A portion of Russian Central Asia which includes both what was formerly known as the Kirghiz Steppe, and the region around Omsk, which was formerly part of Western Siberia. It consists of four provinces: Akmolinsk, Semipalatinsk, Turgai and Uralsk, having a total area of 711,000 sq. m. and a total population of 2,472,931 in 1897. Details are given under the names of the provinces respectively. Omsk is the capital.