The history of Astana

In 1824, a Siberian Cossack army set out from Omsk, Russia, to build a castle on the banks of the Ishim River, which later became Akmolinsk.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Astana became Kazakhstan's railway hub, which also brought economic impact to Astana.

During the Stalin period, there were 11 labor camps in Kazakhstan, the most notorious of which was located near Astana and was specially set up for the spouses of Stalin’s political opponents.

In 1961, the city's name was changed to Chelinograd, and Astana became the center of the reclamation movement, with the goal of making Astana the second largest grain producer in the Soviet Union. During the Reclamation Movement, a large number of immigrants immigrated to Astana, and most of the immigrants were Russians.

In 1991, after Kazakhstan became independent, the city was renamed Akmola (meaning White Grave).

In 1995, in order to Kazakhize the Russian-majority areas in the north, the Kazakh government prepared Akmola as the new capital.

In 1997, Kazakhstan moved its capital from Almaty to Akmola and renamed it the current Astana. The Kazakhstan government encountered many troubles when Almaty was still the capital, such as the risk of earthquakes in Almaty, the inconvenience of expanding land, and Almaty was too close to the Kyrgyz border. The Stan government believes that moving the capital seems to be a better decision. However, the capital relocation activity did not receive much attention at the time. For many Kazakh people, they did not agree with the government's views. Some people criticized Astana for being isolated on the Kazakh grasslands, with inconvenient transportation, and Astana was difficult to access during the winter. Tana has a harsh climate.

Astana will hold the World Expo from June 10 to September 10, 2017. 75 countries and 14 international organizations have been confirmed to participate in the Astana Expo, and it is expected that the total number of international exhibitors at the Astana Expo will eventually exceed 100.