Almaty
Almaty (/ælˈmɑːti/ or /ˈælməti/; Kazakh: Алматы / Almaty, IPA: [ɑlmɑˈtə] ⓘ; Russian: Алматы, IPA: [ɐlmɐˈtɨ]), formerly known as Alma-Ata (Russian: Алма-Ата), is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of over two million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to 1936, while the country was an autonomous republic of the Soviet Union, then from 1936 to 1991, a union republic and finally from 1991, an independent state. In 1997, the government relocated the capital to Akmola (now called Astana).
Almatу
Алматы | |
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Clockwise from top: Panfilov Street Esplanade; Ascension Cathedral; Kok Tobe cable car; skyline of Almaty; KBTU Building; and Abay Opera House | |
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Flag | |
| Nicknames: "Southern Capital", "Apple City", "Big Apple" | |
Almatу Location in Kazakhstan Almatу Almatу (Continental Asia) | |
| Coordinates: 43°14′24″N 76°54′54″E | |
| Country | Kazakhstan |
| First settled | 1000–801 BC |
| Founded | 1854 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1867 |
| Subdivisions | 8 districts |
| Government | |
| • Body | City Mäslihat |
| • Akim | Erbolat Dosaev |
| Area | |
| • City | 683 km2 (264 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 9,395 km2 (3,627 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,700 m (5,600 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 500 m (1,600 ft) |
| Population (1 October 2023) | |
| • City | 2,211,198 |
| GDP | |
| • City | KZT 19,154.5 billion US$ 41.485 billion (2022) |
| • Per capita | KZT 8,985,600 US$ 19,461 (2022) |
| Time zone | UTC+6 (UTC+6) |
| Postal code | 050000–050063 |
| Area code | +7 727 |
| ISO 3166 code | ALA |
| Vehicle registration | 02 (A – on older plates) |
| HDI (2019) | 0.855 very high · 1st |
| Climate | Dfa |
Almaty is still the major commercial, financial, and cultural centre of Kazakhstan, as well as its most populous and most cosmopolitan city. The city is located in the mountainous area of southern Kazakhstan near the border with Kyrgyzstan in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau at an elevation of 700–900 m (2,300–3,000 feet), where the Large and Small Almatinka rivers run into the plain. The city, just like Astana and Shymkent, does not belong to any region and is officially a "city of republican significance".
The city has been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the area of music since November 2017. The city was the host for a 1978 international conference on Primary Health Care where the Alma Ata Declaration was adopted, marking a paradigm shift in global public health.