Astana , is the capital and second largest city (behind Almaty) of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population (1 Dec. 2007) of 600,200 . It is located in the north-central portion of Kazakhstan, within Akmola Province, although it is politically separate from the rest of the province, which has its own capital.
The current mayor of Astana is Imangali Tasmagambetov, formerly mayor of Almaty. He was appointed mayor on 4th April 2008.
