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General Information
The city of Almaty is the largest city in the country. It lies in the northern foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau and the northern Tien Shan ridge. The coordinates of the city are 77° east longitude and 43° north latitude. The city area is 683.5 km2.
Almaty is the largest city by population. As of January 1, 2023, 2,161,695 people live in Almaty. The population density is 3,163 people per 1 km2.
Almaty is mostly populated by ethnic Kazakhs - 62.4%. The share of Russians – 20.5%, Uighurs – 5.4%, Koreans – 1.8%, Tatars – 1.5%, Ukrainians – 1%, Azerbaijanis – 0.9%, and other ethnicities – 6.5%.
Administrative Structure
The city of Almaty consists of 8 districts: Alatau, Almaly, Auezovsky, Bostandyk, Zhetysu, Nauryzbay, Medeu, Turksib.
History of the City
The territory on which the city of Almaty is located has been a place of active life of various tribes and peoples since ancient times. It was here that the Saka tribes lived at one time, whose mounds were discovered by archaeologists in the vicinity and within the city area.
The modern history of Almaty began in 1854, when the authorities of the Russian Empire decided to build a military fortification called Verny.
In 1921, under Soviet rule, the city of Verny was renamed to Alma-Ata, since this area in the past was called Almaty.
In 1929, the capital of the Kazakh ASSR, was transferred from Kyzylorda to Alma-Ata. Since 1936, Alma-Ata had been the capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. After Kazakhstan gained independence in 1991 Alma-Ata returned its historical name of Almaty and became the capital of the young state.
In 1997 it lost the capital title to Astana. Nevertheless, it remains the key scientific, cultural, industrial and financial center of the country, featured in the trip itinerary of all tourists coming to Kazakhstan.
Natural and Climatic Conditions
Almaty is located in the far south-east of Kazakhstan at the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau.
The climate of Almaty is continental. The weather in the city is much milder than Kazakhstan's average due to relatively warm winters. At the same time, the average air temperature is +10 C, which is significantly higher than in Astana.
An average of 600-650 mm of precipitation falls per year, typically in April - May. Steady snow cover forms there from November 5 to December 30. The snow starts to melt after March 15. Fogs are observed 50-70 days a year in the city and its surroundings.
Economy
Almaty is the economic, cultural, and scientific center of the country.
The volume of the gross regional product for 2021 amounted to 15 000.1 billion tenge and increased by 6% compared to 2020. At the same time, the share in GDP was 17.9%.
In 2021, the largest share of regional domestic product fell on the industry, including trade (34.6%), financial and insurance activities (9%), and real estate transactions (8.5%). These industries form 52.1% of the city's economy.
By the end of 2022, the industry grew by 9.6%, its volume amounted to 1,717.3 billion tenge. The growth was due to the manufacturing industry, which increased by 13% to 1,487.3 billion tenge.
9.2 thousand industrial enterprises are registered in the city. The main enterprises, which account for more than a quarter of industrial output, are Hyundai Trans Kazakhstan LLP, Rakhat JSC, Kazferstal LLP, Eurasian Foods Corporation JSC.
In 2022, trade increased by 6.2%, due to an increase in wholesale trade by 6.6% and retail by 5.2%. 45.6 thousand enterprises are registered in trade. The main commercial centers are Dostyk Plaza, Mega, Atakent Mall, Mart, Magnum, Small, Toimart, Interfood, and 52 markets of the city.
Small and medium-sized entrepreneurship is the foundation of the economy of Almaty. By the end of 2021, the share of SMEs' GVA in GRP amounted to 51.4%, the number of employed - 628.7 thousand people, which is more than 70% of the total number of employed in the city's economy. The output of all SMEs amounted to 10,481.7 billion tenge.
Almaty has a high investment attractiveness, which is confirmed by the presence of many leading international companies in the city. By the end of 2022, the volume of investments in fixed assets increased by 12% and amounted to 1,400.6 billion, while the share of private investments increased by 15.3% and amounted to 1,170.5 billion tenge.
