Abouth Almaty

Almaty (Kazakh: Алматы ; formerly known as Alma-Ata , also Verniy , (Верный)) is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of 1,226,000 (as of 1 August 2005),[2] which represents 8% of the population of the country. It was the capital of Kazakhstan (and its predecessor, the Kazakh SSR) from 1929 to 1998. Despite losing its status as the capital, Almaty remains the major commercial center of Kazakhstan.

Name

The name "Almaty" means "rich with apple"; the older Soviet-era Russian version of its name, Alma-Ata, originates from a mistake (literally means "Grandfather-apple"). In the surrounding region, there is a great genetic diversity among the wild apples; the region is in fact in the ancestral home of the apple, and the wild Malus sieversii , now considered to be a likely candidate for the ancestor of the modern domestic apple, originates from the area around Almaty. Coincidentaly, the world's largest apple (close to watermelon size) [ dubious – discuss ] is also located in Almaty, but unfortunately "Apport" became a part of history. [ citation needed ]

Demographics

Ethnic groups (2003) :

• Kazakh 43.6 %
• Russian 40.2 %
• Uyghur 5.7 %
• Tatar 2.1 %
• Korean 1.8 %
• Ukrainian 1.7 %
• German 0.7 %

According to the USSR Census of 1989, population of Almaty was 1,071,900; Kazakhstan Census of 1999 reported 1,129,400.

21st century Almaty

The new 2030 General Plan of Almaty was developed in 1998 and aims at forming ecologically safe, secure and socially comfortable living conditions. The main objective is to promote Almaty's image as a garden-city. One of the components of the General Plan is to continue multi-storied and individual construction, reorganize industrial territories, improve transport infrastructure and launch Almaty Metro. [ citation needed ]

Almaty Financial Centre

Almaty is also developing as the regional financial and business centre - RFCA.

Sights

Kök Töbe

An aerial tramway line connects downtown Almaty with a popular recreation area the top of Kök Töbe (Kazakh: Көктөбе , which means 'Green Hill'), a mountain just to the southeast. The city television tower, Alma-Ata Tower, is located on the hill, as well as a variety of amusement-park type attractions and touristy restaurants.

Fountains

According to the city's Department of Natural Resources and Resource Use Management,[9] as of 2007 the city has 125 fountain groups or isolated fountains. Among them is the "Oriental Calendar" Fountain, whose 12 sculpture figures represent the 12 animals of the Kazakh 12-year animal cycle (similar to its Chinese counterpart).

Universities of Almaty

• Almaty Institute of Power Engineering and Telecommunications
• Kazakh-British Technical University
• Kazakh National Technical University (KazNTU)
• Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazUU)
• Suleyman Demirel University (SDU)
• Kimep (Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research)
• Kazakh-American University (KAU)
• Kazakh Academy of Sciences
• Almaty State University (named after Abay)
• Turan University
• Kazakhstan University of Global Relationships and Languages (КазУМОиМЯ)
• Central Asian University (ЦАУ)