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Oskemen

Also known as Ust-Kamenogorsk

Öskemen ( ) or Ust-Kamenogorsk () is the largest city in eastern Kazakhstan and the administrative center of the East Kazakhstan Region.

AI overview

Öskemen, also known as Ust-Kamenogorsk, is the largest city in eastern Kazakhstan and serves as the administrative center for the East Kazakhstan Region. As a major regional hub, it plays an important role in governing and coordinating activities across eastern Kazakhstan.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

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Place details

Locality: Өскемен
Region: Шығыс Қазақстан облысы
Country: Қазақстан
Population: 319,067
Timezone: Asia/Almaty

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Key facts

Settlement.name: Öskemen
Settlement.settlement_type: City
Settlement.image_flag: Oskemen-remade.png
Settlement.image_seal: Oskemen_seal.svg
Settlement.pushpin_map: Kazakhstan
Settlement.pushpin_label: Oskemen
Settlement.pushpin_label_position: left
Settlement.pushpin_mapsize: 280
Settlement.pushpin_map_caption: Location in Kazakhstan
Settlement.subdivision_type: Country
Settlement.subdivision_type1: Region
Settlement.subdivision_name1: East Kazakhstan Region
Settlement.established_title: Founded
Settlement.established_date: 1720
Settlement.established_title1: Incorporated (city)
Settlement.established_date1: 1868
Settlement.leader_title: Akim
Settlement.leader_name: Almat Akyshov

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Official name: Усть-Каменогорськ
Population: 332900
Area: 540000000
Elevation: 283
Image: Панорама города Усть-Каменогорск.jpg
Dialing code: 7232

Show 5 more facts

Commons category: Oskemen
postal code: F0*****
native label: Өскемен
inception: 1720-00-00
P12749: Mike Oldfield

Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

Travel guide

Get around

Ust has an old but very pleasant tram system and buses move easily around the city.

See

Стрелка (Strelka) Strelka is the arrow of land where the Irtysh and Ulba rivers meet. It is also the site of the Great Patriotic War Memorial. A nice place to stroll and have a "Limonad" on a warm evening, usually plenty of people hanging around.

Do

Naberezhna (Набережна) is the promenade along the Irtysch river leading up to Strelka. Have a beer, find a spot or stroll, and hang out by the water as the sun goes down. Ice hockey: Kazzinc-Torpedo plays in the Russian 2nd league. This is where NHL-players Nik Antropov and Evgeny Nabokov started their careers. Football: FC Altai were promoted in 2025 and now play soccer in Kazakh Premier League, the top tier. Their Vostok Stadium (capacity 8500) is midtown north of the river. The playing season is March-Oct. Ust-Kamenogorsk experienced the unfortunate discharge of a radioactive beryllium cloud in 1990 and has some rather serious heavy metal pollution levels stemming from significant industrialization and mining over the years, resulting in health adversities and cancer. Thus, it is probably best to pass on mud baths along the Irtysh River here.

Buy

The eastern oblast of Kazakhstan is at the base of the Altai Mountains and known for its honey. If you are in Ust in September ask around for the local honey fair, where vendors from surrounding villages show off their wares.

Eat

Some hotels also have restaurants.

Sleep

There are several hotels such as Irtysh and Tourist, but these usually provide poor value for the price. An old favorite is a small hotel in the large bright green "Nursat" building on Abai street, about 1 km east of the bus station. A room there can cost as little as 1,200 tenge per night.