Kazakhstan to create interactive map with history of geographic names
Kazakhstan plans to launch a digital platform that will allow users to explore the origins and meanings of geographic names across the country, Qazinform News Agency cites the National Corpus of the Kazakh Language.
It will be built on the onomastic subcorpus, which already contains some 3,000 of proper names and nearly 15 millions of word usages.
The onomastic subcorpus includes names of cities, villages, rivers, lakes, mountains, and personal names. Each entry provides information on spelling, formation, historical meaning, and cultural context.
Junior research assistant of the Baiturssynov Institute of Linguistics Arlen Seitbatkal cited Zhetysu as an example. Zhetysu refers to Seven Rivers flowing from the Zhetysu Alatau into the Balkhash and Alakol basins. It also holds ethnographic meaning. In Kazakh tradition, “to cross seven rivers and become kin” symbolized forging distant tribal ties. Besides, it is historically significant as part of Mogulistan and the birthplace of the Kazakh Khanate in the 15th century.
The next stage of the project is the development of an interactive map of Kazakhstan. If the project is supported, the data of the onomastic subcorpus will be integrated with a GIS system to visualize names directly on a map.
The planned interactive map will allow users to explore how certain linguistic elements appear across Kazakhstan’s geography. Here are some illustrative categories: “tau” (mountain) — names linked to mountains: Karatau, Alatau, Aktau, Muztau, Kelinshaktaу; “su” (water) — names associated with rivers and water: Aksu, Karasu, Koksu, Atasu; and “kent” (settlement) — names denoting towns or cities: Zharkent, Shymkent, Myrzakent.
Users will be able to map the distribution of these components across regions.
The system will highlight regional clusters — for example, where “tau” names are concentrated in mountain ranges, or “su” names along river basins.
This approach reveals not only geographic features but also cultural and historical naming traditions.
Filters will allow searches by rivers, lakes, mountains, settlements, and by word-formation features.
The purpose is to create a linguistic-geographic platform accessible not only to specialists but also to the general public to explore the geographic names and the history behind them.
It will be useful for researchers, historians, geographers, tourism experts, and anyone interested in Kazakhstan’s cultural heritage.
It should be noted, geographical maps of Kazakh State of XVI-XIX centuries showcased in British Travellers’ Club.
