Geography
Katon-Karagai district is situated in the northeast part of the territory of the region. In the north and the north-east the district borders on the Republic of Altai of the Russian Federation, in the southeast on the People's Republic of China, in the south on the Kurchum district, in the north - on Ziryan district, in the west – the district is washed by Buhtarma Reservoir.
History
Katon-Karagai district was founded on January 17, 1928 including parts of Katon-Karagai, Buhtarma, Pozdnyakovsky districts and a part of Pogranichny district of Zaisan district.
On January 1, 1963 Katon-Karagai district was abolished, the territory was a part of Bolshenarymsk district, the centre of the district became Bolshenarymsk settlement.
On December 4, 1970 again Katon-Karagai district was formed with the centre in Katon-Karagai settlement.
On March 23, 1997 - Bolshenarym district was abolished, which became a part of Katon-Karagai district with the administrative centre in Bolshenarymsk settlement.
In accordance with the decision dated 16 October, 2009 No. 15/205-IV East Kazakhstan regional maslikhat renamed a number of settlements and rural districts in Katon-Karagai district. Bolshenarymskoe settlement was renamed into Ulken Naryn settlement.
Territory
The territory of Katon-Karagai district covers 13,2 thousand sq. km. (4,6 % of the territory of East Kazakhstan region). The district has 13 rural districts, 51 rural settlement.
Katon-Karagai district is a surprising place that borders on Kazakhstan, Russia, China and Mongolia. The Jazevoe Lake, Kokkol falls, Arasan, Berel barrows, the ancient Austrian road, the Belukha mountain, unique radonic springs are sights of all Kazakhstan.
On July 17, 2001 the unique Katon-Karagai national natural park, one of the largest in the Republic was created. Altai is a cradle of the Turkic civilization. The barrow with the burial place of the Sax prince, dated IV century BC was discovered about 2500 m above sea level in the Buhtarma valley. The Berel barrows - a unique archeological monument (30 barrows), having no analogues in Kazakhstan.
Borders
Katon-Karagai district is located in the border areas of China, Russia. In the northeast of East Kazakhstan region it borders on Ziryan, Kurchum and Kokpekty districts.
Population
The population of the district totals 24,007 people. Working population – 13,683 persons, unemployed population - 633 persons.
Infrastructure
There are 42 schools,
3 - boarding schools,
2 - Children Music Schools,
1 - station of young tourist,
1 - correctional cabinet,
1 - Agrotechnical College.
There are 46 children's preschool organizations, including 36 mini-centres and 10 kindergartens.
The district has 26 post offices of Kazpost JSC, including 18 - stationary, 8 - mobile.
In all, there are 42 institutions of culture in the district, including:
2 - houses of culture,
23 - club,
18 - libraries,
1 - O.Bokei's house-museum in Chingistai settlement,
1 - History and Regional Study Museum in Ulken Naryn settlement.
There are 3 sport and recreation centers, 26 sports halls.
The district is completely provided with the network of medical organizations, 2 hospital organizations, a rural hospital, 17 family outpatient clinics, 6 medical ambulance stations. 35 first-aid posts provide the population with the predoctor care.
Production
The special role in the economy development of the district belongs to the agriculture. The agriculture of the district comprises 1436 farms, 51 limited liability companies, 11 agricultural cooperatives, and about 6,000 private households. The district created 1 agricultural cooperative, 2 milk receiving stations to develop of the dairy great cattle.
130 bulls for breeding were bought within the framework of selective breeding works in 2017. The district continues the work on development of such branches in animal 12 agricultural cooperatives with 982 small and personal farms. Alongside with the agriculture the district has certain successes in such branch as the plant growing. In 2017 agricultural organizations purchased 46 units of modern agricultural machinery to the sum of KZT 754 million. According to the State Programs in 2017 the district’s farms received grants amounting to KZT 401,8 million.
