Shymkent (Kazakh pronunciation: [ʃɯmˈkɛnt] (listen); Шымкент, Şymkent, شىمكەنت), known until 1993 as Chimkent (Uzbek: Chimkent, Чимкент, چىمكېنت; Yañalif: Çimkent (Uzbek pronunciation: [tʃɨmˈkɛnt])); Russian: Чимкент, romanized: Chimkent (Russian pronunciation: [ˈtɕɨmˈkʲɛnt])), is a city in Kazakhstan. It is near the border with Uzbekistan. It is one of three Kazakh cities which have the status equal to that of a region (the city of republican significance). It is the third-most populous city in Kazakhstan, behind Almaty and Nur-Sultan, with an estimated population of 1,002,291 as of 1 June 2018 . According to regional and city officials, the millionth resident of Shymkent was born on 17 May 2018. It is a regional cultural centre.
Shymkent is situated 690 kilometres (430 mi) west of Almaty and 1,483 kilometres (920 mi) south of Nur-Sultan. It is also 120 kilometres (75 mi) to the north of Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
