https://en.encyclopedia.kz/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Kurchatov%2C_KazakhstanKurchatov, Kazakhstan - Revision history2026-07-03T18:12:29ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.23.15https://en.encyclopedia.kz/index.php?title=Kurchatov,_Kazakhstan&diff=10298&oldid=prevModerator: 1 revision2026-05-16T20:06:00Z<p>1 revision</p>
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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>[[File:Wfm sts overview.png|thumb|300px|Location of Kurchatov and the [[Semipalatinsk Test Site]] within [[Kazakhstan]]]]<br />
[[File:RIAN archive 440214 A monument to Kurchatov on the background of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site's Central Staff.jpg|thumb|A monument to Kurchatov on the background of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site's Central Staff. 1991. Now it is the Town Administration building]]<br />
'''Kurchatov''' (in [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]] and [[Russian language|Russian]]: '''Курча́тов''') is a town in [[East Kazakhstan Region]] in north-east [[Kazakhstan]]. Named after Soviet nuclear physicist [[Igor Kurchatov]], the town was once the centre of operations for the adjoining [[Semipalatinsk Test Site]]. With the cessation of [[nuclear testing]] and the decommissioning of the test site, Kurchatov's population has fallen from over 20,000 to around 8,000.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4501810.stm "In pictures: Kazakh nuclear town"], BBC News website, 2005-12-06</ref> In its heyday Kurchatov (which was known by its postal code '''Semipalatinsk-21''') was a [[closed city]], one of the most secretive and restricted places in the [[Soviet Union]]. The nuclear facilities at Kurchatov are managed by the Kazakhstan Institute of Atomic Energy, a division of the country's National Nuclear Center. Population: {{Kz-census2009|10,127|punct=;}}{{Kz-census1999|9,305|punct=.}}<br />
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==Geography==<br />
Kurchatov is located on the south bank of the [[Irtysh River]], which crosses into Kazakhstan from the autonomous region of [[Xinjiang]] in China approximately 250 miles / 400 km to the southeast.<br />
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==Infrastructure==<br />
A [[railway]] connects it to the Pavlodar and Astana to the west and to [[Semey]] 100 miles to the east.<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/russia/semipalatinsk-16_nuc.htm Semipalatinsk-16] page at Global Security</ref><br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
* [http://www.neutron.kth.se/gallery/conferences/iaea_semipalatinsk/kurchatov/page_01.htm Photographs of Kurchatov] taken by an [[IAEA]] delegate<br />
* [http://www.travelpod.com/photos/0/Kazakhstan/Kurchatov.html Photographs of buildings in Kurchatov]<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110728163416/http://www.visitsemey.org/nuclear.html?m=3_1 Tourism tips for visiting Kurchatov]<br />
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=CH3PY_LSOlAC&pg=PA254#v=onepage&q&f=false "Kurchatov" in Bradt Kazakhstan Guide]<br />
* [http://carlwillis.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/visit-to-the-semipalatinsk-nuclear-test-site/ "Visit to the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site", a blog by a nuclear tourist.]<br />
* [http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2014/ph241/powell2/ Stanford University: The Semipalatinsk Legacy]<br />
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{{coord|50|45|24|N|78|32|24|E|display=title}}<br />
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{{East Kazakhstan Region}}<br />
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[[Category:Populated places in East Kazakhstan Region]]<br />
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