Karaganda, population: number and composition

One of the largest settlements of Kazakhstan is the city of Karaganda. The population here is ethnically, linguistically and religiously very mixed, as in most other settlements in the north of the country. The study of the demographic situation in this regional center is of great interest. Let's find out what the population of the city of Karaganda is in figures.

Geographical position

The city of Karaganda is located in the central part of Kazakhstan, with a shift to the north-east, in the Karaganda coal basin, in the middle of the arid steppe. It covers an area of approximately 550 square meters. Km. In the Kazakh manner its name is pronounced as "Karaganda".

This city is the administrative center of the Karaganda region. In addition, the locality is the cultural and industrial center of the region.

We will talk about what the population of Karaganda is like below.

Brief history of the city

But before we know the population of Karaganda, the ethnic and religious appearance of the city, let's look at when this settlement was founded and how it developed. This will allow us to better understand the essence of demographic changes in the city, as well as to learn how the population of Karaganda was formed.

In ancient times and in the Middle Ages, wild steppes stretched in the place where after Karaganda arose. The population of these lands led a nomadic economy, and was represented by Turkic-speaking tribes. In the second half of the 15th century, the Kazakh Khanate appeared on the territory of modern Kazakhstan, within the boundaries of which the ethnogenesis of modern Kazakhs occurred. In the XVIII century, this state finally broke up into three parts - Zhuz. The territory now occupied by Karaganda was included in the Middle Zhuz. In 1740, the Middle Zhuz takes patronage of the Russian Empire, and in 1822 was finally included in its composition.

According to legend, in 1833, at the site of the future city, a Kazakh shepherd boy found coal deposits. It is coal that will become the economic basis of Karaganda, but this will happen many years later. Industrial coal mining in the Russian Empire from the Karaganda basin began only at the beginning of the 20th century.

The first permanent settlement on the site, where Karaganda appeared in the future, was established in 1906 and was called Mikhailovka. But after the revolution, coal mining was stopped, the village was empty.

In 1930, with the beginning of industrialization, the extraction of minerals in the region was resumed, resulting in the emergence of several workers' settlements. In 1931 they were united in the Karaganda Workers' Council. It is this year is considered the date of foundation of Karaganda.

The name "Karaganda" this area had long before the formation of the city, and is supposed to have arisen from the acacia bush, which is common in those places, the caracane. Although there are several alternative opinions.

In 1934 the town was given the status of a city. This is one of the epochal milestones that Karaganda experienced. The population of the city was initially formed from workers, mainly Slavic nationalities, mainly Russians. But, in subsequent years, the city began to move and Kazakhs from nearby regions.

In 1936, Karaganda became the administrative center of the Karaganda region as part of the Kazakh SSR.

After the Great Patriotic War, factories were built in the city, various elements of infrastructure were rapidly built, the coal basin continued to be developed.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, industrial facilities in Karaganda significantly decreased, which had a negative impact on the demographic situation in the city. Due to the shutdown of businesses, many families moved to other communities.

Population

Now let's find out how many people are in Karaganda? The number of inhabitants we now and will be considered. As for the current date, and in the dynamics.

First of all, we will find out how many people live in the city today. According to experts, the population in Karaganda in 2016 is about 496.2 thousand people. At the moment it is the fourth indicator in the country after the largest city of Kazakhstan - Almaty, the capital - Astana and another regional center - Shymkent (Shymkent).

Population density

Now we know the density indicators that characterize the population of Karaganda for 2016. The density of people living at the moment in the city is 846 people per 1 sq. Km. Km.

But is it a lot or a little? Let's compare the density of the population with the same indicator at the largest settlement of Kazakhstan - Almaty. In Almaty, the population density index is 2346 people. Per sq. M. Km., Which, as we see, is several times greater than that of Karaganda. The population in this city, therefore, can be regarded as quite discharged. But has it always been so? To find out, you need to find out what the population of Karaganda was in the previous years.

