Astana has been Kazakhstan’s capital since 2019 and was renamed from Nur-Sultan in 2022.
The city lies in northern Kazakhstan on the Ishim River. It became the country’s capital in 1997, when the government moved the capital from Almaty, the former capital in the southeast. The move was intended to provide a more central location and encourage development in the northern part of the country.
Astana has changed names several times. It was known as Akmolinsk and Tselinograd during earlier periods, then as Akmola after Kazakhstan became independent. It was called Astana from 1998 to 2019, Nur-Sultan from 2019 to 2022, and Astana again thereafter.
Almaty remains Kazakhstan’s largest city and an important economic and cultural centre, but it is not the national capital. Astana is known for modern landmarks such as the Baiterek Tower and the futuristic Khan Shatyr complex.