In Russian Alma-Ata, formerly(1855–1921) the name was Verny, the city, of southeastern Kazakhstan was formerly the capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (1929–91) and of independent Kazakhstan (1991–97). Almaty lies in the northern foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau at an elevation of 2,300–3,000 feet (700–900 metres), where the Bolshaya and Malaya Almaatinka rivers emerge onto the plain.
The modern city was founded in 1854 when the Russians established the military fortification of Zailiyskoye (renamed Verny in 1855) on the site of the ancient settlement of Almaty, later destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century. In 1921 the city was renamed Alma-Ata, for its Kazakh name, Almaty (literally “Father of Apples”), alluding to the many apple trees in the locality. The transfer of the Kazakh capital to Alma-Ata in 1929 and the completion of the Turk-Sib Railway in 1930 brought rapid growth.
