Russian-Kazakh border: Sustainability and typology by ethnic, historical and natural characteristics

Abstract

The formation of the Russian-Kazakh border is a complex evolutionary and historical process, and the territory itself is an area of contact of integrated, but at the same time culturally and ethnically distinct territories. In order to determine the sustainability of the Russian-Kazakh border, the segmentation of its sections was carried out according to a set of features defined by typology (natural, ethnic, historical characteristics of the sections). Based on their synthesis, the Russian-Kazakh border is divided into separate segments forming 3 categories of sustainability. As a result of the study it was determined that the most stable parts of the border are historically mature, have a high degree of ethnic contrast and are often of natural origin - this is the western sector of the border area (parts of the Astrakhan, Volgograd, Saratov and Orenburg regions). A significant part of the border belongs to the category of the least stable and has only one feature - these are the central and eastern sectors of the borderland (Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk regions). Due to the length of the border and the historical development processes of this territory, the areas with no signs of sustainability - this is a geometric type of border - are also identified. They do not take into consideration natural, historical and ethnic peculiarities and are often determined by economic needs - these are the parts of the Astrakhan, Volgograd, Orenburg regions and Altai Krai.