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 is divided into 14 provinces. The provinces are subdivided into districts.
Almaty and Astana cities have the status of State importance and do not relate to any province.
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.