Almaty

   Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan, is a major administrative, economic, educational and cultural center of the Republic. Founded in 1854, Almaty became the republic's capital in 1929. Today it is a city of modern architectural ensembles spacious squares, wide streets, public gardens, boulevards and new housing developments merging into suburban forests, parks and orchards.
   Almaty is situated near the northern slopes of the Trans-Ili Ala-Tau, a ridge in the Tien Shan mountain system, at an altitude of 650-1200 m. above sea level.
   Over one million of Kazakhstan's 17-million population of 100 nationalities lives in the republic's capital.
   In the beginning of July 1853 a detachment led by major Peremyshelsky made for the northern foothills of the Ala-Tau. Soon a site was chosen where the Malaya Almatinka River ran down for the mountains.
   Since February 1854 the fortification beyond the Ili River of the Almaty settlement began to be called Verny.
   In 1867 the settlement became the town of Verny, the center of large region. In 1910 the first cinema was opened in Verny. The first motor-car appeared here in 1915. Almaty suffered from the destructive earth quakes in December 1910 and in May 1887.
   In February `1921, by a popular consensus, the name of the town was changed to Alma-Ata. In May 1929 when the government moved from Kzyl -Orda to Alma-Ata, the latter became the capital of the Kazakh ASSR and subsequently, in December 1936, the capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. On 1 January 1929 it had a population of 48,379. In June 1929 five buses started a regular passenger service in the streets of Alma-Ata. Alma-Ata welcomed its first train on 9 July 1929. The temporary railway station was ten kilometers from the city. The first regular air link between Alma-Ata and Moscow was established in 1936. On 1 January 1988 Alma-Ata had an area of almost 190 sq.km and a population of 1,140,000.
   Almaty, a city with a million population ,in the Republic's political and administrative centre , a city of science and education, large plants and factories, museums and theatres and large sport facilities.
   It in the home of the Academy of Sciencies of the Republic of Kazakhstan ,the National State University named after al-Farabi and other State and private secondary and higher establishments and institutions. The city lies in the Republic's southeast where the boundless Kazakh steppe meets the grand peaks of the Trans-Ili Ala-Tau Mountain Range.
   The groves of apricot and apple trees covering the slopes of the foothills merge with the city parks and public gardens. Almaty has a wealth of cultural institutions. It prides itself on its Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Abai, Academic Kazakh Drama Theatre named after M.Auezov, Russian, Uigur and Korean drama theatres, Young Spectators Theatre, Philarmonic Society, Palaces of Culture, museums and exhibition halls.
   In the distant past there stood on this site a city of traders inhabited by the Saci and Visuni tribes, the ancestors of the modern Kazakh. It was known as Almatu, and the Great Silk Road passed through it. It has never been so handsome as it in today, its modern architectural groups wonderfully harmonizing with the luxurious verdure of the parks and public gardens, carpet-like flower-beds and sparkling fountains. High in the mountains in the vicinity of Almaty there are two sporting facilities, the world-famous high-altitude Medeu Ice Skating Rink (1,740 metres above sea level).
   Before the Revolution it was a frontier fort and was called Verny.
   After the Great October Socialist Revolution the city has changed beyond recognition and is now one of the beautiful cities of the Republic. The population of Almaty numbers over a million people.
   Almaty lies at the foot of the snow covered summits of the Trans-Ili Ala-Tau. The mountains are very beautiful and they thickly wooded with giant firs. In spring and summer the meadows are covered with bright flowers. Limes, chestnuts, poplars, oaks, and birch trees shade the city from the torrid rays of the sun. It is indeed a beautiful city with all its parks, avenues and streets.
   Almaty is famous for its Aport apples. In Kazakh Almaty means "the father of apples".
   Almaty is the industrial, administrative and cultural centre of the Republic. Itis a large modern city with many beautiful buildings such as the government House, the Palace of Culture named after V.I.Lenin, the Kazakh Academy of Sciencies, the Abai Opera House, the buildings of the Pushkin Library,the 26-storeyed Hotel "Kazakhstan",the Picture Gallery, the Circus and the others.
   Almaty is city of students. In the higher educational institutions students are trained in different professions. Among the higher school of the city mention should be made of the Kirov University, the Medical School, the Politechnics, Conservatoire and other colleges which became large centres of training highly qualified specialists in many fields.
   The capital's surburbs are very picturesque and they are favourite places of recreation. In twenty kilometres from the city at the foot of the Tien-Shan mountains the famous skating-rink Medeo is situated. With the construction of the Kapchagai hydroelectric station not far from Almaty the Kapchagai Sea appeared.
   The picturesque outskirts of the capital and the men made the Kapchagai Sea attract thousands of people.

