The Astrakhan region is located in the Lower Volga region. It borders on the Volgograd region in the north, Kalmykia in the west. It has a federal border with Kazakhstan in the east. The territory of the region stretches along the lower reaches of the Volga River up to its delta at its confluence with the Caspian Sea.
Astrakhan - the historical capital
of the Astrakhan Khanate, an outpost of Russia in the Lower Volga
region
Akhtubinsk - a city at the
flight test center named after V.P. Chkalov
Kharаbali
is the center of Astrakhan melon growing
Znamensk
- ZATO at the test site and the Kapustin Yar cosmodrome
Narimanov
- a city attached to a shipyard; Astrakhan water divider is located
on the outskirts of Narimanov
Kamyzyak is the center of Astrakhan
fishing in the Volga delta
Lake Baskunchak and Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky reserve reserve with
Mount Bolshoi Bogdo
Lotus fields in the Volga Delta
The Astrakhan
water divider is a unique hydraulic structure in Narimanov, designed to
regulate the flow of the Volga without creating a dam
Khosheutovsky
khurul in the village. Rechnoye is a Buddhist temple-monument in honor
of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812.
The settlement of
Saray-Batu is the capital of the Golden Horde in the village of
Selitrennoye, Kharabalinsky district.
Sandy deserts on the left bank
of the Volga
The villages of Atal, Funtovo-1 and Funtovo-2, where the
absolute majority are Astrakhan Turkmens, who began to move here as
early as the 1650s and did not lose their originality.
The Astrakhan region has the largest Kazakh diaspora in Russia. In many places, the traveler will be able to understand Kazakh.
The only airport in the region is located in Astrakhan. There are several daily flights from all Moscow airports, as well as regular connections to Aktau, Yerevan and Baku.
The Astrakhan region is connected by rail with the Volgograd region, Dagestan and the Atyrau region of Kazakhstan. There are two Moscow-Astrakhan trains from Moscow, as well as trains to Makhachkala and Baku. There is a train St. Petersburg-Astrakhan, following through Saratov.
Astrakhan is connected by bus with Moscow, Western Kazakhstan, as well as most of the regional centers of the South of Russia.
The main highway passing through the region
from north to south is P22 "Kaspiy", the distance from Moscow is 1040
km. It should be noted that the route runs along the semi-desert right
bank of the Volga, while the main attractions are on the left. To get to
Nizhny Baskunchak, Kharabali, etc. from the Volgograd region, you should
exit P22 in front of Volgograd towards the city of Volzhsky and then
move along local roads.
In addition to P22, it should be noted the
A154 highway of good quality, connecting Astrakhan with Elista, and the
European route E40 "Astrakhan-Atyrau-border with Turkmenistan".
The Astrakhan region is located in the southeast of the East European
Plain within the Caspian lowland, in temperate latitudes, in the zone of
deserts and semi-deserts, which are used mainly as pastures. The region
stretches in a narrow strip on both sides of the Volga-Akhtuba
floodplain at a distance of more than 400 km. Delta spaces flooded with
hollow waters for a long period serve as spawning grounds for important
commercial fish - Russian sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, beluga and
others.
The extreme northern point is located on the border with
the Volgograd region at 48°52'N. sh., southern - on the shore of the
Caspian Sea - 45 ° 31 'N. The westernmost point is located in the
Chernoyarsk region on the border with the Volgograd region - 44 ° 58 'E.
d., eastern - on one of the small islands of the Volga delta in the
Volodarsky district at 49 ° 15 'E. e. The length of the region from
north to south is more than 400 km, and from east to west a maximum of
120 km. The main landscape of the region is represented by a gently
undulating desert plain, complicated by huge massifs of mounds, sands,
dry hollows, lakes, karst landforms, etc.
The modern absolute
mark of the Caspian Sea is located at a level of 27 m below the level of
the World Ocean. To the north, the absolute elevations of the surface
increase and in the northernmost part of the region reach plus 15–20 m.
The region is assigned to the fourth time zone UTC + 4, like Samara,
local time in Astrakhan is ahead of Moscow by 1 hour.
The region
belongs to the Volga region, the Southern Federal District. The
geographical position of the Astrakhan region is peculiar. It is located
on the border of Europe and Asia, the Volga gives access to 5 seas.
Astrakhan region borders:
In the north - with Kazakhstan (with
the West Kazakhstan region)
In the northwest - with the Volgograd
region
In the east and northeast - with Kazakhstan (with Atyrau
region)
In the west and south - with Kalmykia
The landscape structure of the region is represented by 8 landscapes. The Volga-Sarpinsky and Baskunchak landscapes were formed in the semi-desert zone. The desert zone is represented by the Volga-Ural, Volga-Priergeninsky, Western and Eastern ilmen-bump landscapes. Intrazonal landscapes include the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and the delta of the Volga River. In each landscape, several areas are distinguished with a set of tracts characteristic of them.
