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Astrakhan Region
// GENERAL INFORMATION
Endless steppes and the green banks of the Volga; the ice of the Northern Caspian and flowering lotus fields-Astrakhan Region located in the Caspian Lowlands of southwestern Russia is all of these things. Its rich historical past, the unique beauty of its natural landscapes, and age-old traditions of hospitality have attracted tourists for a long time. The region was formed as part of the Russian Federation on December 27, 1943 by decree of the Supreme Soviet Presidium of the USSR, although Astrakhan Province was actually formed by Peter the Great in November 1717. It has an exceptionally favorable geographical location as a link between the Northern Caucasus and southern Russia and between Kazakhstan and Central Asia. It also connects Russia with Iran via the Caspian Sea. Astrakhan Region extends 120 km from west to east between Kalmykia and Kazakhstan and 375 km from north to south along the Volga and Akhtuba rivers to the Caspian Sea. It covers an area of 44 100 km2 or 0.3% of the area of the Russian Federation and borders on Kazakhstan in the east, Volgograd Region in the north and northwest, and the Republic of Kalmykia in the west.
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Despite the region's nearness to the sea, it has a severe dry continental climate, with annual precipitation ranging from 180-200 mm in the south to 280-290 mm in the north; most of the precipitation (70-75%) falls in the warm season. Winter precipitation is in the form of snow, wet snow, and rain. In summer, torrential rains are accompanied by thunderstorms and sometimes hail. The average yearly temperature is from 8.5 to 10 °C with a maximum of +42 °C and a minimum of -30 °C. About 70% of the region is desert or semidesert. The topography is flat with salt dome uplifts.
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Astrakhan Region has been Russia's "fish plant" for the past 400 years. It is known for sterlet soup, sturgeon, and black caviar and is the capital of the Caspian fisheries. Fish are not only caught here, but are also processed into high-quality products. Astrakhan's processing plants dry and smoke Caspian roach (also called vobla) and prepare balyk [cured steaks of sturgeon and other similar fish], Caspian herring, and various canned fish.
The region is made up of 11 rural districts, 6 cities (the largest are Astrakhan, Akhtubinsk, Kamyzyak, Znamensk, and Kharabali), and 442 villages and other small communities. The capital is the old Russian city of Astrakhan situated on the scenic banks of the Volga River. The city lies 1534 km southeast of Moscow on islands of the Volga delta and is known for its large number of bridges over the branches and channels of the Volga that pass through it.
The first written mentions of Astrakhan date from the 13th century when the Astrakhan Khanate was formed in the Lower Volga after the collapse of the Golden Horde. For several centuries, Astrakhan was the crossroads of trade routes between Europe and Asia.
Today, Astrakhan (pop. about 484 000) is an important industrial and cultural center and a major cargo transfer point from rail to sea and river transport and vice versa. The city's main industrial sectors are shipbuilding, the light and food industries, and engineering and metalworking. Znamensk is a city of missile specialists. It is a relatively young city that grew up from mud huts and tents, and its history is inseparably linked with the Kapustin Yar test range. Through the efforts of its residents, the streets of Kapustin Yar gradually became green. Thousands of trees were planted in parks and around houses, barracks, and soldiers' messes. Everyone from generals to soldiers and pensioners to first-grade pupils had their own "personal trees" to care for.
Akhtubinsk (pop. 50 800) is a regionally administered district center 292 km north of Astrakhan. Two railway stations (Vladimirovka and Akhtuba) on the Volgograd-Astrakhan line and a river wharf are located in the city, and the Moscow-Astrakhan and the Volgograd-Astrakhan highways pass through it on the right and left banks of the Volga, respectively.
The city of Akhtubinsk was formed in 1959 from the communities of Vladmirovka, Petropavlovka, and Akhtuba and a military housing complex. Its industries include a shipbuilding and repair yard, a brickyard, a canning plant, a dairy, a meat-packing plant, and a bakery. Akhtubinsk is also the transfer point from which the Bassol Company ships salt extracted from Lake Baskunchak. The institutions of higher education include a branch of the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI). The city's main point of interest in the memorial complex dedicated to aviation and the test pilots who perished.
