Nurkent
{{infobox settlement|official_name = Nurkent|coordinates={{coord|44|12|49|N|80|13|53|E|region:KZ|display=inline,title}}|pushpin_map=Kazakhstan}}
Nurkent ({{langx|kk|Нұркент}}, Nūrkent) is a town under construction in the Panfilov District of the Almaty Region of south-eastern Kazakhstan, set to be built by 2035 and the projected population of 100,000. The town is located near one of Kazakhstan's two railway crossings on the border with China, at the Chinese city of Khorgos.
In autumn 2016, after a go-ahead from president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan's minister of national Economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev announced that Kazakhstan intended to allocate 11.3 billion tenge towards building infrastructure of a new town of Nurkent; it was reported that the construction of the town was seen as instrumental in resettlement of workers of the free economic zone "Khorgos — Eastern Gate", the largest transportation and logistics hub on the New Silk Road.[http://lenta.inform.kz/en/kazakhstan-to-allot-over-11b-tenge-on-development-of-new-town-in-almaty-region_a2962423 Kazakhstan to allot over 11B tenge on development of new town in Almaty region] lenta.inform.kz, 25 October 2016.[https://primeminister.kz/en/news/all/bakitzhan-sagintaev-oznakomilsya-s-hodom-sozdaniya-rabochih-mest-v-almatinskoi-oblasti-14474 Bakytzhan Sagintayev was briefed on the progress of job creation in Almaty region] primeminister.kz, 28 April 2017. A dry port, a component of the Khorgos — Eastern Gate free economic zone, began to operate in January 2015.[http://www.rzdlog.com/press/sector/304/ Kazakhstan launches the dry port at Khorgos] 23 January 2015.[https://liter.kz/ru/articles/show/13591-_suhoi_port_prezentovan_v_kazahstane «Сухой порт» презентован в Казахстане] 24 October 2015.[https://www.reuters.com/article/kazakhstan-china-trade/landlocked-kazakhstan-challenges-sea-shippers-for-china-eu-cargo-idUSL8N12M3YZ20151026 Landlocked Kazakhstan challenges sea shippers for China-EU cargo] Reuters, 26 October 2015.
In the summer of 2017, the Chinese state-owned shipping and logistics services supplier company COSCO became the 49 percent owner the land on which the town was being built from scratch.
At the end of 2017, the town was reported to have about 1,200 residents.[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/01/world/asia/china-kazakhstan-silk-road.html China’s Ambitious New ‘Port’: Landlocked Kazakhstan] NYT, 1 January 2018.
References
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External links
[https://tengrinews.kz/fotoarchive/1138/ A Photo Story from Nurkent]
{{Almaty Region}}
Category:Populated places in Jetisu Region
{{Almaty-geo-stub}}