Karagandy region is one of the largest regions of Kazakhstan and it is located in its central part. It borders with several other regions: Akmola in the North, Pavlodar in the Northeast, Abai in the East, Zhetysu and Almaty in the Southeast, Zhambyl in the South, Ulytau in the Southwest, and Kostanay in the Northwest. Several rivers flow through the region, including the Nura, Ishim and Shiderty. Also, there are 1,910 lakes here. There are several large cities in the Karagandy region, with Karagandy city as the administrative centre, as well as Temirtau, Balkhash, Shakhtinsk and Abai.