largest coal mining centre in the Soviet Union. I also liked how you added the native meaning of the city Ekibastuz as "two headed lake". I thought it was very interesting how the original use for the city was mineral related when later it became more coal oriented. I also found it very interesting that the town was abandoned during the World wars. The city began to really develop in 1954 which is interesting because that is late compared to the Soviet union. I also find it unfortunate that this land was used to keep prisoners as it clearly should have been put to better and more humane use.
ReplyDeleteThe blog provided great information about the city of Ekibastuz. I found it pretty interesting that the city was named from the lake next to the village. The name is Lake Ekibastuz, which means "two-headed lake". I learned that the city never really past a group of small settlements for a while until a railroad was contsructed. I never knew that Ekibastuz was abandoned unlike the Soviet Union which wasn't. The war was prioritized above the new coal town. I really enjoyed the Happy video. Shows that the people living in the city still have fun even if its really cold and a coal town.
ReplyDeleteI really like the picture you put in the beginning of the blog because it provides the overall location of Ekibastuz. I also like how you stressed the major effect that coal had on the city. I found it helpful how you said the background of Ekibastuz such as what it was named after. I like how you mentioned that the city was able to thrive due to the great amount of resources they had. The resources provided great business, which enabled the city to grow. This also made the city a great place to live with a population of 125,012 people.
ReplyDeleteEkibastuz was used for coal mining to help further the industrialization that was occurring in Russia. The rich coal deposits were mined and used as fuel. Although the youtube video did not really help conceptualize or visualize Ekibastuz, it was pretty funny to see that bit of randomness in the blog. At the same time your blog did have some quality information, like how it was a coal town but also used for punishment where people were closely monitored. The Ekibastuz seal was pretty cool as well, to see that on was a good addition to the blog. Well done.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your video because it was very entertaining and showed the views of the citizens of Ekibastuz. Your blog is very organized and easy to follow. I was surprised that Ekibastuz was the third largest coal mining area in the Soviet Union, but it was not greatly populated. It was interesting that Ekibastuz did not develop until much later than the Sovit Union and that it was left abounded during the wars. The native meaning of the word, "two headed lake", was interesting as well. Overall, you blog was very organized and your video was very entertaining.
ReplyDeleteElkana I liked your blog on Ekibastuz. I had no idea what Ekibastuz was before your presentation and blog. It was just the right amount of information for learning about to for the first time. The video showed how even if conditions are bad, you can always have fun.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog about Ekibastuz. The video was entertaining and shows what it is like today. The blog has good information and is easy to follow. It's interesting that it wasn't developed until the Soviet Union had use for it as a major source of coal, and that they use to exile people there before that. The conditions for people there before it was developed must have been very bad.
ReplyDelete