According to the soil-geographical zoning of Russia, the territory of the Astrakhan region is assigned to the Caspian province of light chestnut and brown semi-desert soils, solonchak complexes, sandy massifs and solonchak spots. Light chestnut soils are zonal in the northern regions, brown semi-desert in the more southern regions, and floodplain in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, delta and substeppe ilmens. Intrazonal - solonetzes and solonchaks - are found everywhere among all types of soils. Zonal light chestnut and brown soils belong to the group of arid gypsum-calcareous soils. They are formed under the influence of the same process of soil formation, which caused the appearance of similar external features. The main factors of soil formation for light chestnut and brown semi-desert soils are arid climate (especially high temperatures during the growing season) and xerophytic, sparse vegetation.
The surface waters of the Astrakhan region are represented by the
Volga River with numerous watercourses (about 900 units), fresh and salt
water bodies (about 1000 units) and the largest enclosed body of water
on the planet - the Caspian Sea. Groundwater is divided into groundwater
and interstratal.
The Volga River - the longest river in Europe -
is the national pride of Russia. A long way - 3530 km, the Volga passes
from its source to its confluence with the Caspian Sea, accepting more
and more tributaries. The catchment area is 1,360,000 km². The Volga,
together with the Caspian Sea and other rivers flowing into it, belongs
to an endorheic basin. In the upper reaches of the Volga, near the city
of Volgograd, navigable canals were built, which determined the outlet
of the Volga to the World Ocean. Near the city of Volzhsky, Volgograd
Region, a large branch separates from it to the east - the Akhtuba
River, which flows parallel throughout. To the north of the city of
Astrakhan, where the Buzan branch separates from the Volga, the delta
begins. Down the river. Buzan joins Akhtuba. The largest watercourses of
the delta from west to east are the branches of Bakhtemir, Staraya
Volga, Kizan, Bolda, Buzan and Kigach.
The lakes of the Astrakhan
region occupy a special place. By origin, they are divided into
tectonic, dam, mixed. According to the chemical composition - fresh and
salty. Lake Baskunchak belongs to the tectonic type. The oxbow lakes and
kultuks belong to the dam type. Ilmeni lakes are predominantly
concentrated to the west of the delta. They are of mixed origin, since
wind, sea and Volga waters took part in their formation.
The
Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world, named for its large size
as a sea. The Astrakhan Region is washed by the northern part of the
Caspian Sea. The relief of the bottom of the Northern Caspian is a
shallow, slightly undulating accumulative plain, complicated by a delta,
foredelta and a number of islands. Low, gently sloping banks are covered
with impenetrable thickets of reeds up to 3-4 m high.
The geological structure of the Astrakhan region led to the formation
of various minerals on its territory, mainly natural gas, salt and
building materials.
In 1836, an artesian well was drilled in
Astrakhan to obtain water, but only bitter water and combustible gas
came from there.
Until the 1930s, individual researchers were
engaged in substantiating the oil content of the region to a depth of
300–350 m. In the post-war years, exploration work began, which led to
the development of the Promyslovskoye gas field in the 1950s, which
marked the beginning of the gasification of Astrakhan and a number of
villages. In the 1960s, a small Beshkul oil field was explored. In the
early 1970s, the Bugrinskoye gas field was discovered.
In August
1976, the Astrakhan sulfur and gas condensate field was discovered. It
is located 70 km northeast of Astrakhan. Commercial hydrocarbon reserves
in the left-bank part of the field alone amount to 2,588 billion m³ and
412 million tons of condensate. The composition of the gas includes the
following components: methane gas - 54%, hydrogen sulfide - 22-24%,
carbon dioxide - 19-22%; One cubic meter of gas contains an average of
250 g of condensate. One of the most important components is sulfur.
In 1990-1991, the Verblyuzhye oil and Severo-Shadzhinskoye gas
fields were discovered.
In 2000, an oil and gas condensate field
was discovered in the Northern Caspian. Y. Korchagin. Reserves in 3P
categories amount to 500 million barrels. oil equivalent. In 2005, an
oil and gas condensate field was discovered on the shelf. V. Filanovsky.
Oil reserves are 220 million tons, gas - 40 billion m³.
There are
more than 1000 salt lakes in the region. Lake Baskunchak is one of the
largest salt deposits in the world. It contains 98% halite.
Not
far from the village of Korduan, located on the left bank of the Kigach
River, is the Small Korduan salt lake. Here, for the first time, a
mineral called astrakhanite was discovered.
A special role among
the deposits of building materials belongs to Russia's largest gypsum
deposit Baskunchak. Operation has been carried out since 1933 by the
Baskunchak gypsum plant, which produces gypsum stone and raw ground
gypsum. Gypsum is mined from a quarry up to 40-42 m deep. From above,
gypsum is covered with sandy-argillaceous deposits of an average
thickness of 56 m. Gypsum is mined using blasting.
Kubatau
limestone deposit is located 5.5 km east of Lake Baskunchak, which is
recommended as a raw material for the production of construction lime.
In recent years, tremolite has been widely used - a light porous
concrete aggregate obtained by firing opokovy rocks. Three opok deposits
have been explored in our region: Kamennoyarskoye (Chernoyarsky
district), Ak-Dzharskoye and Baskunchakskoye (Akhtubinsky district).