KAZAKHSTAN

   REFERENCE LIST: 3000 km east to west; 1600 km south to north; larger than France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Sweden and Finland combined; population - 17 mil. people: Kazakhs, Russians and more than 100 other nationalities; capital - Almaty.

   INDUSTRY: iron-and-steel; non-ferrous metals; machine-building and metal working; oil-refining; chemical; mineral-fertilizer; woodworking; building materials; textile; leather and foot-wear; food.

   EXTRACTION OF MINERALS: coal; lignite; oil; natural gas; iron ore; copper ore; polymetal-lic ore; magnetic ore; chromate ore; aluminum ore; asbestos; phosphorites; table salt; thermal; nuclear; hydropower stations.

   AGRICULTURE: wheat; cattle-raising; sheep-breeding; horse- breeding; vineyards; maize (corn); sunflower; rice; tobacco; sericulture.

   Kazakhstan is an ancient and hospitable land, which occupies a large part of Central Asia. The scenery of Kazakhstan exhibits marked contrasts between high mountains and deep canyons, thick woods and desolate almost uninhabited waste lands, desert and plains with grasslands. The seas, lakes, rivers and cool springs change into barren lands stretching for hundreds of kilometers.
   The climate is sharply continental, esp. in the plains and valleys, with hot summers alter-nating with equally extreme winters. Due to its climate and fertile soil, the land of Kazakhstan is rich in flora and fauna. The latter includes 155 mammal species, among them antelope, elk, and, in the mountains, wolf, bear, snow leopard. Ermine and sable have commercial importance. The rivers and lakes contain many fish species, such as carp, perch, pike, white salmon and sprats and trout have become acclimatized. The fishing industry also makes use of the stur-geon, herring, and roach of the Caspian. The Caspian sea is still powerful with high waves, whereas the Aral Sea in the center is gasping for breath with its receding waters.
   Kazakhstan is a unique part of the world. It lies both in Europe and in Asia. The cultures of two continent have fused here. Perhaps because of its position, the lands of Kazakhstan has been a perpetual battlefield. Due to constant wars, the people in these environs had to lead a nomadic life. In the course of time they managed to develop a unique culture of their own.
   From time immemorial, their dwellings consisted hemispherical tent (yurt) with a broad foundation. It resembled the boundless lands of Kazakhstan, which were covered with majestic blue vault of heaven. The yurt was a part of nomadic life, and as such was easily taken down in a matter of a few hours ready to be moved to the next seasonal grazing land.
   During thousands of year the land of Kazakhstan has witnessed different ancient cul-tures and civilizations come into being. They appearing and disappearing.
   Numerous archeological finds, relics and monuments bear testimony to the ancient Ka-zakhs having rich towns, a highly developed written language and various trades.
   The Great Silk Road that connected Europe with China passed through many of Ka-zakhstan's cities. It was not only a trade route that supplied the Western market with various goods and treasure, but it served as a cultural mediator between West and East.
   In the 11th-12th centuries, at the times of Tatar-Mongolian conquest, many of valuable riches were lost, never to be returned. Old religious and their written language were changed, old gods were exterminated and replaced be new ones. But nothing could destroy the Kazakh tribes.
   In the 15th century the Kazakh Khans got together under one banner and formed three Hords: Great, Middle and Small. But unfortunately these unions didn't stop bloody battles.
   Within two centuries (16-17th) Dzhungars, from China started to raid Kazakhs, the sur-prise attacks took away millions of people.
   Up to the 18th century bloodshed continued. In 1730, when the Russian influence began, the Kazakhs led a nomadic existence under various tribal leaders. By the middle of the 19th century they had passed under Russian rule and formed a province known as the Steppe Region.
   The first half of the 20th century brought about a lot of changes to the life of the Kazakh people. After the Revolution their dependence on Tsarist Russia was lost. In 1920 there was formed the Kirgiz Autonomous Republic and became a constituent republic of the USSR in 1936.
   These days Kazakhstan is one of the most highly developed states. The development of the economy has been determined largely by the availability of national resources. More than 90 different minerals have been discovered in the republic.
   Industry is now the leading branch of the Kazakh economy. Cast iron, steel, rolled, metal, cement and mineral fertilizer are manufactured as well as consumer goods. Meat-packing plants are widespread; grain-milling, brewing, wine-making, creameries and sugar refineries are also important. New industries include a synthetic-fiber plant at Karaganda and pharmaceutical manufacturing at Chimkent.
   In the sphere of agriculture Kazakhstan is leading producer of fodder and industrial crops, potatoes, vegetables and melons. The principal grain-producing areas are the rolling plains of the north, which produce up to a third of all wheat grown in the country. In the south fruit, vegetables, melons, sugar beets, rice and grapes predominate. In the sphere of culture, science Kazakhstan has also made a leap: space ships are now being launched from the Baiconur Cosmodrome in central Kazakhstan. Yet, sadly, the bring stars in the blue heaven grow dim because of the polluted air. The long-suffering land of Ka-zakhstan is undergoing ecological devastation. Many rare plants and animals have disappeared due to an upset in the ecological balance.
   The tragedy of the Aral Sea and nuclear testing grounds near Semipalatinsk have poi-soned the environment. This should be stopped. To do this all the nations have to unite in or-der to preserve this land of ancestor for the generations to come.

