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 Eurasian country located in Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
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.