Dynamics of population change

As we found out, the population of Karaganda (2016) is about 496.2 thousand people. But how was it before?

In 1959, the city had about 397.1 thousand inhabitants, in nine years - 523.3 thousand inhabitants, in 20 years (1979) the population increased almost by half - 578.9 thousand inhabitants. By 1989, in the city of Karaganda (Kazakhstan), the population had reached its maximum in the history - 613,800 inhabitants.

But then the number of residents began to decline sharply. So, in 1991 it fell to the level of 608.6 thousand people, in another eight years it fell to 436.9 thousand. In 2004, the bottom of the fall was reached - 428.9 thousand people. Thus, for 14 years of falling the number of people living in the city has decreased by almost 185 thousand people.

But beginning next year the population began to grow gradually. In 2005, it amounted to 436.0 thousand people, in 2010 - 465.2 thousand, in 2012 - 475.4 thousand. The population of Karaganda in 2016 reached the number of 496.2 thousand people. This is 67.3 thousand more than in 2004, but 112.4 less than in 1989. That such dynamic indicators is characterized in Karaganda population. The number of 2016 did not even reach the level of 1970.

Causes of a sharp change in population dynamics

Now let's see why the dynamics of the population in the city of Karaganda has undergone such drastic changes.

The growth of the population of Karaganda up to 1989 inclusive does not cause special questions. This was a natural process. Moreover, Karaganda is a large industrial city, which constantly developed during the Soviet period, and therefore required the influx of new labor. People came to work at Karaganda enterprises from many parts of the USSR. It was labor migration, along with natural population growth , that contributed to an increase in residents in this regional center from 1959 to 1989 by more than 1.5 times.

But if the increase in one and a half times for 30 years of the population of the city does not cause special questions, how did it happen that over the next 10 years, since 1989, the number of inhabitants has decreased almost the same one and a half times? The reason for this is the same industry. Only this time, not the increase in the number of enterprises and jobs, but the curtailment of production, the closure of factories and factories, because of the difficulties of the transition period after the collapse of the USSR and the transition from a planned to a market economy, played its role. Closure of enterprises, a significant reduction in jobs for the few that remained to function, caused a strong unemployment, which led to outflow of population to less depressed regions of the country, as well as abroad, in particular to the Russian Federation. Moreover, the roots of many Karaganda residents were from Russia, where they or their parents came to raise the Kazakh SSR production during the Soviet era.

Another important factor was the transfer of the capital of Kazakhstan from southern Almaty to the city in the north of the country - Astana (formerly Tselinograd). The new capital was quite close to Karaganda, for its arrangement, workers needed their hands, and life in the main city of the country itself opens up very great prospects. Therefore, a significant part of the population of Karaganda linked its future with Astana. The benefit and move far did not have to. Unlike in Karaganda, due to the acquisition of the capital status, the population of Astana since 1989 to the present has significantly increased. So, if in 1989 this city inhabited only 281.3 thousand people, then in 2016 the population was 872.7 thousand people. That is for 27 years there was an increase in the population more than 3 times. Of course, with the help of a natural increase, such indicators would not be achieved. The main factor in increasing the number of residents in Astana is the influx of people from such depressed cities as Karaganda.

In Karaganda itself throughout the 90s of the last century and the first half of the first decade of the present century, the population has been increasingly decreasing. In Soviet times, the city was the second most populous in Kazakhstan, second only to the capital of the Kazakh SSR, Alma-Ata. Despite the catastrophic drop in the number of residents, this status of Karaganda could be maintained until the onset of the new millennium. But at the very beginning of the 2000s, this city by popula- tion populated two settlements at once: Shymkent and the new capital, Astana. Thus, today Karaganda ranks fourth in Kazakhstan in this indicator.

It is because of the rapid shrinkage of people living in Karaganda in this city that such a relatively small population density, about which we spoke a little higher. In Soviet times many people from other settlements of the country came to live in the city, it was built and expanded. But in the 90s a mass migration of the population from Karaganda began, but at the same time the boundaries of the city remained the same, which played a decisive role in that the density of the population at this point is so small.

