AKIPRESS.COM - Kazakhstan celebrates today the national holiday the Day of Capital City of Astana.
In 1997, the capital of Kazakhstan was moved from Almaty to Akmola, which was later renamed to Astana.
Astana is located in the Akmola region, though administrated separately from the region as the city with special status.
6th of July is also a birthday of the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, who turns 77 today.
Astana is a planned city, such as Canberra in Australia, Washington, D.C. in the United States and Brasilia in Brazil. The master plan of Astana was designed by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa.
As the seat of the Government of Kazakhstan, Astana is the site of the Parliament House, the Supreme Court, the Akorda Presidential Palace and numerous government departments and agencies. It is home to many futuristic buildings, hotels and skyscrapers. Astana is center of sports, healthcare and education.
Astana is now hosting world Expo, which started on June 10 and will last until September 10.