Atyrau

Overview

Atyrau (uh-tee-RUH-oo) is a port on the Kazakh coast of the landlocked Caspian Sea. Named Guryev until 1992, it was an inner port of the Soviet Union. It has become an international port but is not as significant for Kazakhstan as Aktau, through which the country exports sizeable quantities of crude oil on the first stage of a complex route to Western markets.

The city is very important strategically for Kazakhstan since the country is landlocked. However, through the Caspian Sea and various channels ships from Kazakhstan could potentially sail to the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. At this point, ships from Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia sail to Atyrau.

History