Kamyzyak (pop. 15 800) is a district center 35 km south of Astrakhan. The city was founded in 1973 on the Volga delta in the Caspian Lowlands. It is close to the Astrakhan I railway station, and the highway to Astrakhan passes through it. Present-day Kamyzyak is the center of an agricultural district with food-industry companies. A research institute for irrigated vegetable and melon cultivation is also located here.
Narimanov (pop. 11 600) is a district center 48 km northwest of Astrakhan in the Caspian Lowlands on the right bank of the Volga. It is 40 km from the Trusovo railway station on the Astrakhan-Gudermes line and is just off the Astrakhan-Volgograd highway. The city was formed from the town of Nizhnevolzhsk in 1984 and named in honor of the Soviet political and party figure N.N. Narimanov. Narimanov is the site of the Lotus (Lotos) plant, which produces superstructure modules of floating drilling units.
Kharabali (pop. 19 100) is a district center 142 k from Astrakhan in the Caspian Lowlands on the left bank of the Akhtuba River (an arm of the Volga). The Astrakhan-Saratov railway line runs through the city. It has been a city since 1974, and during this time, a vegetable canning plant and dairy have been built and are in operation here and a local history museum has been established.
Archeological monuments include the 13th-century city of Sarai-Batu, the former capital of the Golden Horde, discovered 40 km southeast of Kharabali, and a Kalmyk Buddhist monastery (khurul) built after 1812, discovered 70 km south of the city.
The first inhabitants of what is now Astrakhan Region were Sarmatian tribes. Their descendents, the Ases, who received a charter (tarkhan) from Batu Khan, gave their name to the city of Astrakhan. The Astrakhan Khanate that formed was a typical feudal state with a population of nomadic cattle herders. Astrakhan was considered a major commercial center where trade was conducted or through which merchants from Venice, Khorezem, Bukhara, Kazan, the Crimea, and Russia transported goods to other countries. The territory's remoteness and the demand for labor attracted large numbers of Russian migrants, who quickly populated Astrakhan and formed the settlements of Sianova, Bezrodnaya, Terebilovka, Soldatskaya, and Yamgurcheeva around it. Tatars and Armenians who had settled near the city likewise formed their own Tatarskaya and Armyanskaya settlements.
Today, the region's ethnic mix includes nearly 130 nationalities. Russians make up most of the population (72%) followed by Kazakhs (13%), mainly in Volodarsky and Krasnoyarsky districts. Next come Tatars (7.2%), mainly in Privolzhsky and Narimanovsky districts; Ukrainians (2%); Chechens (1%); Kalmyks (0.8%); Azerbaijanis (0.5%); Belarussians and Nogais (0.4% each); Armenians and Dargins (0.3% each); Gypsies, Turkmen, and Jews (0.2% each); and others (1.5%). After centuries of coexistence, the boundaries between nations and their languages, customs, and cultures have disappeared. Astrakhan Region is considered one of Russia's most multinational regions, mainly as a result of migration from former Soviet republics and many other parts of the country. Most migrants come from Kazakhstan, which shows in the large number of Kazakhs in the region's total population.
At the same time, however, the demographic situation in Astrakhan Region is deteriorating just as it is in the rest of Russia. Figures showing a decrease in the resident population for the past 20 years are disturbing.
The number of births is less than the number of deaths in all of the region's population centers except Krasnoyarsky District and the city of Znamensk; in other districts (Ikryaninsky, Volodarsky, Kharabalinsky, Narimanovsky, and Akhtubinsky), the social demographic situation is considered difficult. The number of deaths over the number of births is increasing, and birthrates are falling even as the number of women of childbearing age is increasing.
