Kazakhstan is the second largest country in the 15 countries of the Soviet Union and the largest landlocked country in the world, with about 2,724,900 square kilometers, ranking ninth in the world and more than ninety percent of India. The population is only 19.83 million (2023), about 1.2% of India's 1.4 billion, which is less than the population of Uzbekistan.
Kazakhstan's land neighbors, in clockwise order, are: Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan.
As a Central Asian country, Kazakhstan does not have a strong sense of existence, in the traditional impression of many people, the capital of this country is still Almaty, in fact, as early as 1997, the capital of Kazakhstan has been moved from Almaty to Astana (Nur-Sultan), 960 kilometers away.
Some countries have moved their capitals because the original capital was a large city in the country and it was densely populated. For example, Brazil moved from its old capital, Rio de Janeiro, to Brasilia, and Nigeria moved from its old capital, Lagos, to Abuja. Almaty's population is now only 1.8 million, and it is not overcrowded, so why did Kazakhstan move its capital?
In 2023, about 70.6% of the population of Kazakhstan will be Kazakhs, 15.1% Russians, and Kazakhs will be four or five times more Russians. In fact, in 1989, before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kazakhs accounted for about 39.7% and Russians accounted for about 37.8%, which can be said to be evenly matched.
At that time, the Soviet Union imported a large number of Russian immigrants to the steppe area of the semi-desert in northern Kazakhstan. By the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Almaty region, the capital of Kazakhstan, was dominated by Kazakhs, but the north was dominated by Russians. If the referendum were to be held in the manner of Western democracy, about half of the territory of Kazakhstan would be transferred to Russia, as in the case of Crimea and the four regions of eastern Ukraine.
There is a religious conflict between Kazakhs and Islam and Russians Orthodox Christianity. In the Soviet era, although the two ethnic groups had conflicts, they were able to live in peace because they lived in different regions and were coordinated by Moscow. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia and Kazakhstan were separated, and the religious and cultural contradictions between the two ethnic groups gradually became prominent.
At that time, Kazakhstan gave the Russians of the north a free choice to leave Kazakhstan and return home. Out of affection for their homeland and trust in the great powers, many Russians have returned to their homeland, but this has not changed the situation that there are more Russians in the north than Kazakhs.
In order to completely reverse the demographic disadvantage of the north, Kazakhstan decided to move the capital from Almaty to Astana (Nur-Sultan) in the north, which is about 960 kilometers away in a straight line.
【Almaty】
When the sun shines on the glaciers of the Kunge Mountains, the ice melts into water and merges into a trickle, forming settlements at the northern foot of the Kunge Mountains, which over time expand into towns and cities, forming Almaty, the most populous city in Kazakhstan.
The latitude of the center of Almaty is 43.2 degrees north latitude, and the mainland Changchun is about 43.6 degrees north latitude, which is already relatively northern. Close to the Tien Shan Mountains, bordered by the Kunge Mountains in the south and the Ili River in the north, Almaty is the most populous city in Kazakhstan and the economic, transportation and cultural center of Central Asia.
However, Almaty is located in the southeast corner of Kazakhstan, not only can it not form an effective influence and radiation on the vast territory, but it is difficult to guarantee that something will get out of control in the north.
Figure - Almaty 1
Almaty is a road, railway and aviation hub of Kazakhstan, which can go to Uzbekistan in the southwest, Astana in the north, and the mainland in the east.
The mainland's Xinjiang railway started from Urumqi, passed through Shihezi City, and came to Alashankou on the Sino-Kazakh border, and then entered Kazakhstan. In Akdouka, east of Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan, the silk route is divided into two, the northern route goes to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, and the southern route goes to Almaty, the old capital of Kazakhstan.
Figure - Almaty 2
Trains from Almaty now go directly to Lianyungang in eastern China, and Kazakh products are sold not only in China, but also in South Korea and Japan. In terms of time, from Almaty to Lianyungang, it can be reached in five days.
【Astana】
Astana is located in the semi-desert steppe of north-central Kazakhstan, on the Ishim River, a tributary of the Irtysh River, which flows into the Arctic Ocean and has a cold climate.
Figure - Astana 1
With the centre of Astana at 51°08′50" north latitude and the northernmost Mohe River on the continent at 52°58′13" north latitude, Astana is one of the coldest capitals in the world. Winter temperatures range from -35°C to -40°C, with lows of -51.6°C.
The summer temperature in this part of Astana is okay, and crops are planted once a year, and the ecological environment is good. Coupled with the vast area and flat land, it was suitable for mechanized operations, and it was once one of the granaries of the Soviet Union.
Figure - Astana 2
The relocation of the capital will certainly have a negative impact on Almaty's development, but moving to Astana, where the Russians and Kazakhs are intertwined, is a strategic move.
The capital move is about 980 kilometers away in a straight line, which is unique among the nearly 200 countries of the United Nations. The Ming Dynasty on the mainland moved from Nanjing to Beijing about 900 kilometers in a straight line, and the Kazakh capital moved even farther away, both of which have the meaning of the Son of Heaven guarding the country. The price of moving the capital is not small, but even if a strong man breaks his wrist, Kazakhstan must do it, otherwise it will not be a broken wrist but a severed head.
In the years immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia's main contradictions were concentrated in Europe, especially in the Caucasus Mountains, and wars broke out in Georgia, Chechnya, and other places over territorial disputes. Russia did not have time to take care of this part of Central Asia, and Kazakhstan was trying to realize a Kazakh-dominated country in the gap of time.
After several years of preparation, in 1997 Kazakhstan moved its capital to Astana, a modern version of the Son of Heaven guarding the country, in order to exert greater control over the territory of the Russians in the north. Then the Kazakhs underwent reverse migration, transferring Kazakhs from the Almaty region to Astana. Many Russians have left Kazakhstan, further increasing the proportion of Kazakhs.
The population structure of Kazakhstan, from slightly more Russians than Russians at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, is now four or five times that of Russians, and the problem of homeland security has been basically solved, and it can be said that the relocation of the capital has been extremely successful.
In 2019, in honor of the first President of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan renamed Astana Nur-Sultan, and in 2022 it was changed back to Astana. However, the most populous city in Kazakhstan is still Almaty, and it is too cold in the north after all.
Figure - Kazakhs
In 2021, the population of Kazakhstan was about 19.13 million, of which the old capital Almaty had a population of about 1.98 million and the capital Astana had a population of about 1.2 million.