Semirechye Oblast


The Semirechyenskaya Oblast was an oblast of the Russian Empire. It corresponded approximately to most of present-day southeastern Kazakhstan and northeastern Kyrgyzstan. It was created out of the territories of the northern part of the Khanate of Kokand that had been part of the Kazakh Khanate. The name "Semirechye" itself is the direct Russian translation of the historical region of Jetysu. Its site of government was Verniy.
The Russian government seized the Semirechyenskaya region in 1854 and created the province the same year. It was administered as part of Governor-Generalship of the Steppes between 1854 and 1867 and again between 1882 and 1899, and part of Russian Turkistan between 1867 and 1882 and again between 1899 and 1917. Russian control of the region was recognized by the Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881) between Russia and China.
On April 30, 1918 the region became part of the Turkestan ASSR. On October 27, 1924, as a result of the national-territorial reorganisation of Soviet Central Asia, the northern part of the region became part of the Kirgiz ASSR, while the southern part became the Kara-Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast within the RSFSR.

Geography

It covered a region called Semiriche, the Chui Valley and the mountainous regions of Tien Shan.
It was found in the southeastern part of the Turkestan Governor-General. In the north it bordered the Semipalatinsk region, from the south and east - China, and from the west the Fergana and Syr Darya oblasts. The oblast covered the territory of lakes Balkhash, Issyk-Kul, Ala-Kul.

Administrative division

As of 1897, the Semirechye Oblast was divided into 6 uyezds:
UyezdUyezd city Area,
sq versta		Population
VerniyVerniy 58330223,883
DzharkentDzharkent 5160122,636
KopalKopal 69100136,421
LepsinskLepsinsk 87080180,829
PishpekPishpek 80480176,577
PrzhevalskPrzhevalsk 47760147,517

Its major outposts included Fort Ili at the head of navigation on the Ili River.

Demographics

As of 1897, 987,863 people populated the oblast. Kazakhs and Kyrgyz constituted the majority of the population. Significant minorities consisted of Russians and Taranchi. Total Turkic speaking were 878,209.

Ethnic groups in 1897

TOTAL987,863100%
Kyrgyz794,81580,5%
Russians76,8397,8%
Taranchi55,9996,2%
Sart14,8951,5%
Chinese14.1301,4%