oblast (province), southwestern Kazakhstan, east of the Caspian sea. The oblast covers an area of 64,320 square miles (166,600 square km) and consists of vast flatlands, with some depressions (the Batyr Depression is 425 feet 【130 m】 below sea level). It is rich in petroleum and natural gas, especially in the Mangyshlak oil and gas region of the Mangyshlak Peninsula. The Mangyshlak Peninsula also contains deposits of phosphorites and coquina. The desert climate is continental and extremely dry, permitting virtually no crop farming and only limited raising of sheep, camels, and horses. The oblast is inhabited by Kazakhs, Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars, and other peoples. The only major city is the capital, Shevchenko, on the Caspian Sea, but for the various small communities there is a network of railroads, built since the 1960s. Pop. (1987 est.) 327,000.