The average age of people living in the region is 35.7 years and the population distribution by age group is as follows: children from 0 to 15 years, 24.2%; men and women from 16 up to pension age [60 for men and 55 for women], 57%; and men and women of pension age, 18.8%. The number of registered marriages among young people between 18 and 25 is decreasing, while the number of divorces is increasing. Over the last several years, the number of pensioners has remained almost unchanged at the same time as the proportion of the population of working age and under has been decreasing, leading to gradual aging of the region's population. About 240 000 pensioners are registered at social welfare agencies and receive monetary and food aid along with pensions.
Out of the total population of Astrakhan Region, 67% live in urban areas and only 33% in rural areas.
HISTORY
Astrakhan is an old, hospitable city under the dazzling southern sun, the pearl of the Lower Volga long known as a major industrial center not only in Russia, but also in Europe. Astrakhan has been called the "Fishing Capital", the "Gateway to the Caspian"; and the "Venice of the Volga". All of these names reflect the geographical and economic position of this outpost and transit center at the mouth of a great river where vital water and land routes intersect.
The region's position at the meeting point of East and West has determined its historical and cultural development. The Lower Volga and Northern Caspian regions have a unique history as areas where the tides of different civilizations mingled and new cities were born, including the capitals of once powerful states like Itil, the center of the Khazar Kingdom in the 9th century, and Sarai-Batu, the capital of the Mongolian state known as the Golden Horde.
In 1242, Batu Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, made the Lower Volga the center of his great state. Sarai-Batu was a city of splendid palaces and mosques and a center of skilled tradesmen that stood at the historical crossroads of the Great Volga caravan route and the Great Silk Road leading from China to Europe and Rome. The history of Astrakhan itself goes back to the heyday of the Golden Horde.
After the Astrakhan Khanate was annexed to Russia in 1556, the city was moved from the right bank of the Volga to the left, where a Russian fortress (Kremlin) was built in 1558. The Artilleriyskaya (or Pytochnaya), Krymskaya, and Zhitnaya towers are the oldest ones in the Kremlin. Altogether, seven of the Kremlin's guard towers have been preserved, two of which (Krasnaya and Artilleriyskaya) have been turned into museums. The buildings of Uspensky Cathedral built in 1710 and the Troitsky Monastery with its late-17th century refectory halls are splendid examples of old Russian architecture that add to the beauty of the Kremlin complex, which has become an open-air museum. The Kremlin's 80-m-high bell tower ornamented on top with old chiming tower clocks nearly 3 m in diameter will amaze you with its grandeur and beauty.
With the annexation of Astrakhan Territory, Russia gained an outlet to the Caspian Sea for trade with eastern countries. Beginning in the 17th century, Astrakhan won an international reputation as a supplier of prized fish products, such as black caviar and various kinds of sturgeon.
Astrakhan acquired the status of a provincial city in 1717; and Peter the Great established a naval fleet, shipyards, and a port to expand the Great Volga trade route when he visited Astrakhan in 1722. This had considerable influence on the city's subsequent development, and it became one of the main seaports and shipbuilding centers of southern Russia.
The names of the best Russian architects of the 18th and 19th centuries are associated with the Venice of the Volga, and it is not by chance that Astrakhan is numbered among Russia's most historically important cities. The Astrakhan Historical Museum founded in 1837 is housed in a building constructed in 1911 right in the city center. Its huge collection of 400 000 items includes unique archeological and numismatic collections, a rare set of Russian porcelain and glass, and the Gold Storeroom, where gold and silver jewelry and weapons of the Scythian and Sarmatian periods (1st millennium B.C.) are exhibited. Another rare exhibit is the skeleton of a mammoth three m high with tusks more than five m long, which inhabited the Lower Volga more than 100 000 years ago. The museum's collection of the flora and fauna of Astrakhan Territory is also of continuing interest.
Despite its long and turbulent history, Astrakhan has retained its distinctiveness. As in the past, the 16th century Kremlin in the city center defines its appearance. It long ago became the symbol of Astrakhan, from which the old streets and quarters of the city opened out like a fan. The Volga River as a symbol of Russia and its greatest transport corridor and cultural axis uniting different peoples and cultures is also part of the Astrakhan lands.
