Almaty is my favourite city.
Almaty is the former capital of Kazakhstan.
Almaty was the capital of the Kazakh SSR from 1929 to 1991 and of independent Kazakhstan from 1991 to 1997. In 1997, the capital was moved to Astana. Since then, Almaty has been referred to as the southern capital of Kazakhstan. Almaty is the major commercial and cultural centre of Kazakhstan. The city is located in the area of southern Kazakhstan, near the border with Kyrgyzstan.
Almaty is the cultural, Scientific, economic and transport centre of Kazakhstan. This is one of the most beautiful cities of Asia. The city has a mild climate. Summer in Almaty lasts from May till September with the average temperature of 22 degrees in July. Winter is not very cold with the average temperature of 8 degrees below zero in January.
The city was founded in 1854. Till 1921 it was named Verny. In 1929 Almaty became the capital of the Kazak Socialist Republic. Almaty was the capital of independent Kazakhstan till November 1997. Nowadays the city has seven theatres, many cinemas, hundreds of clubs, libraries and other cultural and educational centres. The most important theatres are the Kazak State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Abai and the Kazak State Academic Drama Theatre named after M.Auesov. The city also has the Russian, Uigur, Korean theatres and many other troupes.
Verny had only one gymnasium. Now in Almaty there are 185 schools of general education, a lot of technical secondary schools and Universities. Almaty is a University city. Young people from different places og Kazakhstan come to study here.
Almaty is situated at the food of the Ala-Tau montains. The climate is very favourable for gardening. Everybody in kazakstan knows the world famous apples "aport". The citizens of Almaty are proud of the well known skating-rink "Medeo". It is equipped with all modern sport facilities. The most important competition are held there.
Almaty is the city of kind and hospitable people. It is a great pleasure to visit it.