Prospects of Creating a Geopark in Ulytau Region of Kazakhstan: Geoheritage and Geotourism Potential

The Ulytau region located at the heart of Kazakhstan is one of the promising territories for setting up geopark. Here, in the centre of Kazakhstan is a geographical and economic region which consists of desert-steppe landscapes with small, steep low-mountain massifs. This is one of the largest regions of Kazakhstan in terms of industrial potential, wealth of minerals and raw materials, natural and cultural heritage. The world's largest copper-bearing province is located here. The geological history of this area tells of no less than 500 million years of planetary development. Despite the lengthy time that geology and the active use of resources were in focus, geoheritage objects were previously lacking attention and any characterization. In the Ulytau region, many preserved archaeological and ethnographic sites indicate that the Saryarka steppes were included in the trade and cultural sphere of the Great Silk Road. Geological, historical and sacred objects make this territory an extremely interesting object for the development of geotourism and the creation of geoparks as the basis for the sustainable development of the region.