Fitch Ratings has confirmed the rating of Almaty at the level of "BBB" (August 2022). The high credit rating confirms the favorable investment climate in Almaty and the ability to fulfill its financial obligations.
Culture
Almaty retains the status of the cultural capital of Kazakhstan. Historically being in the center of important events, being the largest city in the country, Almaty continues to generate ideas and set trends in cultural development.
To develop event tourism, Almaty annually holds international festivals of classical, jazz and ethnic music. Spirit of Tengri, Orchestra Festival, KokTobe Opera, Alma Fest, etc. gained popularity.
Almaty is the place of residence of the majority of representatives of the creative community of the country. The head offices of 14 creative unions are located in the city, including unions of artists, writers, composers, designers, architects and other associations.
There are 29 museums, 33 libraries, 19 theaters, 21 cinemas in Almaty. The most recognizable cultural attractions in Kazakhstan are located here, including the Ykhlas Museum of Folk Musical Instruments (https://almatymuseum .kz/yhlasa/), Abay Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theater (https://www.gatob.kz /), Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan (https://csmrk.kz /), the Kasteev State Museum of Art of the Republic of Kazakhstan (https://gmirk.kz/ru /), Almaty Museum (https://almatymuseum .kz/), National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan (https://nlrk.kz ), Centralized Library System of Almaty (http://almatylibrary.kz /), Auezov Kazakh National Drama Theater named (https://auezov-theatre.kz/ru ) and others.
There are 161 historical and cultural monuments on the territory of the city, including 33 of national and 128 of local significance. Private art galleries and experimental theaters are developing alongside the state ones, including the Artichoke Experimental Theater, Art Shelter Bunker, Zhas Sakhna, Esentai Gallery, Kazakh Art center, Art Lane, Aspan Gallery, etc.
Tourism
The city of Almaty, one of the oldest cities in the valley of the Seven Rivers, was well known to the Arabs, Chinese, Persians, Greeks back in the first millennium AD. For centuries, slow multilingual and vibrant caravans have passed here along the Great Silk Road - the connecting thread between the cultures of the East and the West.
Almaty is the most developed metropolis in Central Asia and attracts every second foreign tourist arriving in Kazakhstan. Due to its unique natural location, rich historical heritage and multiculturalism, the city has the potential for the comprehensive development of tourism, in particular - mountain, business, event, cultural and sports tourism.
Scheduled activities will ensure a high-quality tourist infrastructure and increase the level of hospitality and service, and as a result increase the number of tourists.
The main advantage of Almaty in terms of the development of tourist potential is the mountain cluster within a 20-minute walk from the city. There are only about 10 cities with a similar geography in the world. None of the competitor-cities (Baku, Kazan, Tbilisi, Yerevan and Tashkent) have such an advantage.
Residents and guests of the southern capital have at their disposal 5 stadiums, a racetrack, and the Medeo high-altitude sports complex with a unique ice rink. The central stadium of Almaty accommodates 32 thousand spectators. Next to it is the building of the athletics arena and a well-equipped winter swimming pool.
To improve the tourist infrastructure in the mountainous area, more than 1,000 km of mountain hiking trails have been digitized, and 7 camping zones have been created. All digitized routes are available on the 2Gis and View Ranger platforms.
Information stands, signs, billboards, information poles, benches and gazebos are installed along these routes. Navigation stands have QR codes, scanning which tourists can learn the complexity of the route, its length and time of passage.
To ensure the safety of tourists in remote areas of mountainous terrain, 15 mountain huts have been installed, in which tourists will be able to wait out and receive an emergency first aid kit (medikit, mobile device charging station, a warm blanket and a non-perishable grocery set).
Learn more about the list of attractions on the websites https://www.pexels.com/ru-ru/@visitalmaty /, https://disk .yandex.com/d/oim44LhM0KqKQg
Website of the Akimat of Almaty https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/almaty?lang=ru