Located in the vast steppes of the Central Highlands, Karaganda has been largely shaped by its Soviet history. Back in the 1940s, almost 70% of Karaganda inhabitants were ethnically German, mostly deported from the Soviet Union after war broke out between Germany and Russia in World War II. Though many of the Europeans have emigrated since, there is still a large concentration of ethnic Poles. Karaganda was built, mostly, using prison labor and is famous for its labor camps and coal mine from which it derives much of the economy.

Some of the must-visits here are the Gulag Museum in Dolinka, the Regional Central Mosque and the Monument of Mining Glory. The hotels are cheap; the sites very Christian and Soviet.