A new increase in the number of Karaganda residents

The fall in the number of people living in Karaganda could not last forever. In 2004, a minimum of 428,900 people was reached. Already since 2005, the demographic situation in the city has begun to improve, and the population is gradually increasing. This trend is observed up to the present time. Of course, the population growth is not going at the same pace as before its fall, but nevertheless this is a positive trend. What was the cause of these demographic changes?

First of all, the fall in production, as they say, has reached the bottom. Working enterprises more or less could provide the remaining residents of the city with workplaces. There was no such catastrophic unemployment as before, which caused a sharp outflow of the population. Now the number of residents of the city, and the number of jobs that were ready to provide enterprises, more or less balanced. What served as a significant factor for stopping the outflow of population from the city.

The second factor that played a role in stabilizing the demographic situation in Karaganda was the improvement of the economic situation in 2000, in contrast to the 1990s, in the whole country. Thanks to this, all the basic processes in society began to stabilize, to come to a natural norm, including demographic ones.

Of course, the increase in the number of residents in Karaganda at this stage is mainly due to natural increase, that is, the positive difference between fertility and mortality, and not at the expense of population migration, as was the case in Soviet times. Nevertheless, even such a small increase is a very positive trend, which indicates that Karaganda has a future.

Ethnic composition

We studied the population of the city of Karaganda. The composition of ethnic groups is no less important for understanding the demographic situation in the locality. Let's find out what nationalities live in Karaganda.

The most numerous ethnic groups in Karaganda are Russians and Kazakhs. Russians are leading in numbers. Their share in the total population of this city is 45.6%. The share of Kazakhs is 36.3%. In Soviet times, the number of Russians was even greater, accounting for more than 50% of the population. But in the period of independence of Kazakhstan, a significant part of Russians left for Russia, and children from mixed marriages, if they used to prefer to call themselves Russians, now in most cases the "Kazakh" nationality was indicated in censuses.

The next largest ethnic group in Karaganda is Ukrainians. It is much smaller in number than the previous two groups. At the moment, the share of Ukrainians in the total population of the city is 4.8%. In the Soviet era, they, like the Russians, were much larger.

Then follow the Germans (3.3%) and Tatars (3.1%). These are mostly descendants of those people who were deported from the Volga and the Crimea during the Stalinist repressions.

Significantly less in Karaganda, Koreans (1.6%) and Belarusians (1.2%).

The city also has Poles, Chechens, Bashkirs, Azerbaijanis, Mordovians, and many other peoples. But their number does not reach even 1% of the total population.

Religion

In Karaganda, there are many religious denominations. Nevertheless, the main ones are two: Orthodox Christianity and Islam. In Karaganda, there are several Orthodox churches, a convent, and a cathedral, which is the center of the Karaganda diocese. There are seven mosques in the city to ensure the religious needs of the Muslim population of Karaganda.

Among other religious trends, Catholicism and Protestant currents should be distinguished. In the city there are many Catholic and Protestant churches. In addition, Karaganda is the center of the Roman Catholic Diocese of the same name. In this city is the only higher spiritual seminary in Central Asia. Earlier, Catholics and Protestants in Karaganda were significantly larger, but in connection with the departure of the German population after the collapse of the USSR in Germany, and partly in the Volga region, the number of supporters of these religious movements decreased significantly.

Followers of other religions in Karaganda are relatively few.

Demographic prospects of the city

In the process of studying the material, we learned that the population of Karaganda in 2016 is 496.2 thousand people. We also learned the ethnic and religious composition of the city's population. Separately, the change in demographic indicators in dynamics was studied.

Of course, the 90s of the last century were far from the best in the history of the city. The fall in production caused an outflow of population and a demographic crisis of a local scale. But, the gradual resumption of population growth, beginning in 2005, as well as the stabilization of the main demographic indicators, allows looking with hope in the future of this remarkable city.