Until the 1950s Astana (Aqmola), was a tiny mining town. Then Nikita Khruschev announced his Virgin Lands scheme to turn 250,000 sq km of Kazakhstan steppe into wheat fields.
Kazakhstan, officially known as the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country located in Central Asia, with a small part of its territory in Eastern Europe.
Officially name: The Republic of Kazakhstan
Capital: Astana
Largest city: Almaty
Official language: Kazakh, Russian
Government: Presidential republic