Almaty

ALMATY KAZAKHSTAN a guide

Almaty (Kazakh: Алматы / Almatı, i.e. "city of apples" or "city of apple trees") is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,472,866 (at 1 December 2012).This represents approximately 9% of the country's population. Almaty was the capital of the Kazakh SSR from 1929 to 1991 and of independent Kazakhstan from 1991 to 1997. Despite losing its status as the capital to Astana in 1997, Almaty remains the major commercial and cultural centre of Kazakhstan. The city is located in the mountainous area of southern Kazakhstan, near the border with Kyrgyzstan. There are a lot of beautiful places in Almaty.

The most interesting are mountain resort and Ski-Base Chimbulak, high-attitude sport complex and world-known ice rink Medeo. Very interesting are squares of the city, Bazaars, Central State museum. Museum of Kazakh Folk Musk: instruments, theatres and concert bails. There is an amazing whole city view from Кок-Tyube mountain where TV-tower is situated.

A visit to Almaty provides an excellent opportunity for skiing: the lifts climb to approximately 3,163 meters. Great Almaty Lake, which is just west of Chimbulak, Almaty's main ski resort, has a quaint alpine style hotel for overnights.

The climate in Almaty is a humid continental climate with very warm summers and cold winters. It is characterized by the influence of mountain-valley circulation, which is especially evident in the northern part of the city, located directly in the transition zone of the mountain slopes to the plains.

Almaty is in the top 50 most expensive cities worldwide for expats to live in according to Mercer Human Research. Although Almaty dropped from 30th place in 2007 to 44th in 2008, it's still more expensive than Toronto, Los Angeles or Hamburg. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful gateway to this undiscovered and distinctive country. Kazakh people are very kind and welcoming, and you will be pleasantly surprised by the hospitality.