Akmola Region is a centrally located region of Kazakhstan. Its capital is Kokshetau. The national capital, Astana, is enclosed by the region, but is politically separate from Akmola Region.

The region's population is 715,000; Kokshetau's is 157,000. The area is 146,200 square kilometers. It and Karaganda Region are Kazakhstan's only two regions which don't touch the country's outer borders.

Akmola Region borders North Kazakhstan Region in the north, Pavlodar Region in the east, Karagandy Region in the south, and Kostanay Region in the west. Some gold and coal mining occur in the area.

Etymology

Aqmola in Kazakh language means the white burial.

Demographics

Ethnic Kazakhs account for 53.4% of the population in the 2017 census, compared to 33.7% for Russians.

Administrative divisions

The region is administratively divided into seventeen districts and the cities of Kokshetau and Stepnogorsk.

Akkol District, with the administrative center in the town of Akkol;

Arshaly District, the settlement of Arshaly;

Astrakhan District, village of Astrakhanka;

Atbasar District, the town of Atbasar;

Bulandy District, the town of Makinsk;

Burabay District, the town of Shchuchinsk;

Egindikol District, the village of Egindikol;

Enbekshilder District, the town of Stepnyak;

Ereymentau District, the town of Ereymentau;

Esil District, the town of Esil;

Korgalzhyn District, the village of Korgalzhyn;

Sandyktau District, the village of Balkashino;

Shortandy District, the settlement of Shortandy;

Tselinograd District, the village of Akmol;

Zerendi District, the village of Zerendi;

Zhaksy District, the settlement of Zhaksy;

Zharkain District, the town of Derzhavinsk.

The following ten localities in Akmola Region have town status: Akkol, Atbasar, Derzhavinsk, Ereymentau, Esil, Kokshetau, Makinsk, Shchuchinsk, Stepnogorsk, and Stepnyak.