formerly (until 1991) Semipalatinsk
Port city (pop., 1999: 269,600) on the Irtysh (Ertis) River, eastern Kazakhstan.
It was founded as a Russian fort in 1718 and was moved to its present site in 1778, at the junction of caravan trails; before 1917 more than 11,000 camels passed through the city annually. In the early 20th century it was connected by rail to Siberia and other parts of Central Asia. It has one of the largest meat-packing plants in Kazakhstan. Its name was changed after Kazakhstan attained independence in 1991.