GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites Year XIV, vol. 35, no. 2, 2021, p.499-506 ISSN 2065-1198, E-ISSN 2065-0817 DOI 10.30892/gtg.35230-677 http://gtg.webhost.uoradea.ro/ GEOGRAPHY OF NATURAL AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMIC INTEGRATION OF THE BORDER AREAS OF NORTHERN KAZAKHSTAN AND THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION Aigerim SANSYZBAYEVA * L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, e-mail: sansyzbayeva.ab@mail.ru Abdimazhit SAIPOV L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, e-mail: saipov1954@mail.ru Aleksandr DUNETS Altai State University, Department of Economic Geography and Cartography, 61a Pr.Lenina, Barnaul, Russia, e-mail: dunets@mail.ru Aizhan MUSSAGALIYEVA Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Department of Geography, Land Management and Cadastre, Almaty, Kazakhstan, e-mail: mussagaliyeva_a@mail.ru Ainash RAMAZAN Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Department of Recreation Geography and Tourism, Almaty, Kazakhstan, e-mail: ramazanainash@gmail.com Citation: Sansyzbayeva, A., Saipov, A., Dunets, A., Mussagaliyeva, A., & Ramazan, A. (2021). GEOGRAPHY OF NATURAL AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMIC INTEGRATION OF THE BORDER AREAS OF NORTHERN KAZAKHSTAN AND THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 35(2), 499–506. https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.35230-677 Abstract: This study presents the natural and recreational prerequisites for the formation and development of the cross-border tourism industry in the Kazakh-Russian border region in the context of modern integration processes. The purpose of the research is to identify the main natural and recreational resources in the border regions of Northern Kazakhstan, among which the border regions are Kostanay, Pavlodar and North Kazakhstan regions, and the constituent entities of the Russian Federation bordering on them. The scientific significance of the article is determined by the fact that it analyzes the natural and recreational resources of 10 regions of the Kazakh-Russian borderland as a basis for the formation and development of joint tourist destinations. The main research method is a spatial analysis of the location of natural and recreational resources of border areas using modern soft ware, as a result of which maps of natural and recreational resources in the study area were compiled. In the course of the study, it was revealed that the Pavlodar and North Kazakhstan regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Altai Krai, Novosibirsk and Omsk regions of the Russian Federation have the greatest potential for the development of cross-border tourism. Key words: cross-border tourism, border area, economic integration, Kazakh-Russian border area, Northern Kazakhstan * * * * * * INTRODUCTION In the era of globalization, the dominant trend of world development is regional integration, which results in an intensive exchange of goods, services, capital and labor resources. One of the types of services that, in turn, strengthen integration processes, being one of the factors of economic integration, are tourist services and a special category of the tourism industry is tourism of “border areas”, since the development of this type of tourism is determined by the nature of border processes, soc io- cultural relations and trade and economic relations. The mutual location of such large States as Kazakhstan and Russia in the common economic space of the Customs Union, the presence of the longest land state border between the countries, the common historical, cultural and socio-economic development, modern integration processes and a political strategy aimed at expanding and deepening these processes contribute to the stable development of the tourism sector of the economy. Although the current epidemiological situation in the world and regions hinders the further development of tourism, but the right to tourism remains with people. Therefore, the further development of tourism is certain, but requires adaptive measures in the context of modern changes. In the conditions of economic integration of countries, so-called cross-border tourist territories are formed. This is a territorial entity consisting of two or more neighboring or closely located countries or their regions that have a mutual interest and desire for the development of international tourism (Grudinin, 2016). Geographical problems of studying the tourist and recreational space are the most important area of work of recreational geography – the search and evaluation of territories that are promising for the development of the recreation industry, sports, and recreation. In this respect, the cross-border area has a special perspective and value (Evstropyeva, 2009). Supporting the global trend of integration of border areas of neighboring States (for example, Euroregions) in the Russian-Kazakh cross- border region, the search for ways and forms of cooperation for the formation of joint economic structures that allow * Corresponding author