TURGAY

also spelled Turgai, or Turgaj, oblast (province), central Kazakhstan. It was created in 1970, though a larger oblast of the same name existed in tsarist times, and it embraces the western fringes of the Kazakh Upland and part of the Turgay Steppe. The main rivers are the Ishim, flowing north, and the Turgay, south. The climate is continental, and annual precipitation varies from 8 to 12 inches (200 to 300 mm). There are important bauxite mines at Arkalyk, and large fire-clay deposits in the same area are exploited. Crops, chiefly grain, are grown in the north, while the arid, sparsely inhabited south is given over mainly to sheep. The Tobol-Tselinograd railway traverses the oblast, with a branch line from Yesil to Arkalyk; the latter is the administrative centre. Other cities include Oktyabrsky, Zhaksy, Derzhavinsky, and Amangeldy. Area 43,200 square miles (111,900 square km). Pop. (1991 est.) 304,600.