Astrakhan (city)

Astrakhan , city (1990 pop. 521,000), capital of Astrakhan region, SE European Russia. A Caspian Sea port on the Volga River's southern delta, it is a center for river transport thanks to a canal built for barge traffic. Astrakhan is also an important rail junction and a major transshipment center for oil, fish, grain, and wood. The capital of the khanate of Astrakhan (see Tatars ) from the 1460s, it was conquered by Ivan the Terrible in 1556. Astrakhan had a flourishing trade with Persia, Khiva, and Bukhara until 1917. It has a kremlin (1587-89) and a cathedral (1700-1710).

Astrakhan (Astrachan) City in s Russia, a port on the Caspian Sea, s Russia. It was developed by the Mongols in the 13th century. In the Russian Civil War (1917–20) the city remained in ‘White Russian’ hands, becoming a base for the Caspian Sea conquest of 1920. It possesses a walled kremlin (1587–89) and cathedral (1700–10). A railway, airline and oil shipping terminal, it is also an important trade centre. Industries: fishing, shipbuilding, engineering, oil-refining. Pop. (1994) 481,171.