Appreciation. When the U.S. dollar appreciates, it gains value against other currencies. Say $1 goes from being the equivalent of 0.8 euros to 0.85 euros. Now 1 euro is worth a little less than $1.18. To buy that French-made 500-euro item, you now need about $588.
Astana is located in central Kazakhstan on the Ishim River in a very flat, semi-desert steppe region which covers most of the country's territory. The elevation of Astana is at 347 metres (1,138 ft) above sea level. Astana is in a spacious steppe landscape, in the transient area between the north of Kazakhstan and the extremely thinly settled national center, because of the river Ishim.
The Araks [Aras, Araxes] River is the main tributary of the Kura, flowing into it from the right near the estuary. Its catchment area is 102,000 km2, and its flow (240 m3/sec) is nearly half of the total flow of the Kura near the estuary.