Almaty, the economic centre of KazakhstanAlmaty—founded in 1854 as a military fort near the Ili Alatau mountains—is the economic centre of Kazakhstan. During Soviet times the city was the capital of the Republic, but since 1997 this function has been taken over by Astana in the North. The main reason for moving the political centre is the potential danger for earthquakes and mud slides that caused severe damage already in 1887, 1911 and 1921.
| ||||||
|
