West Kazakhstan Province is a province

Provinces of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is divided into 14 provinces . The provinces are further subdivided into districts .Notes:* Almaty and Astana cities have the status of State importance and do not relate to any province....

 of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...

. Its capital is Oral

Oral, Kazakhstan

Oral , Uralsk in Russian, formerly known as Yaitsk , is a city in northwestern Kazakhstan, at the confluence of the Ural and Chogan Rivers close to the Russian border. As it is located on the western side of the Ural river, it is considered geographically in Europe. It has a population of 350,000...

 (also known as Uralsk and Ural'sk), a city of about 200,000 inhabitants.

Geography

The province borders Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 and is near the Ural Mountains

Ural Mountains

The Ural Mountains , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia...

. The Ural River

Ural River

The Ural or Jayıq/Zhayyq , known as Yaik before 1775, is a river flowing through Russia and Kazakhstan. It arises in the southern Ural Mountains and ends at the Caspian Sea. Its total length is 1,511 mi making it the third longest river in Europe after the Volga and the Danube...

 flows from Russia to the Caspian Sea

Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...

 through the province. West Kazakhstan has the distinction of being in Eastern Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. It also borders the provinces of Atyrau

Atyrau Province

Atyrau Oblast is a province of Kazakhstan. It is situated in the west of the country around the northeast of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Atyrau, with a population of 142,500 people; the province itself has 480,000 people...

 (to the south) and Aktobe (to the east).

It is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude.

Demographics

Despite its border with Russia, West Kazakhstan has a Kazakh majority. 69.8% of the population is ethnic Kazakh, while only 27.4% is ethnic Russian. The number of Ukrainians, Poles and Germans are very low due to the geography.

Administrative divisions

The province is divided into raions:

Name	Area (km²)	Population	Population dens.	Capital
Akzhaik Akzhaik District Akzhaik is a district of West Kazakhstan Province in western Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is Ulbishin town.As of 2005 the district had an area of 45,500 km² and had a population of 25,200.-References:...	45,500	25,200	1,8	Ulbishin
Bokey Orda Bokey Orda District Bokey Orda is a district of West Kazakhstan Province in western Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is Saykyn town.-References:...	18,400	19,200	1,0	Saykyn Saykyn Saykhin is a small town in far western Kazakhstan on the border with Russia. It is the seat of Bokey Orda District in West Kazakhstan Province. Population 4,700....
Borili Borili District Borili is a district of West Kazakhstan Province in western Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is Aksay town.-References:...	55,100	5,600	9,8	Aksay Aksay, West Kazakhstan Aksay is a town in north-western Kazakhstan. It is the seat of Borili District in West Kazakhstan Province. Population 34,507 .It is an important oil and gas town, serving as a operational base for the nearby Karachaganak Field....
Kaztal Kaztal District Kaztal is a district of West Kazakhstan Province in western Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is Kaztalovka town.-References:...	39,200	18,600	2,1	Kaztal Kaztal Kaztal is a small town in north-western Kazakhstan. It is the seat of Kaztal District in West Kazakhstan Province. Population 4,700 ....
Karatobe Karatobe District Karatobe is a district of West Kazakhstan Province in western Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is Karatobe town.- References :...	19,700	10,000	2,0	Karatobe Karatobe Karatobe is a small town in north-western Kazakhstan. It is the seat of Karatobe District in West Kazakhstan Province. Population 3500 ....
Zhanakala Zhanakala District Zhanakala is a district of West Kazakhstan Province in western Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is Zhanakala town.- References :...	23,700	20,800	1,1	Zhanakala Zhanakala Zhanakala is a small town in north-western Kazakhstan. It is the seat of Zhanakala District in West Kazakhstan Province. Pop 5,800 ....
Zhanybek Zhanybek District Zhanybek is a district of West Kazakhstan Province in western Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is Zhanybek town.-References:...	18,400	8,200	2,2	Zhanybek Zhanybek Zhanibek is a small town in far north-western Kazakhstan on the border with Astrakhan, Russia. It is the seat of Zhanibek District in West Kazakhstan Province. Population 8,000 . It is served by railway....
Shyngyrlau Shyngyrlau District Shyngyrlau is a district of West Kazakhstan Province in western Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is Shyngyrlau town.-References:...	19,400	7,200	2,7	Shyngyrlau Shyngyrlau Shyngyrlau is a small town in north-western Kazakhstan. It is the seat of Shyngyrlau District in West Kazakhstan Province. Population 6,300 ....
Zelenov Zelenov District Zelenov is a district of West Kazakhstan Province in western Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is Peremetnoe town.-References:...	53,700	7,400	7,3	Peremetnoe Peremetnoe Peremetnoe is a small town in far north-western Kazakhstan. It is the seat of Zelenov District in West Kazakhstan Province. Population 3,900 ....
Syrym Syrym District Syrym is a district of West Kazakhstan Province in western Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is Zhympity town.-References:...	26,500	11,900	2,2	Zhympity Zhympity Zhympity is a small town in north-western Kazakhstan. It is the seat of Syrym District in West Kazakhstan Province. Population 6,100 ....
Taskala Taskala District Taskala is a district of West Kazakhstan Province in western Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Kamenka.-References:...	19,100	8,100	2,4	Kamenka Kamenka Kamenka may refer to:People*Eugene Kamenka, an Australian philosopher, socialistPlaces*Kamenka, Russia, name of several inhabited localities in Russia*Kamenka, an alternative name of the town of Taskala, Kazakhstan...
Terekti Terekti District Terekti is a district of West Kazakhstan Province in western Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is Fedorovka town.-References:...	43,200	8,400	5,1	Fedorovka Fedorovka, West Kazakhstan Fedorovka is a small town in north-western Kazakhstan. It is the seat of Terekti District in West Kazakhstan Province. Population 5,100 ....