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Migrate {{Infobox settlement}} coordinates parameters to {{Coord}}, see Wikipedia:Coordinates in infoboxes

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{{Infobox settlement
| official_name = Balkhash
| native_name = Балқаш
| other_name =
| settlement_type = City
| image_skyline = Balkhash-center.jpg
| image_caption = Centre of the city
| image_flag =
| image_seal =
| image_shield =
| nickname =
| motto =
| image_map =
| map_caption =
| pushpin_map = Kazakhstan
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_mapsize = 280
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Kazakhstan
| coordinates = {{coord|46|50|53|N|74|59|42|E|region:KZ|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = [[Countries of the world|Country]]
| subdivision_name = [[Kazakhstan]]
| subdivision_type1 = [[Regions of Kazakhstan|Region]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Karaganda Region]]
| established_title = Founded
| established_date = 1931
| established_title3 = Incorporated (city)
| established_date3 = 1937
| government_type =
| leader_title = Akim {{small|([[mayor]])}}
| leader_name = [[Nurlan Erikbaevich Aubakirov]] (since 29 May 2012)
| area_total_km2 =
| area_land_km2 =
| area_water_km2 =
| area_water_percent =
| elevation_m = 440
| population_total = 68,833
| population_as_of = 2009
| population_density_km2 =
| population_urban = 77,662
| population_note =
| timezone =
| utc_offset =
| timezone_DST = [[UTC+6]]
| utc_offset_DST = +6
| postal_code_type = [[Postal code]]
| postal_code = 100300 - 100316
| area_code = +7 71036
| website = {{URL|http://www.balkhash.kz}}
| footnotes =
}}

[[File:Balkhash-City.jpg|thumb|220px|Southern view of the city Balkhash.]]

'''Balkhash''' ({{lang-kz|'''Балқаш''', ''Balqaş''}}; {{lang-ru|'''Балхаш''', ''Balkhash''}}) is a city in [[Kazakhstan]], located on the northern shore of the [[Lake Balkhash]], on the Bay Bertys, and in south of [[Kazakh Uplands]]. Population of the city: {{Kz-census2009|68,833|punct=;}} {{Kz-census1999|65,431|punct=.}}

Balkhash was founded in 1937 as an industrial city centred on the mining and smelting of [[copper]], and presently copper is still exploited there. The city lies approximately 500 km west of the Chinese border on the north side of the lake at an altitude of 440 m.

The history of the city is closely connected with mining of deposits of copper and development of a smelting plant.

==History==
{{main|Balkhashtsvetmet}}

On 11 April 1937, a small worker`s settlement "Pribalhashstroy", designed in connection with the construction of a copper factory - [[BGMC]], was transformed into the city of Balkhash by decision of the Central Executive Committee of the Kazakh SSR. In this way, the copper factory effected the city's appearance.

On 9 November 1932, the first school was established in the city - school № 1. The school educated a few children of the builders of the city that time. Among these children was Maria Nicolaevna Guseva (Halova). This school became a matter of her life: firstly she was one of the first pupils. Later, she became a teacher. In 1935, a section for parachuting was opened. Its first director was Dyusembayev.

During the [[Great Patriotic War]] (Russian term for [[World War II]]), most of the male population was conscripted into the military service and women replaced them in the copper factory.

After World War II, Japanese war prisoners took part in the building of the city. In particular, they built buildings, the "Palace of Metallurgists" and the local airport.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, between 1992 and 1996, the city and its residents, like most former Soviet citizens, experienced an acute crisis, including power outages, weak central heating and intermittent operation of the copper factory. Some people cooked on fires in their yards; in winter they heated their apartments with [[potbelly stove]]s. Summer cottages served as an additional source of foodstuffs, contributing to the populace's survival. In the late 1990s, the city's and country's economies stabilised. A new neighborhood was built in the city, the so-called "Canadian cottages". All schools, medical facilities and the college started to function normally.

