Ekibastuz is a city in the northeast of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in the Pavlodar region. A shepherd built his camp in the steppe and joined two dark stones together to make a fire pit. Unbeknownst to him, the two pieces of coal began to glow. In the morning, he marked the spot where he found these wonders with two cap-shaped salt stones. At that moment, Ekibastuz was born. This is why Ekibastuz is called eki = "two," bas = "head," and tus = "salt."
Geographical location
The city is located southwest of the regional capital, Pavlodar, in the Pavlodar region. As of January 1, 2014, Ekibastuz had a population of 130,903. The metropolitan area has a population of 146,839.
Religion of the city
Ekibastuz is characterized by its diversity. There are 17 different religious communities in the city. The dominant religion is Sunni Islam, which is practiced by the majority of Kazakhs. Sunni Muslims have seven communities in the city. A mosque was opened in September 1998. The Russian Orthodox Church has a cathedral in Ekibastuz, which was built in the 1990s. The cathedral's ceremonial opening took place on September 21, 2000. There are also Catholic and Protestant communities.
History
The town was founded in 1898. In 1957, Ekibastuz was granted city rights after the population grew to 25,000. During the Stalin era, Ekibastuz housed a large penal camp (PestschanLag, DalLag), whose prisoners were forced to perform forced labor in the coal mines. Alexander Solzhenitsyn was imprisoned in the Ekibastuz camp, where he wrote his story "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich."
Economy
The city was built near one of the largest coal deposits in the world. Coal mining is the city's primary economic activity. The Kazakh coal mining company Bogatyr Komir is located in Ekibastuz. Two major mining districts, Bogatyr (Bogatyr) and Vostochny (Eastern), operate near the city. Near Ekibastuz is the Ekibastuz Power Plant, one of the world's largest power plants, with the world's tallest smokestack (419.7 m).
The generated electricity is distributed via the three-phase Ekibastuz-Kokshetau transmission line, the highest transmission line in the world with the highest transmission voltage (1150 kV). It was here that the lines of the unfinished and therefore inoperative Ekibastuz HVDC Center, a direct current transmission line project, began.
Infrastructure
There is a branch of Pavlodar State University, a cultural center with a modern cinema, a bazaar, a mosque, and an Orthodox church, as well as a domestic airport (IATA code EKB).
A popular recreation spot for Ekibastuz residents is the nearby Bayanaul Nature Park, a small mountain range with bizarre rock formations and picturesque lakes.
Sports
The city is home to the FC Ekibastuz football club, the successor to the FC Ekibastuz club. In real aikido, the city is represented by the Tenshin Ekibastuz Real Aikido Center Association.
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