Astana is the young capital of independent Kazakhstan. Over a short period of time the city has evolved from a small town to the dynamically growing megacity. The idea of creating new, modern capital belongs to the President of Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.
On December 10, 1997, the capital was officially transferred to Akmola. In line with the Presidential Decree signed on May 6, 1998 Akmola was renamed into Astana, which means from Kazakh language “Capital”.
For 18 years of being capital Astana has become the political and economic centre of Eurasian continent. Every year, Astana becomes a perfect platform for large- scale international events, forums, symposiums, conferences that bring together world leaders, world leading experts, scientists, politicians and foreign members of the business community.
In 1999, UNESCO awarded Astana the title the “City of Peace” for achieving impressive results in socio-economic, political and cultural development over a short period of time. The city is located in the northern part of Kazakhstan, on the bank of the Ishim River. The territory of Astana occupies more than 700 square kilometres. The population of city is estimated at more than 860 thousand, as of May 1, 2015. Astana is home for more than a hundred nationalities and nations.
Astana embodies a modern and advanced Kazakhstan, where the most ambitious projects are undertaken.
Climate
Astana has a severely continental climate with extremely cold and long winters, that lasts 4-5 months. In contrast, the summer in Astana is relatively shorter and lasts slightly more than 3 months. The summer season in capital is warm and sunny, the temperaturу reaches +20-+30.
