Baikonur (Kazakh: Байқоңыр, Bayqoñır ; Russian: Байконур, Baykonur), formerly known as Leninsk, is a city in Kyzylorda Province of Kazakhstan, rented and administered by the Russian Federation. It was constructed to service the Baikonur Cosmodrome and was officially renamed Baikonur by Russian president Boris Yeltsin on December 20, 1995.
In 2009 the population of Baikonur was 36,175 (2009 Census results), while in 1999 it was 28,776 (1999 Census results).
The rented area is an ellipse measuring 90 km east to west by 85 km north to south, with the cosmodrome situated at the area's centre.
Read more about Baikonur: History