Regions of Kazakhstan in the context of "Astana"

Europe is often divided into regions and subregions based on geographical, cultural or historical factors. Since there is no universal agreement on Europe's regional composition, the placement of individual countries may vary based on criteria being used. For instance, the Balkans is a distinct geographical region within Europe, but individual countries may alternatively be grouped into Central, Eastern, Southeastern, or Southern Europe.

Regional affiliation of countries may also evolve over time. Malta was considered an island of North Africa for centuries, but is now considered a part of Southern Europe. The exact placement of the Caucasus has also varied since classical antiquity and is now regarded by many as a distinct region within or partly in Europe. Greenland, and partially Iceland, is geographically a part of North America but has been politically and culturally influenced by Northern European countries for more than a millennium. As such, several regions are often included as belonging to a Greater Europe, including Anatolia, Cyprus, the South Caucasus, Siberia, Asian Kazakhstan (the part of Kazakhstan located east of European Kazakhstan), Greenland, as well as the overseas territories of EU member states.

European Kazakhstan (Kazakh: Еуропалық Қазақстан, romanized: Europalyq Qazaqstan, Қазақстанның еуропалық бөлігі, Qazaqstannyñ europalyq bölıgı, Russian: Европейская часть Казахстана) is the western part of the territory of Kazakhstan. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the country's sparsely populated and vastly larger eastern part, which is situated in Central Asia. The Ural River divides Kazakhstan into two parts, bisecting the Eurasian supercontinent. Two capitals of Kazakh regions are located in the European part of Kazakhstan—Oral and Atyrau.

West Kazakhstan Region (Kazakh: Батыс Қазақстан облысы, romanized: Batys Qazaqstan oblysy; Russian: Западно-Казахстанская область) is a region of Kazakhstan. As of 1 August 2025, it had a population of 695,900. Its administrative centre is Oral (also known as Uralsk), a city of about 250,000 inhabitants.

The region was created as West Kazakhstan Oblast in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic during the Soviet-era. Between 1962 and 1992, it was named Uralsk Oblast. It was renamed in 1993 following the independence of Kazakhstan from the Soviet Union.

Atyrau Region (Kazakh: Атырау облысы, romanized: Atyrau oblysy; Russian: Атырауская область), formerly known as Guryev Region (Russian: Гурьевская область) until 1991, is one of the regions of Kazakhstan, in the western part of the country around the northeast of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Atyrau, with a population of 355,117; the region itself has a population of 681,241, of which Kazakhs make up more than 90%.

Almaty Region (Kazakh: Almaty oblysy [ɑɫmɑˈtə ˌwobɫɤˈsə]), formerly known as the Alma-Ata Region until 1993, is a region in Kazakhstan, located in the southeastern part of the country. It surrounds, but does not include, the eponymous city of Almaty. Its capital is Qonaev.

A city of republican significance (Kazakh: республикалық маңызы бар қала, romanized: respublikalyq mañyzy bar qala; Russian: город республиканского значения, romanized: gorod respublikanskogo znacheniya) is a special category of administrative-territorial unit in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Such a city is granted first-level administrative division, equal to that of an region (oblys) and is directly subordinate to the central government rather than to a regional authority.

As of 2025, Kazakhstan has three cities of republican significance: Almaty, Astana, and Shymkent.

Aktobe Region (Kazakh: Ақтөбе облысы, romanized: Aqtöbe oblysy; Russian: Актюбинская область) is a region of Kazakhstan. The name Aktobe comes from Kazakh aq 'white' and töbe 'hill'; supposedly, Aktobe's initial settlers were able to see white mountains far to the north. The Aktobe regional capital is the city of Aktobe. The region is located in the western part of Kazakhstan. Its area is 300,629 km (the largest in Kazakhstan), which is 11% of the territory of Kazakhstan. Its population was 909,673 as of 1 June 2022.

The region was formed as a result of the administrative-territorial reform on March 10, 1932 as part of the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Historically, it was preceded by the Aktobe gubernia (province), which existed in 1921-1928 and the Aktobe Okrug (district) that existed from 1928-1929. In 1936, the region became part of the Kazakh SSR separated from the RSFSR and since 1991, after the collapse of the USSR, as part of the independent Republic of Kazakhstan.