Nursultan (Astana) - capital of modern Kazakhstan. City was named after first President of Kazakhstan - Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2019 for his outstanding services to the Republic. Before (since 1997) it was known as Astana.
The town of Akmolinsk acquired incorporated status in 1862. It had long been famous for its fairs. Merchants from all regions of Kazakhstan, Russia and the Central Asian countries traveled here. As the development of virgin lands began, the town was renamed Tselinograd and typified the administrative center of an agricultural region.
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