The producers of Katon-Karagai district are:
- “Erdar” Ltd - Production of asphalt with capacity of 40 tons per hour;
- “Naryn-Service” Ltd, “Isatai” Ltd, Isabayev Dauletbek, PDU – Production of slag blocks;
- Production of seed-oil - 5 oil processing enterprises with capacity of 3 tons per day;
-“SP Aksu-Deen” Ltd, “Burkit Shyny” Ltd, “Oleniy Park” Farm - Production of dag production;
- “Kimanov Bakytzhan” IE, “Kazhkeneva Bayan” IE, “Saleshova Sauletai” IE, “Togsayeva Bakytgul” IE, Kyshkashpayeva Samilya. Production of bakery products;
- Production of furniture - 4 shops.
Land resources
The territory of the district in administrative borders occupies 1317437 hectares, including:
- lands of agricultural purposes - 312247,43 hectares,
- settlements - 46341 hectares,
- industry, transport, communication, defense and other nonfarm purposes - 1657 hectares,
- lands especially safeguarded natural areas - 643513 hectares,
- lands of the forest fund - 87780 hectares,
- lands of the water fund - 17464 hectares,
- lands of the stock - 208435 hectares.
The lands of agricultural purposes comprise 309891,44 hectares of farming lands, including:
- arable lands - 62147,43 hectares, - haymaking - 37860,08 hectares, - pastures - 209883,93 hectares.
Lands for farming - 185626,33 hectares,
Lands of agricultural purposes, including the lands of economic companies - 101309,1 hectares,
Lands of the state agricultural legal entities - 25312,0 hectares.
Labour resources
As of 1 January 2018 the number of officially registered unemployed on the labour market made up 78 persons (85,7 % to the level of the corresponding period of 2016).
A share of registered unemployed to the number of economically active population accounts for 0,7 %. 914 new jobs are created. 1380 persons asked for employment, including 1081 unemployed are employed. 264 unemployed are directed to paid public works.
As of 1 January, 2017 economically active population makes up 11671 persons or 48,3 %.
Employed - 11038 or 45,3 % of the total population.
Unemployed - 633 persons (2,6 %).
Personnel potential
There is KGU “Katon-Karagai Agrarian-Technical College” in the territory of the district. Students are trained in the following specialities:
- “Beekeeping” - 14 students;
- “Cook” - 13 students;
- “Gas and electrical welder”- 31 students;
- “Tractor operator- machinist of agricultural production”- 55 students;
- “Electrical engineer” - 18 students;
- “Veterinary attendant”- 19 students.
Investment potential
As of 1 November 2017 investments into the fixed capital made up KZT 2178,2 million, the growth rate compared with the last year is 178,9 %, Index of Actual Volume - 167,4 % (as of 1 November 2016 – KZT 1217,6 million).
The expected attraction of investments for 11 months is KZT 2888,9 million, the growth rate compared with the same period of the last year is 222,7 %, Index of Actual Volume is 205,5 %, (for 11 months of 2016 – KZT 1297,3 million).
Need for labour resources
As of September 1, 2016 Katon-Karagai needs for the following experts:
- teacher (Physics-2, Chemistry, History, Russian and Literature, Mathematics, Biology, Geography) - 9;
Laboratorian-1;
Operator-1;
Tutor of preschool establishment-1;
Librarian-1;
Iinspector-1
Officials-19
Tourist potential
The tourist branch of the district is based on medical-health improving, ecological, rural, social, cultural-cognitive and active tourism.
Sanatorium (Rakhman’s Springs), 12 dag medical centres, 5 hotels, 12 guest houses, 12 cafes, 4 restaurants, 19 facilities providing household services for the population, 9 gas stations, 1 pharmaceutical shop on processing of dag and honey production (“Aksu DEEN” JSC), shop on processing of honey production (“Nectar Katon-Karagai” SEC, 2 auto stations, 1 ferry (seasonal) function in the district and provide services to tourists and holidaymakers. Sanatorium and dag medical centres of the district have 95 rooms with 900 beds per day. Projects of roadside service are successfully developing due to own means of businessmen creating additional jobs and making contribution to the district budget.
