Baikonur is a small mining town in central Kazakhstan near Jezkazgan. Coal mining began in 1914.
Baikonur
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![]() ![]() Baikonur Location in Kazakhstan Show map of Kazakhstan![]() ![]() Baikonur Baikonur (Asia) Show map of Asia | |
Coordinates: 47°49′23″N 66°2′50″E | |
Country | ![]() |
Region | Karaganda Region |
Population (2009) | |
• Total | 427 |
Time zone | UTC+6 (UTC+6) |
In 1961, the name was appropriated for the Baikonur Cosmodrome about 320 kilometres southwest of the older mining town; some sources state this was done in order to keep the actual location of the cosmodrome secret.[1][2] Leninsk, the town built to support the cosmodrome, was renamed Baikonur in 1995 after the fall of the Soviet Union.
River Baikonur flows by the village.[3]