This is also the case of several mid-sized FUAs (Taraz, Uralsk, Atyrau, Aktau and Aktobe).10 In contrast, in the other two metropolitan areas of Kazakhstan (Astana and Shymkent), the city cores grew' more rapidly than the commuting zone between 1999 and 2009. In OECD countries, suburbanisation has been particularly strong in large metropolitan areas (of more than 1.5 million people). Figure 1.10 shows the contributions of commuting zones and city cores to overall FUA growth during the 1999-2009 period. Beyond Astana, the fastest-growing cities are in the southern and western areas of the country.