Almaty

     Now that we've hooked you with interesting facts about the Republic of Kazakhstan, let's look at Kazakhstan's largest city (where we will call home for the next two years), Almaty. 

 Almaty:

• Was historically named Verny, which translates as "faithful" in Kazakh. After 1921, the name changed to Almaty, which means "Full of Apples". The Russian version of the name is Alma-Ata, which means "Father Apple". 
• Has a population of around 1.5 million.
• Hosted the 7th Annual 2011 Asian Winter Games, the largest world sports competition outside of the Olympics.
• Is situated from 2,300 ft-3,000 ft (headed towards the mountains) in elevation.
• Has two ski resorts just outside of the city as well as a large, outdoor speed-skating rink.
• Has dozens of parks, fountains and outdoor markets. 

     That's all we're going to give you for now...partially because there's just not too much to say about the city (at least from what we've researched), but primarily because we want to give you the complete inside scoop once we have arrived. 

     One last thing we will share, however, is the city flag. Probably one of the coolest city flags out there. Well done, Almaty. 

Land of the Kazakh

    Yep. As I'm sure you've heard, we are moving to Kazakhstan. We will be working at Almaty International School, an international school through Quality Schools International. You can find Almaty in the very southeastern corner of the country. Nic will teach high school Literature and I will teach 3rd grade. But we'll have more on that in later posts. For now, I wanted to share some interesting facts about our new home. 

Kazakhstan: 

• Is the 9th largest country in the world in area, roughly the size of Western Europe. 
• Has a population of 15 million with a growth rate of just over 1%. 
• Was part of the former USSR but gained independence on December 16, 1991.
• Has had the same President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, since that time. 
• Is roughly 55% Kazakhstani, 28% Russian, and 3% Ukrainian with the final 14% representing various nationalities and ethnic groups.
• Is a bilingual country. Kazakh is the state language, while Russian is the official language. Russian is primarily used for business. Roughly 64% of the population uses the Kazakh language. 
• Has a 98% literacy rate and mandatory secondary education. 
• Is rich in oil, gas and minerals. These exports are key to KZ's economy. 
• Is roughly 50% Muslim, 50% Russian Orthodox. 
• Moved it's capitol from Almaty to Astana in 1997. "Astana" in Kazakh means "capitol". 
• Is considered to be the origin of the apple. A type of apple called Aport was developed there and is said to be the size of a child's head with a potent aroma and crisp texture.
• Contains the northern-most stretch of the Himalaya Mountains, a range called Tien Shan or "Heaven's Mountains". This range contains the tallest peak in Kazakhstan, reaching 23,000 feet. 
• Is a historically nomadic society, moving livestock from pasture to pasture on the vast Asian Steppe.
• Has stable relations with the United States. 
• Banned the release of "Borat". 

     From what Nic and I have researched, like any place, it is complex and diverse. We cannot wait to explore the country and culture and will do our best to relay our experiences with lots of photos and great stories on our blog. Please keep checking in, as we will continue to post as we prepare for our Central Asian adventure!