Astana[a] is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,7 million within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, the national capital until 1997.[13] The city lies on the banks of the Ishim river in the north of Kazakhstan and is located within the Akmola Region but is self-administering. Initially founded as Aqmoly in 1830, the city was later renamed Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, and Aqmola before adopting the name Astana in 1998, or "capital" in Kazakh.[14] In 2019, the city adopted the name Nur-Sultan in honor of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev, but it reverted to the name Astana in 2022.