Current Time in Atyrau, Kazakhstan

Atyrau lies in western Kazakhstan at the mouth of the Ural River, a short distance from where it empties into the northern Caspian Sea. The city has an unusual geographical distinction, for the Ural is conventionally taken as part of the boundary between Europe and Asia, and Atyrau is therefore divided between the two continents, with a bridge across the river marked to show the crossing point. The surrounding landscape is flat semi desert and salt steppe, and the climate is harsh and continental, with fierce summer heat, cold windy winters and very little rain.

Approximately three hundred and fifty thousand people live in the city, which is the capital of Atyrau Region. Its global importance is entirely bound up with oil. The giant Tengiz field lies to the southeast and the offshore Kashagan field, one of the largest discoveries of recent decades, lies in the shallow northern Caspian, while the Atyrau refinery, opened in 1945, was the first in Kazakhstan. International energy companies maintain large offices here, and the city has one of the most international workforces in the country.

Atyrau was founded in 1640 as a fortified trading post named Guryev after the Russian merchant family that built it, established to control the rich sturgeon fisheries of the Ural delta. For centuries caviar and salted fish were the mainstay of the local economy, and although stocks have declined sharply the fishing tradition is still remembered. The town was renamed Atyrau in 1991 as Kazakhstan approached independence.

The city itself is modern in appearance, rebuilt during the oil boom with office towers, hotels and landscaped embankments along both banks of the river. The pedestrian bridge linking Europe and Asia is the favourite photograph for visitors. Other landmarks include the large Imangali Mosque, the Uspensky Orthodox cathedral, the regional history museum, which covers the nomadic past and the archaeology of the Caspian shore, and the Sarayshyq site upstream, where a medieval city of the Golden Horde once stood and where several khans are buried.

The delta and the shallow Caspian coast are of great ecological interest, providing habitat for pelicans, flamingos, seals and enormous numbers of migratory birds, though the region also faces well documented environmental pressures from industry and from the changing level of the sea.

Atyrau International Airport connects the city to Kazakhstan's main centres, to Russia and to European hubs, while road and rail lines run north towards Uralsk and east towards Aktobe. Buses and taxis serve the urban area.

Higher education includes the Atyrau Oil and Gas University, which trains engineers for the energy sector, along with a state university and technical colleges. English is widely used in business, and the expatriate community has given the city a range of international restaurants and services unusual for its size.

Atyrau is important as the energy capital of Kazakhstan and as a place where two continents, a great river and the world's largest lake meet.