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Astana

Capital of KazakhstanAstana stands on the Ishim River in the flat, semi-arid steppe of north-central Kazakhstan. The older districts lie north of the river, and the newer ones to the south.

Why it's the capital

In 1994 Kazakhstan's parliament voted to move the capital, and on 10 December 1997 it moved from Almaty to this city, then called Akmola. Among the reasons given were its favourable location and good transport links.

Fun facts

  1. The city was founded in 1830 as Aqmoly, and the name Astana, adopted in 1998, simply means 'capital' in Kazakh.
  2. In winter, temperatures of −30 to −35 °C are common from mid-December to early March.
  3. The Bayterek tower, 105 m tall, was built to mark the move of the capital from Almaty to Astana.

Finding it on the globe

Skip the far south-east, where Almaty is: Astana sits on the open steppe in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, much closer to the Russian border than to the southern borders.

Easy to mix up

Almaty, in the south-east, is Kazakhstan's largest city and was the capital until 1997. From 2019 to 2022 the capital was called Nur-Sultan.

Sources: Wikipedia: Astana