The capital of Kazakhstan is one of the most modern cities in the post-Soviet space, which continues to develop dynamically. In the 60s of the last century, the region was the all-Union center for the development of Kazakhstani and South Siberian virgin lands. Therefore, the center of the virgin land Akmolinsk was renamed the city of Tselinograd. With independence, the city became Akmola, and after the transfer of the capital - Astana.
General information
The city is located in the north of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on the territory of the Akmola region. It is located on two banks of the Ishim River, on a steppe plain. In 2017, the population of Astana (the former city of Tselinograd) exceeded one million for the first time. The population density is 1299 people per km2, this figure is higher in the country only in Almaty. The territory covers an area of 797.33 km2 and is constantly expanding, 8719 hectares were added in 2018.
A modern international airport is located 16 km from the cityNursultan Nazarbaev. Roads and railways pass through Astana, connecting the city with other regions of the country and Russia.
Foundation
The area where the city of Tselinograd is located has been inhabited since ancient times, here was the intersection of caravan routes. Over the centuries, settlements have appeared and disappeared. In 1830, the city of Akmolinsk was founded, originally as a Cossack outpost built on a small island in the middle of a wetland. Having served the due time, people settled around the outpost, forming a settlement. Subsequently, it became one of the main points of trade with nomadic peoples, a place for storing European goods and holding the largest summer fair in the region.
Over time, the Russian settlement connected with a nearby Kazakh village. In 1863, the Akmola fortification received the status of a district city, later becoming the center of the Akmola district. The railway built in 1931-1936 gave a great impetus to the development of the settlement.
Virgin lands development
With the beginning of the development of virgin and fallow lands in Kazakhstan, Akmolinsk was renamed the city of Tselinograd. What area will be around the center for the development of virgin lands was not a question - it was called Tselinograd. The region began to provide the whole country with grain. At that time, new public buildings were built (including the Tselinnikov Palace, the Youth House, the Ishim Hotel) and microdistricts, which were built up with typicalresidential high-rise buildings. The largest industrial enterprises in the republic for the production of agricultural machinery have started working.
Thousands of people from all over the Soviet Union were sent to the region to develop virgin lands, many of them remained in Kazakhstan. The population grew dramatically due to the labor force working in the enterprises that serviced the development of the land. According to the latest Soviet data in 1989, 281,252 people lived in the city of Tselinograd. By ethnic composition: Russians made up 54.10%, Kazakhs - 17.71%, Ukrainians - 9.26%, Germans - 6.72%, followed by Tatars, Belarusians and representatives of other nationalities.
Post-Soviet history
With independence, Kazakhstan began to actively rename settlements. In 1992, Akmola became the new name of the city of Tselinograd. A severe economic crisis began in the country, which strongly affected almost all settlements. Many industrial enterprises were closed in the city, in fact, only organizations related to the railway worked normally.
In 1994, the Parliament of Kazakhstan adopted a resolution on the transfer of the capital from Almaty to Akmola. In 1997, the country's President Nazarbayev made the final decision to start the process of moving the capital. The city began to be put in order, cosmetic repairs of the central districts and buildings intended to house state institutions began. However, due to the scarcity of budgetary funds, the process was slow.
In 1998, the headstate (on the basis of numerous petitions from the public) Akmolinsk was renamed into Astana. From Kazakh, the toponym is translated as "capital" or "capital", the decision was expected, since many people translated the former name as "white grave".
City of the World
Now, from the once provincial provincial town of Tselinograd, it has become a major administrative and financial center of the region. In 1999, UNESCO awarded Astana the status of a world city. After receiving the status of the capital, and especially with the increase in oil prices and the filling of the state budget, the rapid development of the city began. The author of the master plan was the famous Japanese architect Kise Kurokawa, who also designed the city's airport. Many buildings in the capital were designed by other famous architects, including Norman Foster.
In 2018, Astana, the former city of Tselinograd, already had a population of 1,030,577, making it the second most populous city in the country. Kazakhs now make up 78.18%, Russians - 13.41%, Ukrainians - 1.38%, Tatars - 1.13%, Uzbeks - 1.03%, followed by Germans, Koreans and representatives of other nationalities.
