8 | GENERAL INFORMATION

Winters in the city pass with al-ternating frosts and thaws, but a few times per season very strong frosts can strike after plenti-ful snowfalls. Summer is usually hot, but is accompanied by thun-derstorms and decent circulation, although sometimes temperatures reach extremes of up to 35-40°C. The best time in Almaty is the second half of spring – a time of blossoms and fresh leaves in the trees, or the first half of an autumn decorated in the golden colors of an Indian summer. In recent years,

the change of seasons has occurred in sync with the calendar.

The city is located in a valley be-tween the Bolshaya and Malaya Almatinka (The Large and Small Almatinka) Rivers and their in-flows, which flow down from the glaciers and mountain gorges of one of the most northern spurs

Almaty has been designated as a city of “significance to the Republic,” and is

divided into seven administrative districts: Alatau, Almaly, Auezov, Bostandyk, Zhetysu, Medeu and Turksib. The major print and electronic media are concentrated here, and more than a dozen radio stations broadcast from Almaty. Most major universities, national and private, are also located in the city.

The area of Almaty is 524.8 km2. The climate in the city is conti-nental, which is typical of conti-nental inland areas isolated from the world’s oceans. It is character-ized by extreme fluctuations in temperature, both over the course of a year and even during a single day.

GENERAL INFORMATION

At the moment Almaty is not only the most mountainous, but also the largest city in Kazakhstan.

The city of Almaty was founded in 1854. Its name in Kazakh means “apple.” Almaty was the capital of the Kazakh SSR from 1927, and then became the capital of an independent Kazakhstan. In 1997 the capital moved to the city of Astana, and Almaty began to develop as a regional cultural and financial center.

• Climate

• Transport

• Customs regulations

• The Legendary Apple

• Almaty on the Internet

A TOUR GUIDE TO THE CITY OF ALMATY | 9

of the Tien Shan, the Zaili Alatau. The highest point is the peak Talgar (4973m above sea level). This peak is clearly visible from almost anywhere in the city. The city itself ranges from 600m to 650m above sea level. A panora-ma of the mountains is the main background in any part of the city.

The environs of Almaty are part of the Ile-Alatau National Park. Wildlife sanctuaries were estab-lished in this territory, which are the habitat of many rare birds and animals listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. Among them is the snow leopard (Irbis), which dec-orates the arms of the city. Almaty

is home to the famous “aport” apple.

At the moment Almaty is not only the most mountainous, but also the largest city in Kazakhstan. The population of the city, by January 1st, 2010, will have reached 1.4 million persons, and by unofficial calculations, it may have already reached 2 million people, more than 13 percent of the entire pop-ulation of the Republic. The city is home to members of all nationali-ties living in Kazakhstan.

Transport

Basically, public transportation is represented by buses and trol-ley buses. The Almaty network of routes encompasses 131 routes altogether, of which 119 are buses, 10 trolley-buses and 2 are trams. The first phase of the underground, a metro subway, will be launched toward the end of 2011.

The Legendary Apple

The Almaty “aport” apples of the foothills of the Zaili Alatau – sym-bols of Almaty and the champions of international exhibitions – are fragrant, sweet red apples, with an average weight of 500-700g (and sometimes up to 1kg!). The aport was brought to Almaty in 1865. Initially, it was an ordinary kind of popular fruit, but after having been grafted on to a wild apple tree, it became a legend. At one exhibition an apple weighing 1,800 g was presented. The aport sold on market shelves to-day is a different apple altogether. Due to the fact that hybrids have limited genetic stability, the aport has degen-erated and in effect disappeared, as its original cultivator, the Voronezh botanist Yegor Redko, predicted a

hundred years ago. There has also been a human influence. The Almaty aport is able to grow at altitudes of 900-1200m above sea level, where all the apple orchards were located. During the building boom in the city, the foothills were extensively devel-oped, and the orchards were cut down. Plain apples – the world famous “golden” and “white filling” and the remnants of the aport – are very tasty but no longer exactly those about which citizens of Almaty speak with such enthusiasm. In recent years, groups of Almaty citizens – scholars and enthusiasts – have taken the initiative to try and revive the famous Almaty grade. In 2009 the National Bank minted a commemorative 500 tenge coin in honor of the aport. In the summer of 2010, scientists of the Kazakh Institute of Horticulture and Viticulture man-aged to develop new modifications

of the aport by crossing the famous apple with modern, intensive varie-ties. Due to clonal selection, about a hundred new forms of Almaty aport have already been cultivated, with large, beautiful and elegant fruits, fast fructification and strong immunity. In the coming years it is planned to de-velop these grades in large volumes. In the meantime gardeners who growthe aport on their own sometimes bring a basket or two to the market. So, if you’re lucky, a trip to the market may well uncover a secret treasure!

