Fort-Shevchenko

This article is about the town of Fort-Shevchenko. For the nearby city of Aktau, formerly Shevchenko, see Aktau.

Fort-Shevchenko (Kazakh: Форт-Шевченко) is a military-base town and administrative centre of Tupkaragan District in Mangystau Region of Kazakhstan on the eastern shore of Caspian Sea. Primary industries include fishing and the extraction of stone. Population: 5,559 (2016 estimate).^[1]

Fort-Shevchenko Форт-Шевченко
Fort-Shevchenko from the air
Coat of arms
Fort-Shevchenko Location in Kazakhstan
Coordinates: 44°31′N 50°16′E
Country	Kazakhstan
Region	Mangystau Region
Population  (2016)[1]
• Total	5,559
Time zone	UTC+5 (+5)

History

The city was founded as a military stronghold by the Imperial Russian Navy in 1846 after nearby New Alexander Fort, built in 1834 overlooking Dead Kultuk, was deemed too remote.^[2] Until 1857, Fort Shevchenko was known as Novopetrovskoye (Новопетровское) and from 1857 to 1939 as Fort-Aleksandrovskii (Форт-Александровский). It was named for Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, who was assigned to military service here during his exile. Today the town is used by the Kazakhstan Navy as a base.

The coat of arms of Fort Alexandrovsky was approved October 22, 1908, along with other arms of the Transcaspian field: It is black and silver depicting the fortress and two fish.

Russian Civil War

Fort Alexandrovsky was the site of naval action on 21 May 1919, when a Squadron of the British Caspian Flotilla attacked the port.^[3]

Climate

Climate data for Fort-Shevchenko (1991–2020, extremes 1848–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	16.0 (60.8)	19.0 (66.2)	25.2 (77.4)	31.1 (88.0)	37.4 (99.3)	40.6 (105.1)	41.1 (106.0)	41.4 (106.5)	40.0 (104.0)	31.2 (88.2)	22.3 (72.1)	16.0 (60.8)	41.4 (106.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	1.8 (35.2)	2.7 (36.9)	8.0 (46.4)	14.6 (58.3)	22.0 (71.6)	27.5 (81.5)	30.1 (86.2)	29.5 (85.1)	24.2 (75.6)	16.9 (62.4)	9.1 (48.4)	3.8 (38.8)	15.9 (60.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−0.7 (30.7)	−0.2 (31.6)	4.9 (40.8)	11.4 (52.5)	18.6 (65.5)	24.3 (75.7)	26.7 (80.1)	25.9 (78.6)	20.7 (69.3)	13.7 (56.7)	6.2 (43.2)	1.3 (34.3)	12.7 (54.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−2.9 (26.8)	−2.7 (27.1)	2.1 (35.8)	8.4 (47.1)	15.6 (60.1)	21.2 (70.2)	23.6 (74.5)	22.6 (72.7)	17.6 (63.7)	10.8 (51.4)	3.8 (38.8)	−0.9 (30.4)	9.9 (49.8)
Record low °C (°F)	−27.0 (−16.6)	−30.0 (−22.0)	−19.7 (−3.5)	−2.8 (27.0)	0.0 (32.0)	9.0 (48.2)	13.8 (56.8)	10.0 (50.0)	2.0 (35.6)	−7.2 (19.0)	−16.1 (3.0)	−18.2 (−0.8)	−30.0 (−22.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	11 (0.4)	7 (0.3)	11 (0.4)	20 (0.8)	10 (0.4)	5 (0.2)	10 (0.4)	6 (0.2)	9 (0.4)	9 (0.4)	13 (0.5)	9 (0.4)	120 (4.7)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	88	114	158	225	300	329	337	315	260	193	103	74	2,496
Source 1: Pogoda.ru.net[4]
Source 2: NOAA (sun, 1961–1990)[5]

Landmarks

There are several landmarks of significance; Shevchenko Memorial Museum, National History, and ethnographic museums. The Shevchenko Memorial Museum opened in 1932 near where he had been hiding. There are also some remnants of the fortress, a monument to Shevchenko and a state grave of Civil War heroes.

31 km from the city is the necropolis Beysenbay and up the coast the site Bautino (Баутино).