==Administration and directorates==
Due to the appointment of former Mayor Kadyrzhan Teylyanova as Chairman of the [[Committee of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan]], Nurlan Erikbaevich Aubakirov (born 29.12.1975) has been the mayor of Balkash since 29 May 2012.<ref>[http://www.bnews.kz/ru/news/post/80545/ BNEWS KZ (in russ.)]</ref>

Balkhash's city government also administers the [[urban-type settlement]]s of [[Sayak (settlement)|Sayak]] (3669 people), [[Gulshat]] and [[Chubar-Tubek]] (625 people). In May 1997, the city of Balkhash was transferred from [[Dzhezkazgan Region]] to [[Karaganda Region]] due to a boundary change.

==Population==
The combined population of the city and its [[urban area]] is 75,453 people (2010). The ethnic composition on 1 January 2010 was:<ref name="пер.2010">[http://pop-stat.mashke.org/kazakhstan-ethnic2010.htm Национальный состав населения Казахстана по переписи 2009]</ref>
* [[Kazakhs]] — 50,307 people (64,94 %)
* [[Russians]] — 19,823 people (26,20 %)
* [[Ukrainians]] — 1,169 people (1,94 %)
* [[Germans]] — 1,032 people (1,83 %)
* [[Koreans]] — 1,172 people (1,55 %)
* [[Tatars]] — 1,080 people (1,43 %)
* [[Belarusians]] — 229 people (0,37 %)
* [[Chechen people]] — 183 (0,24 %)
* [[Azerbaijani people]] — 119 (0,16 %)
* [[Uzbeks]] — 112 people (0,15 %)
* Others — 1,134 people (1,50 %)
* In total — 77,662 people (100,00 %)

In recent years, the number of Russian speakers is dramatically declining, but this is more than compensated by an influx of Kazakhs, who come mostly from rural areas, resulting in growth of the city's population after the substantial decline in the 1990s.

==Climate==
[[File:Balkhash-zimoi.jpg|thumb|220px|Winter in Balkhash. One of the central streets.]]

Balkhash has a [[semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''BSk'') with warm summers and very cold winters. Precipitation is low throughout the year. Snow is common, though light, in winter. The lowest temperature on record is {{convert|-41.2|°C|°F}}, recorded in December 1938, and the highest temperature is {{convert|40.9|°C|°F}}, recorded in July 2005.<ref name="pogoda" />