RESOURCES
Astrakhan Region is rightly considered the pearl of the Caspian. Due to its location in the delta of the Volga River, which flows for more than 400 km through the region, the territory has an abundance of water resources. The Caspian Sea and the great Volga are its greatest assets. Water occupies about 10% of the region; there are nearly 900 rivers in the Volga delta, the deepest being the Bakhtemir, Staraya Volga, Kizan, Bolda, and Kigach rivers. The region also has no equal in the world in its abundance and variety of valuable fish species. Fish are the region's main resource base: more than 70 species of fish are found in the Volga and Caspian Sea alone, including a unique shoal of sturgeon varieties (Russian sturgeon, beluga, and stellate sturgeon). Most of the black caviar and sturgeon supplied to the world market comes from Astrakhan Region. Eight fish hatcheries in the region breed sturgeon and salmon and more than 25 million young bream and sazan [a member of the carp family] are raised annually.
Astrakhan is a territory of numerous islands, steppes, and a large number of salt lakes. Sagebrush-saltwort deserts and dry (desertified) steppes divided by a wide belt of meadows and shrubs along the main channels of the Volga occupy about 70% of the region. There are also more than 700 salt lakes and 1300 salt marshes, many with huge salt reserves. The largest lake is Lake Baskunchak, which has an area of 115 km2. The Baskunchakskoe deposit produces nearly 80% of all the salt in Russia, and production of bromine salts from the deposit is currently being set up. The huge lake in the hot desert and the solitary mountain has attracted people since ancient times, and figured in many legends and tales of the early nomads.
Soils in the region vary from light chestnut soil in northern districts, brown semidesert soils in more southerly districts, and floodplain soils in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and the Volga delta. Alkali and saline soils are found among all types.
Astrakhan Region is the only place in Russia where the vegetation ranges from shoreline to desert plants. It includes fodder, industrial, food, and medicinal plants. The combination of these varieties has created unique plant communities in which 750-850 species of higher plants and more than 700 species of lower plants such as algae have been identified. More than 400 species of vascular plants are found in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and the Volga delta. These mainly belong to six families, which make up half the flora of the Volga delta. Certain rare species are also encountered, including 20 that are vanishing from the region like the dwarf iris, water chestnut, and sacred lotus. Occurrences of rare ferns are of special interest.
Forests cover only slightly more than 1% of Astrakhan Region. Typical species include hardwoods (oak, ash, and elm), softwoods (willow, poplar), and shrubs (rose willow, oleaster). The forests protect water bodies in the region and are a favorite place for recreation.
The wildlife of this beautiful territory is rich and surprising. Slow-moving camels and swift saigas [an Asian antelope] graze on the boundless steppes, and whole rookeries of Caspian seals can be seen on the icefields of the Northern Caspian. Wild boars, raccoon dogs, and ermines inhabit the forests of the Lower Volga; and beavers, muskrats, and otters live along the numerous rivers and canals. Nearly 2000 species of insects have been counted. The Lower Volga and its delta are among the world's richest bird habitats and nesting sites. More than 200 bird species have been recorded here, of which 60 are permanent residents and 23 are listed in the Red Book. Waterfowl hunting is popular in the region. The region's wildlife, as a valuable asset, is under government protection.
Astrakhan Region is distinguished by its rich natural resources, which include a large number of important economic minerals such as oil, gas, sulfur, salt, bromine, and iodine. The region's oil fields are the second largest in European Russia in terms of reserves; and the Astrakhan gas condensate field, with its deep gas reservoirs and high hydrogen sulfide content, is considered to be the largest in Europe. The region also has the necessary raw material base for producing building materials. For example, cement materials such as argillaceous chalk, marl, and limestone are found on the Baskunchak-Kharabali Plain. Deposits of building sand and sandstone have also been found in the region, and deposits of brick earth and glass sand are being worked. Large deposits of gypsum, clay-gypsum, mineral pigments, and gaize [a fine-grained sandstone] are being explored and developed.
