Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. It is located on the Ishim River in the north portion of Kazakhstan, within Akmola Province, though administrated separately from the province as a federal city area. It is the second-largest city in Kazakhstan. Founded in 1830 as Akmolinsk and renamed as Tselinograd in 1961, the city has evolved into a cultural and administrative centre of Virgin Lands Campaign. In 1992, it was renamed as Akmola, the original name meaning "white holy place" or "white abundance". On 10 December 1997, Akmola became the capital of Kazakhstan. On 6 May 1998, it received the name of Astana, which means "the capital" in Kazakh. Since becoming the capital, Astana has undergone tremendous growth. It is home to many futuristic buildings, hotels and skyscrapers. In addition to serving as government headquarters, Astana is center for industry, sports, healthcare and education. Astana International Airport was designed by late-Japanese architect, Kisho Kurokawa. The Astana Metro is a planned underground construction in Astana. Astana Railway Station is an important hub for northern Kazakhstan, served by Qazaqstan Temir Zholy trains to most major cities in Kazakhstan, including Talgo expresses to Almaty. International trains leave for Russia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. There is also a direct train to Urumqi in China's Xinjiang. Astana, Kazakhstan is the host venue for EXPO-2017, which will focus on the theme "Future Energy". The theme is aimed to concentrate on both the future of energy, but also on innovative, but practical energy solutions, and their global impact. EXPO-2017 will be the first time that a major international exhibition of this kind is coming to a country from the former Soviet Union. More than 100 countries and 10 international organizations are expected to participate. Around 2-3 million people are expected to visit the international pavilions from June to September 2017. 25 hectares is planned for the pavilions of Expo 2017. The site has a convenient access to Astana’s city center, the international airport and the railway station. The Expo Site is also linked with a network of Kazakhstan’s inter-city roads to ensure a quick access from all the country. Construction of the pavilions will begin April 2014 with 20 companies from Kazakhstan and 49 companies from around the globe. Currently, designs are being considered for the grounds of Expo 2017 from architects in the UK, USA, Germany, Austria, Netherlands and China. On April 24, 2014 the President of Kazakhstan Nurusltan Nazarbayev took part in a capsule-laying ceremony of the Astana EXPO-2017 Exhibition center construction in Astana, which will be located near the Nazarbayev University. EXPO 2017 http://www.expo2017astana.com/en Unravel Travel TV http://www.unraveltraveltv.com Unravel Travel TV on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/UnravelTravelTV Unravel Travel TV Twitter http://www.twitter.com/UnravelTravelTV Unravel Travel TV Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/unraveltraveltv Unravel Travel TV Website http://www.unraveltravel.eu Unravel Travel TV Snapchat traveltv

• published: 02 Dec 2014
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