Almaty city was originally founded in 1854 as a Russian fort called Zailiyskoe. A year later the fort was renamed and untill 1921 was known as Vernoye. In 1920 Vernoye became the major way-station on the Turkistan-Siberian Railroad. Since 1929 till 1998 Almaty carried the status of a capital. However, in July 1998 the capital moved to Astana. Today, Almaty is known as the commercial and cultural capital of Kazakhstan.

Almaty is situated in the east-southern part of Republic on the northern part of Tian-Shan mountains, on the altitude of 600-900 meters above sea level. The highest point in the nearest Almaty area is peak Talgar (4973 above sea level). Due to its location right next to the Tien Shan Mountains, it has become known as one of the most beautiful cities of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)

The climate in Almaty is much milder than the extreme climate of the other parts of Kazakhstan.. Temperatures regularly reach 35-40 0 C in the summer and -15-200С in the winter. Snow falls from October until April.

Almaty has a fine recently build international airport, which links the city with more than 40 countries worldwide. The planes of "Lufthansa", "KLM", "Turkish Airlines", "Transairo", "Austrian airlines", "British Airways" and others international airlines land here. There are also two railway stations in Almaty. Trains are mostly used for traveling around Kazakhstan, however it is also possible to get to some Russian cities by train.

The city code is 3272. Public telephones are widely available in Almaty. The booths can be bought at news stands. Mail is fairly efficient but isn't the fastest. There are plenty of e-mail and Internet cafes throughout the city.

Almaty features a well-developed network of public transport, but sometimes it is easier and more convenient to take a taxi. It is safer to take white, dark blue or yellow colored taxis which have the illuminated "taxi" sign. They are also equipped with meters. Several taxis can be ordered by phone but charge the call-out fee. Private taxis are also legal, but arrive at a price before getting in and be careful especially when it's dark.

Must see highlights of Almaty include Panfilov Park, a nice rectangle of greenery surrounding the bright Zenkov cathedral. The cathedral is one of the few Tzarist-era buildings to survive the 1911 earthquake, despite the fact that it is build entirely of wood and constructed without nails. On the west-end of the park there are Arasan Baths where you can check the difference between Turkish, Russian and Finnish bathing habits. The Central State Museum provides an introduction to Kazakhstan's history and exhibits a miniature copy of the country's main archaeological treasure, The Golden Man - a warrior's costume made from 4000 gold pieces. Almaty is a scientific, cultural and educational center of Kazakhstan. Large educational establishments, famous theatres and places of entertainment are located here and within the last years gambling and entertaining business have seen their best development. The suburbs of Almaty within 10-15 minutes of car ride are a venue of world-known places "Medeo" mountain skating rink, "Shymbulak" skiing resort ,"Khan-Tenghri"- international alpine centre. The greatest attraction for travelers to Kazakhstan are the 4,000 meters high peaks of Zailiyskiy Alatau and the Kungey Alatau, two spurs of the Tian Shan which run east-west between Almaty and Lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgystan. This beautiful region of glaciers, wild rivers and steep valleys used by nomadic headers as summer pasture is great trekking territory for travelers. If you have one- day visit within Almaty from North to South, on the distance of 20-30 km you can see all climatic regions characteristic for our country varying from desert valley to snowing peaks located on the 5 m height.