Conditions in Astrakhan Region are favorable for the development of recreation and health centers for the population. Mineral waters and the therapeutic sulfurous silty muds of Astrakhan Region's mineral lakes form the basis of the region's recreational resources. One of the best known lakes is Lake Tinaki located 30 km from Astrakhan. Its brines have sulfide-chloride and sodium-magnesium contents of 127 to 310 g/l. The lake has an area of 90 km2 and has 23 000 tons of usable mud reserves. Tinakskaya mineral water is also produced here.
The region has many historical monuments and unique nature preserves with organized tours.
ECONOMY
Astrakhan Region is part of the Volga economic district. The region's favorable geographical location has had a strong influence on its economic development. The Volga River is a major artery for water routes from countries on the Caspian Sea to the Black, Mediterranean, Baltic, and North seas. Astrakhan is a natural through trade center and important transportation hub at the meeting place of Europe and Asia with their profitable transportation routes. An international airport has been opened and airplanes now fly to almost everywhere in the world. An international seaport that will be Russia's second-largest port in terms of size and traffic is under construction. Despite the political and economic crises that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, Astrakhan Region made a successful recovery and is now one of Russia's most upcoming regions.
A diversified structure and high potential characterize the region's industry. The region has abundant natural resources that include fish, minerals, land, oil, gas, and gas condensate. There are five oil and gas fields and one high-sulfur gas condensate field. Experts estimate that the gas condensate field alone has enough reserves for many centuries; there are currently 80 producing wells and a stock of 130 operating wells. In addition, five gas pretreatment units have been put into operation. According to existing data, Astrakhan's oil fields are approximately the fifth largest in the world.
Production of economic minerals is the basis of the regional economy. Other sectors such as the fish processing, food, light, chemical, and engineering industries and water transport are actively developing. Production of stable gas condensate ensures fuel self-sufficiency. Furthermore, over the past ten years the share of the fuel and energy sector in the regional economy has been increasing, and considering the prospects for development, this trend is expected to continue.
The fishing industry is one of the oldest industries in Astrakhan Region. Fish canning plants and fish processing factory ships process the catch.
The engineering industry mainly specializes in ship building and repair for the fishing industry, metal-cutting machinery, compressors, and a variety of other devices and equipment.
Economic development is impossible if the region cannot attract investments; therefore, the government of Astrakhan Region is implementing measures aimed at creating the conditions for active capital investment, as well as creating a legislative basis to protect invested funds.
The efforts of the Astrakhan City Administration and City Council to stabilize the city's socioeconomic development are producing results. For example, an upward trend has been noted in the fuel and energy complex and operation of the food and construction industries has stabilized. Moreover, in the last few years, Astrakhan Region has led the country in housing construction growth rates. Foreign investors from Bulgaria have participated in solving this problem.
The banking sector and financial institutions are expanding, and currency and share markets have started operating. Twenty-six banks and branches of other Russian banks operate in Astrakhan, and favorable conditions for investors are being created.
The region's first financial and industrial group, Astrakhan Shipbuilder (FPG Astrakhansky korabel), has been set up and includes large shipbuilding companies, the Volga-Caspian Joint Stock Bank (Volgo-Kaspiysky AB), and investment and finance companies.
The Astrakhan Chamber of Commerce and Industry represents the interests of the business community and its associations. It takes an active part in ensuring effective cooperation between businessmen and government agencies, defends the interests of the region's businesses, and participates in business development programs. The Chamber unites more than 100 companies, organizations, firms, banks, unions, and associations in the region and acts in accordance with the Law of the Russian Federation "On Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the Russian Federation."
The companies and organizations of Astrakhan and Astrakhan Region have noticeably expanded the scope of their export-import operations in recent years. Once they have incorporated, enterprises actively search for new sales markets for their products and find reliable customers, including foreign customers.