In the territory of the district there are magnificent sights: Berel barrows, Kokkol - abandoned high-mountain mine, Hot Springs “Kokkol Springs”, Kokkol Lake, Rakhman Lake, Yazevoe Lake, Ushkol Lake, Maralye Lake, Kaumysh Lake, Bukhtarma Lake, Yazevoy Kokkol and Rakhman falls, and also the Northern Branch of the Great Silk Way that is known as the Gold Branch of the ancient caravan track, Austrian road, etc.
Rural and active tourism is recently very popular in the district (providing guest houses, producing national and souvenir products).
Katon-Karagai State National Natural Park (SNNP) was created by the Governmental Order of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 17 July 2001 No.970 with a view of preservation and restoration of the unique natural complexes of Altai which have special ecological, scientific, cultural and recreational values. This is the largest park in the Republic of Kazakhstan with the total area of 643,477 hectares.
There are 13 routes and tracks in Katon-Karagai SNNP in the most visited places by tourists with the total length of 673 km:
1 route – “White Berel”
2 route – “Along Altay Tracks”
3 route – “Ozyerny”
4 route – “Along Maral Tracks”
5 route – “To Lake Tikhoe”
6 route – “To Lake Bulandykol”
7 route – “Along Native Lands”
8 route – “To Berel Barrows”
9 route – “Sarymsakty”
10 route – “Tasshoky”
11 route – “Forest roads”
12 route - “Irek”
13 route - “Berkutaul”
The most significant event for Katon-Karagai SNNP was joining the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve “Big Altai”. In Paris, the June session of the International Coordination Council of UNESCO approved the joint application of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation concerning creation of the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve on the basis of Katon-Karagai SNNP.
Katon-Karagai district at the head of East Kazakhstan region actively participated in the international exhibition “EXPO-2017”. Over 3000 inhabitants of the district visited the exhibition from its start.
For the period of carrying out of the international specialized exhibition “EXPO-2017” 73 tourist routes were approved on cities, resorts and historical places of Kazakhstan for guests and participants of “EXPO-2017” which included the route of the Katon-Karagai State National Natural Park - the recreational-cognitive track “White Berel”. For that time, over 200 guests and participants of the Exhibition visited the tourist places of the district. They were accompanied by the tour agency “Voyage” (“Voyage Altay” Ltd) and guides of Katon-Karagai SNNP.
Cultural-cognitive tourism has become more and more attractive here. Annually thousands of tourists visit the historic and cultural heritage sites such as: the Berel Open-Air Museum, numbering about 70 barrows, located 1200 meters above sea level, in the Bukhtarma valley, fairly named in scientific circles as “Tsarist valley”.
Guest houses are under construction in the most popular places for tourists.
Berel dated IV - III centuries A. C. has gained the world popularity owing to the uniqueness of the architecture of surface buildings and intragrave constructions of barrows and beautiful articles which decorated the horse equipment (caparison), cult subjects and the suit of representatives of the high nomadic elite of the society buried there (with special splendour and performance of multistage ritual and a complex ceremony of “transition”). The glass sarcophagus - the Berel Open-Air Museum was constructed in 2016 at the second barrow (Barrow No.2) of “Berel barrows” on the initiative of Akim of East Kazakhstan region Danial Akhmetov and director of “Elkhon” Ltd Lukbek Tumashinov. Construction of one more glass sarcophagus has begun in 2017 at the fifth barrow (Barrow No.2), with premises for exhibition, a conference hall.
The exact copy of the ancient school was restored in Shyngystai settlement in 2017 on the initiative of director of “Elkhon” Ltd Lukbek Tumashinov within the framework of the program “Rukhani Zhangyru”. The school was constructed in 1907 on the initiative and under direction of the volost Abdikerim Erezhepuly. In different years such known Kazakh educators as Sultanmakhmut Toraigyrov and Oralkhan Bokey taught there. Cost of the project is KZT 100 million.
According to official data of the regional statistics, in 2017 the number of tourists increased almost twofold or 5107 tourists visited our district.