THE FACULTY OF MECHANICS AND MATHEMATICS

   The Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics is young, it was opened in 1975. The first Dean of the faculty was professor Dzoldasbekov. During those past years a number of prominent scientists worked here. Many important discoveries came into being in theoretical mechanics, applied mathematics, electronic computers and cybernetics and so on. Some theoretical and practical problems were solved by academicians and professors of the faculty.
   Nowadays the Faculty is known to be educational and scientific centre of the University and the Republic. The faculty has close links with different research institutes.
   There are four departments at the faculty: the departments of Mechanics, Applied Mathematics, Mathematics and Business Informational Systems. The faculty is staffed by highly qualified workers. Among them is one academician, 5 corresponding members of the Kazakh Academy of Sciences, 15 professors and 50 masters of sciences. The Dean of the faculty is professor Danayev N.T. The faculty trains wide-profile specialists in the field of Mechanics, Applied Mathematics, Mathematics, Business Informational Systems. The Students take courses of theoretical mechanics, computational mathematics, mechanics of liquids, gases and plasma, theory of mechanisms and machines, applied analysis, algebra and geometry and so on. Students' specialization in a particular field begins in the third year. There are nine chairs at the faculty:

1. Theoretical Mechanics
2. Applied Mechanics
3. Mechanics of Solids
4. Applied Mathematics
5. Control Theory
6. Informatics
7. Applied Analysis
8. Electronic Computers and Cybernetics
9. Mathematical Modeling and Optimization of Physical Processes

   The departments of the faculty are equipped with up-to-date devices and apparatus. The student's computer centre is known to be the first in the republic.
   The departments have close links not only with research Institutes in our republic, but abroad. They have close ties with the related centres in Hungary, Poland, China and so on. The scientists of the faculty take part in international conferences and congresses in our country and abroad.

