3. Astana, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan managed to declare independence in 1991. Astana was known as Tselinograd and it
came into being a city in 1961 during the Soviet times, but they decided to rename it and make it look more modern to symbolize rebirth. It became the capital city of Kazakhstan on 10th June 1998 and presented itself to the world internationally. It is a planned city designed by a Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa
