Kazakhstan is a nominally self-governing constituent republic of the Soviet Union. Prior to the reformation of the USSR in 1991, it was known as the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (Russian: Казахская Советская Социалистическая Республика, Kazakhskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika). It possesses a current population of roughly 38 million. The regional capital, formerly situated in Almaty, is now located in Astana.