Map of Kazakhstan , Astana

Astana is the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan. It was founded as a fort in 1824 on the Ishim River by Siberian Cossacks, and became a railway junction in the early 20th century. Astana became the capital of the newly-independent Kazakhstan in 1997.

Kazakhstan has borders with Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, China and Russia.