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.
For the women's cycling team, see Astana Women's Team. Astana Pro Team (UCI team code: AST) is a professional road bicycle racing team sponsored by the Samruk-Kazyna, a coalition of state-owned companies from Kazakhstan and named after its capital city Astana. Astana attained UCI ProTeam status in its inaugural year, 2007.