Overview :
Kazakhstan Photos
 Kazakhstan
is a country in Central Asia. It borders on Russia , China , Uzbekistan ,
Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan .
It is a beautiful country; however, it is yet undiscovered by tourists.
It is the 9th largest country of the world with a little over 16 million
people and a lot of places to visit. Those who might be interested in
travelling to Kazakhstan should be able to understand its natural beauty,
because even though its history is over a thousand years, the nomadic
people of Kazakhstan have not left a lot of material evidence of their
culture. Their culture, though, has been preserved in their folklore and
traditions. I am sure that tourism to Kazakhstan should become more
popular within several years, the outdoors lovers will be able to
appreciate all the wonderful things that Kazakhstan has to offer.
The old capital city of Almaty - a word, according to the most popular
explanation, derived from "alma" (apple) - is a place most visited. It is
a laid back city, with a nice atmosphere. From Almaty you can make
excursions into the picturesque mountains nearby or visit the skating
rink - one of the fastest outdoor tracks in the world.
The new capital of Astana is not yet a true capital. It is situated in
the windy steppes of the northern part of the country, and its climate is
not very inviting.
Almaty (uhl-muh-TEE, former Alma-Ata) is the former capital of
Kazakhstan. It is the most populated city in Kazakhstan at present. Its
population is almost two million people. Even though Astana (then Akmola)
became the capital in 1995; Almaty is often called the Southern Capital.
It can be rightfully called the most beautiful city in the country.
The history of Almaty is not very long. In comparison with other cities
in Central Asia it is quite young. It was founded in 1854 by Russians in
the valley of Almaty and was just a fort at first. Its name was Zailisky,
then it was named Verny. In 1921 it became Alma-Ata and in 1929 it became
the capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1993 it became
Almaty. |
The city is located at the foot of Tien Shan Mountains at the altitude of
1500-2000 meters above sea level. Unfortunately, because the city is
located in a valley, smog easily accumulates here. However, a little
higher in the mountains the air is crystal clear and many people have
“dachas” (a small garden or an orchard with a small hut or a house)
there. A dacha is not only a source of various fruits and vegetables, it
is also a place to relax and enjoy the fresh air.
The city has a lot of unique architectural sites. Among those are the
bath-house Arasan, the Otrar Hotel, the Cathedral in the Park of the 28
Panfilov Soldiers, and many others. The architectural sites of Almaty are
comparatively modern because of the destructive earthquakes that happened
in Almaty in 1887 and 1910. A lot of buildings were destroyed at that
time.
The climate of Almaty is quite mild. It is never as cold here as in the
northern parts of the country and you can easily survive without a fur
hat and a fur coat. However, because of higher humidity it may seem a
little colder in winter than it is in fact.
(by
www.world66.com)
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Photo Gallery : Kazakhstan
Artwork,
photos, concept, content and layout are (c) 2005