10 | GENERAL INFORMATION

There are two main transporta-tion hubs for buses: “Sairan” is for distant routes and “Sayakhat” is for suburban trips.

Trains arrive at the train stations “Almaty-1” (the main railway junction in the northern or lower part of the city) and “Almaty-2” (located near the city center but which does not serve all trains).

The Almaty International Airport is located within the city’s bounda-ries, serving both domestic and in-ternational flights in one terminal.

Gardens, parks, squares and parkways/boulevards take up more than eight thousand hectares of urban territory. Mountain rivers and lakes are the main water sup-ply source in Almaty. There are many hidden waterfalls, springs, and hot radon and sulfuric sourc-es in the mountains surrounding the city.

Tourism in the city is mostly fo-cused on mountain sports (skiing, mountaineering and trekking), as well as ethno-historical (archaeo-logical excavations, petroglyphs, nomadic life and culture) and ecological (hiking, picnics, orni-thological and botanical tours) tourism.

Telephone code of the city: +7 727

Time Zone: GMT +6. Clocks are not set back or forward at any time of the year in Almaty,

Customs regulations

Import or export of foreign cash or its equivalent in local cur-rency in excess of $3000 is subject

to a mandatory written declara-tion. More information about the customs regulations of Kazakhstan can be found on the official Customs site (www.keden.kz).

Duty free import of 1,000 ciga-rettes or 1,000g of tobacco, or two liters of alcoholic beverages, is al-lowed. Duty-free import is possible for goods not exceeding $500. It is advisable to keep receipts of shops where goods were purchased in or-der to avoid problems at customs when leaving the country.

Due to the Customs Code of the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, effec-tive from July 1, 2010, the rules governing the declaration of as-sets and belongings for nationals of these countries have changed when traveling within or beyond the borders of the Customs Union. It is not necessary for citizens of member countries to declare sums of up to $10,000 imported into the Customs Union, and neither the frequency of import nor the quan-tity of goods for personal consump-tion is regulated. The weight of

imported goods (50 kg), not subject to declaration, and the total cost of goods for personal use (€1500) which do not re-quire declaration, have increased for an individual when travelling outside the borders of the Customs Union.

When importing goods weighing over 50kg, citizens will have to pay a fee of 30% but no less than €4 for every kg.

Alcoholic drinks and beer are restricted to not more than 3 lit-ers per individual over the age of 18. In case of excess (from 3 to 5 liters inclusive), customs duties are levied at a flat rate of €10 per liter, if the norm of 3 liters is exceeded.

Tobacco and tobacco products can be transported in quantities not exceeding 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars (cigarillos) or 250g of to-bacco, or all of these if the total weight of the assortment does not exceed 250g per individual over the age of 18.

The import of arms and ammuni-tion, narcotics and narcotic drugs, or literature, photography and

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video aimed at the undermining and discrediting of government bodies is forbidden.

The export of gold, jewels and rare minerals, rare species of animals and hunting birds, and objects of historic and cultural value is forbidden.

Visa validity should not ex-pire more than 6 months before the expiry date of the passport. Foreigners staying temporarily in the Republic of Kazakhstan must register with the immigration po-lice with a place of permanent or temporary residence within five calendar days from the date of crossing the State border of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

A visa is not required for citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Moldova to visit Kazakhstan. It is only necessary to have only a valid passport for travel abroad. Documents to enter the country are issued at the airport or at other check point crossings.

Registration can be made upon arrival to the airport for up to

90 days (by two date-stamps on the migration card), i.e. with-out requiring an extra trip to the immigration police, for citi-zens of the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Israel, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein,

Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Holland, Norway, the United Arab Emirates, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, the USA, Tajikistan (30 day), Finland, France, Croatia, Switzerland, Swe-den, Japan, New Zealand.

Zip Codes: 050000–050063

Almaty on the Internet:• € €The official site of Almaty city www.almaty.kz • € Almaty city forums www.almaty-city.kz • € Map of Almaty www.karta.kz • € E-map directory of Almaty city www.emap.kz • € Almaty billboard – cinemas, theaters, concert and exhibition halls

www.afisha.kz • € Gateway portal “Almaty – southern capital” www.almaty.freenet.kz • € The International Airport of Almaty www.almatyairport.com • € Almaty night clubs billboard www.night.kz • € Almaty today – the site of Almaty and Almaty citizens www.alatoday.info • € Time Out Almaty – events, places, people www.timeout.kz • € Flats and apartments for rent www.apartamenty.kz • € Telephone Directory for Almaty and Kazakhstan www.infokz.com • € Restaurants, cafes and coffee houses in Almaty www.menu.kz • € Almaty and Republic cinema directories and listings www.kino.kz • € Almaty news www.almatynews.kz • € Almaty history www.retro-almaty.kz • € €Site of ethnographer, Viktor Proskurin “Three Capitals in their personalities”

www.proskurin.ucoz.kz