Almaty is my favourite city.
Almaty is the former capital of Kazakhstan.
Almaty was the capital of the Kazakh SSR from 1929 to 1991 and of independent Kazakhstan from 1991 to 1997. In 1997, the capital was moved to Astana. Since then, Almaty has been referred to as the southern capital of Kazakhstan. Almaty is the major commercial and cultural centre of Kazakhstan. The city is located in the area of southern Kazakhstan, near the border with Kyrgyzstan.