East Kazakhstan Region

East Kazakhstan Region
Шығыс Қазақстан облысы (Kazakh)
Восточно-Казахстанская область (Russian)
Map of Kazakhstan, location of East Kazakhstan Region highlighted
Coordinates: 49°57′N 82°37′E / 49.950°N 82.617°E / 49.950; 82.617
Country Kazakhstan
Established1932
CapitalÖskemen
Government
  AkimErmek Kosherbayev
Area
  Total
97,726 km2 (37,732 sq mi)
Population
 (2025)
  Total
723,967
  Density7.4/km2 (19/sq mi)
GDP (Nominal, 2024)
  TotalKZT 4,801 billion
(US$ 10.081 billion) · 10th
  Per capitaKZT 6,617,000
(US$ 13,896)
Time zoneUTC+5
  Summer (DST)UTC+5 (not observed)
Postal codes
070000
Area codes+7 (722), +7 (723)
ISO 3166 codeKZ-VOS
Vehicle registration16, F, U
Districts15
Cities10
Townships30
Villages870
HDI (2022)0.787
high · 5th
Websiteakimvko.gov.kz

East Kazakhstan Region (Kazakh: Шығыс Қазақстан облысы, romanized: Şyğys Qazaqstan oblysy; Russian: Восточно-Казахстанская область, romanized: Vostochno-Kazakhstanskaya oblast) is a region of Kazakhstan. It occupies the easternmost part of Kazakhstan, and includes parts of the Irtysh River, Lake Markakol, and Lake Zaysan. Its administrative center is Öskemen (also known as Ust'-Kamenogorsk). The region borders Altai Krai and Altai republic in Russia in the north and northeast and the People's Republic of China, via Xinjiang, in the south and southeast. The easternmost point of the Oblast is within about 50 kilometres of the westernmost tip of Mongolia; however, Kazakhstan and Mongolia do not share a common border, the two countries being separated by a small part of the China–Russia border.

The region was created by the merger of two Soviet-era Kazakhstan oblasts: the old Vostochno-Kazakhstanskaya (East Kazakhstan) Oblast and Semipalatinsk Oblast. On 17 March 2022, it was announced that East Kazakhstan region would be divided, creating the Abai Region. This came into force on 8 June 2022, with eight districts of East Kazakhstan Region being transferred to the new region. The new border dividing Abai Region and East Kazakhstan region roughly corresponds to the border that existed between the two Soviet-era oblasts.