Category Archives: Fintech

Living in Astana

I relocated in Astana in January 2018. After Thailand and Hong Kong, it was a bit of a shock to land in cold place again. And by cold, I mean really cold. Last January the coldest day (well night really) was -38 C. What makes it even more fun is that Astana is located in the middle of nowhere and the wind that blows through doubles the coldness effect. Well, the temperature is more likely to stay around -20 C during the winter, and as long as you dress to the weather you’ll do just fine. In summer the place is beautiful.

2000px-Central_Downtown_Astana_pamorama

Astana in nutshell

Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan, which celebrated its 20th Birthday this year. With population of 1 million (and growing), it’s located on the banks of Ishim River, which divides the city into left and right banks. Left bank representing the new side, with most ministries and official buildings, and right bank is where the local population traditionally resides. Astana represents and offers opportunities for young driven professionals.

President Nazarbayev relocated the capital from Almaty to Astana in 1997, and the old city of Akmola was renamed to Astana.

The main religion is islam, but it’s not visible in every day life.

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