{{Weather box
| location = Balkhash
| metric first = Y
| single line = Y
| Jan record high C = 3.9
| Feb record high C = 6.1
| Mar record high C = 24.5
| Apr record high C = 32.5
| May record high C = 34.4
| Jun record high C = 37.6
| Jul record high C = 40.9
| Aug record high C = 39.5
| Sep record high C = 37.6
| Oct record high C = 27.2
| Nov record high C = 17.4
| Dec record high C = 7.5
|year record high C = 40.9
| Jan high C = -8.7
| Feb high C = -6.7
| Mar high C = 1.7
| Apr high C = 14.3
| May high C = 22.1
| Jun high C = 27.9
| Jul high C = 29.6
| Aug high C = 28.1
| Sep high C = 21.7
| Oct high C = 12.9
| Nov high C = 3.0
| Dec high C = -5.2
|year high C = 11.7
| Jan mean C = -13.3
| Feb mean C = -12.1
| Mar mean C = -3.6
| Apr mean C = 8.3
| May mean C = 16.4
| Jun mean C = 22.3
| Jul mean C = 24.2
| Aug mean C = 22.4
| Sep mean C = 15.6
| Oct mean C = 7.1
| Nov mean C = -1.8
| Dec mean C = -9.7
|year mean C = 6.3
| Jan low C = -17.6
| Feb low C = -16.8
| Mar low C = -8.2
| Apr low C = 3.1
| May low C = 10.7
| Jun low C = 16.3
| Jul low C = 18.5
| Aug low C = 16.3
| Sep low C = 9.3
| Oct low C = 2.0
| Nov low C = -5.7
| Dec low C = -13.7
|year low C = 1.2
| Jan record low C = −40.1
| Feb record low C = -40.2
| Mar record low C = −30.8
| Apr record low C = -14.2
| May record low C = -5.5
| Jun record low C = 4.0
| Jul record low C = 6.9
| Aug record low C = 3.7
| Sep record low C = -4.7
| Oct record low C = -14.8
| Nov record low C = −32.7
| Dec record low C = −41.2
|year record low C = -41.2
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 13
| Feb precipitation mm = 11
| Mar precipitation mm = 12
| Apr precipitation mm = 10
| May precipitation mm = 15
| Jun precipitation mm = 12
| Jul precipitation mm = 14
| Aug precipitation mm = 9
| Sep precipitation mm = 4
| Oct precipitation mm = 9
| Nov precipitation mm = 16
| Dec precipitation mm = 13
|year precipitation mm = 138
| Jan rain days = 2
| Feb rain days = 2
| Mar rain days = 5
| Apr rain days = 7
| May rain days = 9
| Jun rain days = 8
| Jul rain days = 9
| Aug rain days = 6
| Sep rain days = 4
| Oct rain days = 7
| Nov rain days = 7
| Dec rain days = 4
|year rain days = 70
| Jan snow days = 15
| Feb snow days = 14
| Mar snow days = 7
| Apr snow days = 1
| May snow days = 0.1
| Jun snow days = 0
| Jul snow days = 0
| Aug snow days = 0
| Sep snow days = 0
| Oct snow days = 1
| Nov snow days = 8
| Dec snow days = 15
|year snow days = 61
| Jan humidity = 79
| Feb humidity = 78
| Mar humidity = 74
| Apr humidity = 56
| May humidity = 51
| Jun humidity = 46
| Jul humidity = 49
| Aug humidity = 47
| Sep humidity = 47
| Oct humidity = 60
| Nov humidity = 75
| Dec humidity = 79
|year humidity = 62
| Jan sun = 153
| Feb sun = 179
| Mar sun = 228
| Apr sun = 276
| May sun = 335
| Jun sun = 367
| Jul sun = 377
| Aug sun = 363
| Sep sun = 299
| Oct sun = 222
| Nov sun = 151
| Dec sun = 131
| source 1 = pogoda.ru.net<ref name="pogoda">{{cite web
|url = http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/35796.htm
|title = pogoda.ru.net Погода и Климат
|accessdate = October 20, 2016}}</ref>
| source 2 = NOAA (sun only, 1961–1990)<ref name= NOAA>{{cite web
|url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-II/KS/35796.TXT
|title = Balhash Climate Normals 1961-1990
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
|accessdate = January 10, 2012}}</ref>
}}

</div>

==Photo gallery==
<gallery widths=160px heights=120px>
File:Balkhash-center.jpg|Centre of town.
File:Balkhash townBeach.jpg|Part of the town beach.
File:Balkhash copper smelting complex.jpg|Metallurgical works.
File:Балхаш,_Старую_площадку.jpg|Old metallurgical works.
File:Balqash-pamjatnik.jpg|Monument to victims of reprisals.
File:Lake Balkhash, 2008.jpg|Spring. Beach. 22 March 2008.
File:DSCF1576.JPG|Lake in the spring time. 22 March 2008.
</gallery>

==Economy==

{{Empty section|date=August 2013}}

==Infrastructure==

{{Empty section|date=August 2013}}

==See also==
*[[Balkhash airport]]
*[[Lake Balkhash]]
*[[Balkhashtsvetmet]]

==References==
{{Commons category|Balqash city}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Balkhash}}
*[http://www.balkhash.info All info of Balkhash]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4286916.stm Info page of BBC about Balkhash town, with picture material]

{{Karaganda Region}}
{{Cities of Kazakhstan}}

[[Category:Populated places in Karaganda Region]]
[[Category:Cities and towns built in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1937]]

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