AL FARABI KAZAKH STATE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

   Al Farabi Kazakh University was founded in 1934. At present it offers 20 degree courses together with a member of postgraduate courses. The University has 13 faculties - Biology, Oriental, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Geography, Law, Philosophy and Economics, Philology, History, Journalism and within these there are more than 100 departments.
   The University also provides tuition for parttime and correspondence students with its another 6 faculties.
   The University's achievements in the year since the Great Patriotic War have been especially impressive. Today there are approximately 15000 students and over 900 members of the full-time academic staff.
   The University has done a lot not only in the field of academic work but in the research work as well. Thus, The University has about 40 laboratories to do research. Among the teaching staff there are 135 scientists awarded Doctor's degree. Besides doctors and professors there are 30 academicians and corresponding members of the Kazakh Academy of Sciences. The teaching staff do their best to stimulate independent thinking and good research habits among the students.
   Thus, more than 5000 students are engaged in research being the members of the students' research society. The basic principle of the University is to give academic training in close cooperation with research institutes and industry. The University is very well provided with accommodation. There are 12 new halls of residence on the University campus called "Kazgugrad" and three old halls of residence situated in the downtown (the central part of the city).
   The University welcomes applications for degree courses from students outside Kazakhstan and provides tuition with its special course in the Russian Language for students without the language qualification.
   The University Library Service over a number of years has build up a specialist collection of books, periodicals, directly related to the areas of study with which the University's courses are concerned. The Library holds over 1 mln. books.
   All students have access to the University Computer Centre. While at the University students are offered the opportunity to participate in the sporting activities.
   The work and games, the traditions and customs, the jokes and debates - all are part of students' life here.

GREAT BRITAIN

   The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England , Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland. It lies on the British Isles. Great Britain and Ireland are the largest islands and there are about 5.000 small islands. The North Sea and the strait of Dover and the English channel separate Great Britain from the continent.
   The surface of Britain varies very mach. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called Highlands, while the south which has beautiful valleys and plains is called Lowlands. There are numerous lakes in Scotland. The north and west of England are mountainous, but all the rest,- east, center and south-east, is a vast plain. There are many rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames, which flows into the North Sea, is the busiest and most important.
   The climate of Britain is mild. The Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf stream influence the weather of the Britain Isles. Summers are cool and rainy. It is not in Britain as hot as it is on the continent in summer. July is the warmest month. There is much rain and fog in autumn and winter. Snow is rare and it does not lie on the ground for long.
   Great Britain has an area of 244.000 square kilometres and a population of 54.774.000 , being one of the most densely populated countries of the world.
   Britain is an industrial country. It is a large producer of iron and steel products, electronics and machinery , chemicals and textiles. It has highly developed shipbuilding industry. As the country is not very rich in mineral resources, all of its oil, cotton rubber, four-fifths of this its wool, half of its food and iron are imported. Britain exports machinery, motor-cars, locomotives, chemicals, textiles, radio, TV and navigation equipment. There are many industries cities in Britain, such as London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Sheffield and others.
   The United Kingdom is a monarchy ruled by Sovereign, Parliament and Cabinet. Parliament has two houses - the house of Commons and the House of Lords. The Leading political parties are the Conservative Party and the Labor Party. But it is only the Communist Party that consistently defends the interests of the working people.

LONDON

   London is the capital of England , its political , economic and commercial centre . London stretches for nearly thirty miles from north to south and for nearly thirty miles from east to west . The population of London with its suburbs is more than nine million.
   The best way to see the sights of London is to begin with Trafalgar Square . In Trafalgar Square you will see the tall Nelson Monument , 168 1/2 feet high . There is one of the main streets of London near the square . It is the most striking building of the city to-day . Round St.Paul's Cathedral is the oldest part of London with a history of almost two thousand years . The group of buildings near Westminster Bridge , the Palace of Westminster with the Houses of Parliament are also of interest for a tourist.
   As during the Middle Ages London increased in size , the old city and the area round the Palace of Westminster became the two chief centres . Now we call that part of London "The west End" . Here you see wide streets , the finest theatres , cinemas and concert halls , large museums , the best hotels and the largest department stores . "The East End" of London includes the port , docks and factories . The working people live in this part of London . Its narrow streets and poor houses are a striking contrast to the houses of the rich people of the West End . When V.I.Lenin lived in London he often went on foot to that part of the city . When he saw this striking contrast between the West End and the East end , he said in English "Two nations".

