Astana (Kazakh: Астана; former names include Akmola, Akmolinsk and Tselinograd), is the capital and second largest city (after Almaty) of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 750,700 as of November 2008. It is located in the north-central portion of Kazakhstan, within Akmola Province, though politically separate from the rest of the province.
The current mayor of Astana is Imangali Tasmagambetov. He was appointed on April 4, 200...
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Astana (Kazakh: Астана; former names include Akmola, Akmolinsk and Tselinograd), is the capital and second largest city (after Almaty) of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 750,700 as of November 2008. It is located in the north-central portion of Kazakhstan, within Akmola Province, though politically separate from the rest of the province.
The current mayor of Astana is Imangali Tasmagambetov. He was appointed on April 4, 2008.
The word Astana in Kazakh literally means Capital but the word itself originates from Persian "Asta-'neh'" which has the meaning of "Holy Place". In Kazakh and Russian, it is pronounced "As-ta-na", while in English and many other languages, the common pronunciation is "As-ta-na".
In June 2008, a parliamentary proposal was put forward to change the city's name to "Nursultan", in honor of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The idea was rejected by Nazarbayev himself, who said the decision of renaming the city will be for future generations.
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