Alma-Ata Province, the predecessor of today's Almaty Province, was created from the historical region of Zhetysu on March 10, 1932. Its capital was Alma-Ata (Almaty). Several times during the Soviet period, the north-eastern part of the province, centered on Taldykorgan, was separated from Alma-Ata Province, forming a separate Taldy-Kurgan Province, only to be merged into Alma-Ata Province again several years later.