Tomato (1kg) | USD 2.01 |
Oranges (1kg) | USD 2.23 |
1 Pair of Jeans | USD 73.56 |
Coke bottle | USD 1.36 |
1 Pair of Nike shoes | USD 76.28 |
Mid range bottle of wine | USD 13.62 |
Imported beer at restaurant | USD 4.09 |
Aktau, one among the biggest cities in western Kazakhstan, used to be called Shevchenko. It is also the chief seaport in the country along the Caspian Sea. Aktau is found in the Mangyshlak Peninsula and is the Mangystau Province’s capital. The name Aktau is transliterated in the local language as “white mountain,” taken after its cliffs that guard the city by the sea. Cheap flights to Aktau lands at its international airport. Travelers to the city are also brought in via the railway system and its very busy and highly commercialized seaport. A very efficient public bus transport system services the city interiors.
In 2007, the president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev initiated the Aktau city project that will attract both tourism and foreign trade investment. Thus, it started the development of Aktau into a highly urbanized sprawl with numerous residential buildings, commercial edifices, and new hotels in Aktau. The city has since become one of the most well-known metropolitan areas along the Caspian Sea, and one of the most booming economies since. The city’s new economic campaign has indeed brought in investors and tourists, ably managing its desert climate of mild winters and dry summers.
May up to September is beach holiday season in Aktau that boasts of its fine sand beaches and hilly resorts. Numerous modern resorts have sprung up especially along the city’s southern coast. These Caspian shore beach resorts are some of the most popular in the region during the summer season. The Caspian Sea remains to be Aktau’s biggest tourist draw. Some other sites of interest include the stately monuments of the city’s famous leaders such as Taras Shevchenko, Kashagan, and Zhalau Mynbayev. There are also the colorful Yntymak Square, the culturally significant Drama Theatre, the MiG Monument, and the World War II Eternal Flame Memorial.
As a relatively young city, Aktau has shown very rapid growth. Proof of this is the trade, goods and people that come in through its international airport. That is why cheap flights to Aktau are now the norm in the city. Aktau’s development has been not halted and unhampered since its inception. It has become one of the most significant metropolitan areas in the world.