The Astrakhan Paint Factory (Astrakhansky lakokrasochny zavod) was one of the finalists in the All-Russian competition "The 100 Best Goods in Russia." This once again confirms the stability of a company that even in 1995 had acquired the name of "Russian Economic Leader" and become one of the country's 5000 leading companies. Its products, which include varnish, paint, household chemical goods, and packaging paper, long ago found their market niche for goods produced by domestic industry.
Salt has been produced at Lake Baskunchak for nearly 150 years. The largest producer of salt for industry and agriculture today is AO Bassol.
Astrakhan shipbuilders have been working with various European firms for five years. Astrakhan's AO 3rd International Shipyard ( Astrakhansky sudostroitelny zavod im. III Internatsionala) has received a lucrative order from Holland for the construction of three dry cargo ships. The Astrakhan Shipbuilder financial and industrial group has concluded another contract for the construction of three sea-going dry cargo ships for Hungary. The general contractor is AO Marine Shipbuilding Yard (Morskoi sudostroitelny zavod).
The management of AO Astrakhan Glass Fiber (Astrakhanskoe steklovolokno) worked successfully with a Czech firm to deliver its products and has now concluded a profitable contract with the Romanian firm Stizomat to supply fiberglass thread and glass fiber.
The city is pinning great hopes on partnerships. Two agreements have been concluded with twin cities in America and the cities of Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Ruse (Bulgaria). Astrakhan also has close ties with neighboring Russian cities such as Rostov-on-Don, Saratov, Stavropol, and Volgograd.
AUTHORITIES
The Administration of Astrakhan Region headed by the Governor is the highest executive body. The Governor is Astrakhan Region's highest official.
The executive branch of the government develops and implements
- financial and investment policy in Astrakhan Region;
- government measures to develop the social sphere, improve the well-being of the population, and protect the work and health of the people.
It also adopts measures to
- uphold the law and protect the rights and freedoms of the citizens of Astrakhan Region;
- develop entrepreneurship and restrict monopolistic activity.
District and city administrations and the regional Administration exercise executive authority in the region.
The Astrakhan Regional Representative Assembly in the highest legislative body.
The Astrakhan Regional Court, district (city) courts, and the Arbitration Court of Astrakhan Region exercise judicial authority in Astrakhan Region.
CULTURE AND ART
Astrakhan Region is considered the industrial center of the Lower Volga, but it is also the home of many leading cultural and artistic figures. Cultural points of interest include theaters, a conservatory, a philharmonic, a combined historical and architectural museum preserve, the Kustodiev Art Gallery, a large number of museums, and of course the Kremlin.
The Kustodiev Gallery founded in 1918 is the pride of Astrakhan. Its exhibits include paintings by Boris Kustodiev himself and other masters of Russian painting. History lovers will be interested in visiting the Kremlin, which houses exhibits of the Astrakhan Museum of History and Architecture. Its collection includes more than 250 000 items that reflect the rich history of the Lower Volga from Mesolithic times to the present. Numerous art schools, the Vlasov Art College, and cultural institutions train professionals in eight different cultural specialties. The teaching staff includes many honored cultural workers and artists.
The Valeriya Barsova and Mariya Maksakova festivals that attract both Russian and foreign performers are held in Astrakhan.
The Mussorgsky Music School (the oldest music school in the Volga region), the Astrakhan Conservatory, the Astrakhan Regional Philharmonic, and a new music theater preserve and advance Astrakhan's rich musical culture.
Astrakhan is also the home of many famous talented Russians, including film producer Vladimir Menshov [best known for the film Moscow Doesn't Believe in Tears], actor Vladimir Steklov, pop singer Igor Nadzhiev, and poet Velimir Khlebnikov.
The works of Khlebnikov, who loved the broad expanses of the Volga River and the beauty of the Caspian Sea, are filled with love for the people. He said, "One of the secrets of creative work is to visualize the people you are writing for and find words in the center of life of these people."
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