Aktobe Region

Aktobe Region (Kazakh: Ақтөбе облысы, romanized: Aqtöbe oblysy; Russian: Актюбинская область) is a region of Kazakhstan. The name Aktobe comes from Kazakh aq 'white' and töbe 'hill'; supposedly, Aktobe's initial settlers were able to see white mountains far to the north. The Aktobe regional capital is the city of Aktobe. The region is located in the western part of Kazakhstan. Its area is 300,629 km (the largest in Kazakhstan), which is 11% of the territory of Kazakhstan. Its population was 909,673 as of 1 June 2022.

The region was formed as a result of the administrative-territorial reform on March 10, 1932 as part of the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Historically, it was preceded by the Aktobe gubernia (province), which existed in 1921-1928 and the Aktobe Okrug (district) that existed from 1928-1929. In 1936, the region became part of the Kazakh SSR separated from the RSFSR and since 1991, after the collapse of the USSR, as part of the independent Republic of Kazakhstan.