| Governorate of Alash Губерниыа Алаш Guberniya Alash (Russian) Алаш губернаторлығы Alaş gwbernatorlığı (Kazakh) Алаш губернатору Alaş gubernatoru (Kyrgyz) - Governorate of Russia - |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| Capital | Almaty | ||
| Official languages | Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz | ||
| Ethnic groups | Kazakhs, Russians, Kyrgyz | ||
| Government | Local elective assembly | ||
| - | Governor-General | Yamil Askarov (DNP) | |
| - | Head Minister | Mujid Arifov (DNP) | |
| Population | |||
| - | census | 18.8 million | |
The Governorate of Alash (Russian: Губерниыа Алаш, Guberniya Alash; Kazakh: Алаш губернаторлығы, Alaş gwbernatorlığı, Kyrgyz: Алаш губернатору, Alaş gubernatoru) also known as Alash and Kirgizia in short, is one of the governorates of the Grand Duchy of Central Asia, in the Russian Empire.
It borders other Russian territories to the south, namely Bukhara and the South Caspian. The capital is Alma-ata. It has a population of 18.8 million, and one of the lowest population densities in the Russian Empire, at fewer than 6 people per square kilometre (15 people per sq mi).
The territory of Alash has historically been inhabited by nomadic groups and empires. In antiquity, the nomadic Scythians inhabited the land and the Persian Achaemenid Empire expanded towards the southern territory of the modern country. Turkic nomads, who trace their ancestry to many Turkic states such as the First and Second Turkic Khaganates, have inhabited the country throughout its history. In the 13th century, the territory was subjugated by the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan. By the 16th century, the Kazakhs emerged as a distinct group, divided into three jüz. The Russians began advancing into the Kazakh steppe in the 18th century, and by the mid-19th century, they nominally ruled all of Kazakhstan as part of the Russian Empire.
Alash is one of the most dominant regions of the Russian Empire economically, and is the most dominant within the Grand Duchy of Central Asia, generating 60% of the Grand Duchy's GDP, primarily through its oil and gas industry. It also has vast mineral resources, and is haven of Russian democracy, secular, unitary culture with a diverse cultural heritage, Islam, Russian Orthodoxy and Buddhism are all promoted on a public level in Alash.
| |||||||||||