7-th Asian Games | Astana Almaty 2011

General Information about Almaty

Almaty is former capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan and invariably remains the largest megalopolis in the country. It is located in the south-east of the country. The population makes more than 1.3 million people.

The city of Almaty is located in the heart of the Eurasian continent, in the south-east of the Republic of Kazakhstan, at 77^o east longitude and 43^o north latitude, at the foot of Zailiyskiy Alatau Mountains - the most northern Tien Shan mountain range. At one parallel with it are Gagra and Vladivostok.

The climate in the city is strongly continental, with high fluctuations in temperature not only during the year but days. With a height of less than 500 m city streets escape to the north, in the steppe, in the semi desert, resting against hot Prikaskelenskiye Muyyunkumy. In the southern residential areas at altitude of 1,500-1,700 m above sea level in the fold Medeu and Kamenskoye Plato one can feel the breath of glaciers.

City Economy. Has several large transport nodes: railways and highways, airport.

Before the beginning of 90s the city economy based on food, light and heavy industry. The major bulk of production was sold in the city itself (which population exceeded one million inhabitants in 1983), in the country, as well as in other republics of former USSR.

Foreign Economic Activity. Today many accredited diplomatic representations (embassies and consulates) are stationed in the city of Almaty, as well as representations of such international organizations as UN, UNESCO, UNICEF and others.

The city of Almaty has 19 sister cities with which it has signed agreements of mutually beneficial cooperation in the trade and economic, scientific and technical and cultural areas:

- the near abroad: Moscow, Kazan, St. Petersburg, Minsk, Bishkek, Chelyabinsk, Vilnius, Riga.

- the far abroad: Tucson (USA), Renn (France), Taegu (South Korea), Urumchi (PRC), Tel Aviv (Israel), Istanbul (Turkey), Budapest (Hungary), Lower Austria Land, Alexandria (Egypt), Landkreis Aurich (Germany), Modena (Italy).

Railway. In the city there are two railway stations: Almaty-1 and Almaty-2.

Almaty-1 is a transit station on the way from the Siberian regions of Russia to the Central Asia, located in the north of the city.

The station Almaty-2 is an urban station located within the city and intended for passengers arriving to Almaty.