formerly (1992–99) Aqmola or Akmola , (1961–92) Tselinograd
City (pop., 1999: 313,000) and capital of Kazakhstan.
Situated on the banks of the Ishim River in north-central Kazakhstan, it was founded in 1824 as a Russian military outpost. The city's importance was enhanced by its location at the junction of the Trans-Kazakhstan and South Siberian railways. It is in the centre of a mineral-rich steppe region. In 1994 the Kazakh government began to transfer the national capital from Almaty to Astana, changing the city's name in 1999.