II

The City is a financial and business centre. It is a very small part of London the City is only one square mile in area. Only about ten thousand people live in the City. High office buildings stand on both sides of the streets. The buses are full, for over 1,000,000 people come to the City every day.
   The English buses are different from our buses. They are very high as they are double-decked. All of them are red. The conductor will tell you where to get off, he will give you change for a shilling but he will not always have change for a one-pound note. So have small change when you go by bus.
   Other means of transport in London are underground trains, trolley-buses and taxis.
   A characteristic feature of London is the concentration of some professions in certain streets. For example, if someone works in Fleet Street, you know that he is a journalist, if someone works in Harley Street, you know that he is a medical man or has something to do with medicine.
   Thus we may say that the City is the money of London, the West End is the goods of London, and the East End is the hands of London, those hands which built the banks of the City, the palaces, hotels, theatres, rich houses and department stores in the West End.

THE FIRST RUSSIAN WOMAN-SCIENTIST

   The outstanding Russian mathematician, Sophia Kovalevskaya, lived and worked in the second half of the 19th century. It was the period of Russia's most remarkable advancement in science and culture.
   Sophia was born in Moscow on January 5, 1850 to a well-off family of an artillery general, Korvi-Krukovsky. Her father, a well educated person himself, insisted that his children - two daughters and a son - should get a sound education, too. But, as the family used to live in the village of Polibino almost all the year round, he had to invite teachers from St.Petersburg who were to instruct his children in arithmetic, grammar, geography, history, literature and foreign languages.
   Though Sophia liked literature very much, she showed an unusual gift in mathematics, too. When she was only twelve she surprised her teacher by suggesting a new solution for the determina-tion of the ratio of the diameter of the circle to its circumference.
   In 1866, Sophia and her older sister were taken to St.Petersburg where Sophia was allowed to go on with her studies. But, as women were not permitted to attend public lectures, she was obliged to read privately. Her teacher was Strannolubsky, an ardent supporter of the cause of education in general and women education in particular. He suggested that she should apply for permission to attend lec-tures at the University, which she did.
   Although the permission was granted, she was not allowed to take examinations, to say nothing of taking a degree.
   The only possible way out for her was to go abroad. But in this case there was a condition which was to be observed. If a woman wanted to go abroad, she should be married. In 1868 she mar-ried Vladimir Kovalevsky and soon they left for Vienna where she began to study physics at the Uni-versity. But she wouldn't stop at that. Soon Sophia made up her mind to go to Heidelberg University. There she could study under such scholars as Helmholz and Bunzen, as her intention was to take ex-aminations and get a degree (Ph.D.).
   In 1870 the Kovalevskys went to Berlin. During the four years spent in Berlin, Sophia suc-ceeded not only in covering the University course but also in writing three dissertations, for which the University of (?) granted her a Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in absentia. They even excused her from oral examinations in consideration of the scientific value of her dissertations, one of her most re-markable works.
   Some years later the Kovalevskys returned to St.Petersburg. Despite the efforts of Mendeleyev, Butlerov and Chebyshev, Sophia Kovalevskaya, an outstanding scientists already, could not get any position at the University and was obliged to turn to journalism. But as she had made up her mind to take her Magister's Degree, she returned to Berlin to complete her work on the refraction of light in crystals.
   It was only in 1883 that she was given an opportunity to report on the results of her research at a session held in Odessa, but again no post followed. That is why, when she was offered lectureship at Stockholm University, she willingly accepted the offer.
   In 1988 she achieved the greatest of her successes, winning the highest prize offered by Paris Academy of Sciences for the solution of complicated problem: to perfect in one important point the theory of the movement of solid body about an immovable point. The solution suggested by her made a valuable addition to the results submitted by Euler and Lagrange. The prize was doubled as a recog-nition of the unusual merits of her work.
   In 1889 Sophia Kovalevskaya was awarded another prize, this time by the Swedish Academy of Sciences. Soon in spite of her being the only woman-lecturer in Sweden, she was elected professor of mathematics and held the post until her death.
   Along with her scientific and pedagogical work she carried out a good deal of literary work, took part in editing the journal "Acta Mathematica", and translated Chebyshev's works into French. She was able to do it owing to the thorough knowledge of foreign languages. In consideration of her literary work she was elected member of the Literary Club in Stockholm, where she used to meet Ibsen and Grieg with whom she made friends.
   Unfortunately, Sophia Kovalevskaya died at the age of 41 on February 10 just as she has at-tained the height of her fame and had won recognition even in her own country where she was elected member of the St.Petersburg Academy of Sciences.