The region has large reserves of mineral waters and therapeutic mud,
which are waiting for their detailed study and development.
The modern network of protected areas in the region, including state
reserves, hunting grounds and state natural monuments, was formed in the
70s-80s of the XX century. On the territory of the Astrakhan region,
there are two state nature reserves of federal significance (the
Astrakhan biosphere reserve and the Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky reserve). On
the territory of the Astrakhan region there are 49 protected areas of
regional significance. The total area of protected areas in the
Astrakhan region is 428.694208 thousand hectares. They are categorized
as follows:
2 natural parks: "Volga-Akhtuba interfluve",
"Baskunchak";
4 state nature reserves: "Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky",
"Vyazovskaya oak forest", "Ilmenno-Bugrovoy", "Stepnoy" and "Sands of
Burley";
8 state biological reserves: Teplushki, Ikryaninsky,
Mininsky, Krestovy, Zhirotopka, Bukhovsky, Boar, Enotaevsky;
35
natural monuments of regional importance
The modern fauna of the Astrakhan region has over 9,000 species.
Aquatic and terrestrial animals live here - inhabitants of the steppe,
desert, semi-desert landscapes. In the reservoirs of the delta, there
are about 150 species of protozoa. Badyaga also lives, belonging to the
class of sponges. 5 species of coelenterates live in the Caspian Sea
basin: hydra, American blackfordia, Black Sea merisia, Balitian
boutenvillea, polypodium, and another type of hydra: craspedacusta.
There are about 10 species of earthworms or earthworms in the soils of
the region. The delta is also home to about 80 species of molluscs, 260
species of crustaceans, 140 species of butterflies and 6 species of
poisonous spiders. Of the chordates, about 450 species of vertebrates
have been recorded: 1 species of cyclostomes, 64 species of fish, 4
species of amphibians, 18 species of reptiles, about 300 species of
birds and 60 species of mammals. A typical representative of modern
jawless is the Caspian lamprey. If we consider fish that live not only
in the Volga, but also in the Caspian Sea, then in total there are 76
species and 47 subspecies. Among them are six species of fish of the
Sturgeon family - Russian and Persian sturgeon, beluga, stellate
sturgeon, spike and sterlet, representatives of the Herring family -
blackback, etc. others, of the Karpov family - vobla, bream, carp, rudd,
etc. The species composition of fish in commercial catches is
represented by approximately twenty species: bream, blue bream, silver
bream, sabrefish, bersh, pike perch, perch, pike, catfish, rudd, vobla,
carp , serushka, tench, asp, ide, common podust, grass carp, silver
carp, white-eye. Small fish with a short life cycle in the lower reaches
of the delta and fore-delta include bleak, gudgeon, small southern
stickleback, loach, loach, Caspian needle-fish, Caspian atherine, ruff,
zutsik goby, Caspian sandpiper goby, Caspian round goby, goby -
golovach, goby-bubyr, granular and star-shaped buttons. Representatives
of the order of tailless amphibians live in the Astrakhan region - the
lake frog, the green toad and the common spadefoot. Of the order of
turtles, only one species is found in the region - the marsh turtle. The
group of snakes has 10 species.
Within the Astrakhan region, you
can meet about 260 species of birds: yellow-headed kinglet, house
sparrow, tree sparrow, great tit, blue tit, remez, thrush, black
fieldfare, singing fieldfare, coastal swallow, barn swallow,
broad-tailed chaffinch, gray shrike, black-fronted shrike , grosbeak,
skylark, gray crow, rook, jackdaw, magpie, gray heron, great white
heron, Egyptian heron, spoonbill, loaf, great and little bittern, night
heron, thrush warbler, gray goose, mute and whooper swans, mallard, gray
duck, ruddy shelduck, common teal, herring and black-headed gulls,
terns, cormorant, pink pelican, curly pelican, gray owl, short-eared
owl, little owl, eagle owl, scops and long-eared owl, white-tailed
eagle, steppe eagle, goshawk, reed harrier, steppe harrier, field and
marsh harrier, black kite, buzzard, saker falcon, hobby falcon, red
falcon, common kestrel, osprey, etc. From the detachment of rodents
there are small ground squirrel and yellow ground squirrel, midday
gerbil, upland jerboa, field and brownie mice, baby mouse, gray rat
(pasyuk), common and water voles, muskrat and some other species. From
the carnivore order, the region is inhabited by wolves, common foxes,
corsac foxes, raccoon dogs, steppe polecats, bandaging, ermine, weasels,
badgers, otters, Caspian seals and others. In recent years, another
species of predatory species has begun to be found in the lower reaches
of the Volga - the American mink. A detachment of (whale-) artiodactyls
is represented in the region by wild boar, saiga, and roe deer. The
desman, eared hedgehog, small and white-bellied shrews, which belong to
the order of insectivores, also live.
The Astrakhan region is floristically included in the Afro-Asian
desert region and in the Caspian region of the Aral-Caspian (Turan)
province of the Irano-Turan region of the Holarctic. The district is
characterized by Caspian-Turanian circum-Caspian species and endemics of
the Northern Caspian. The species composition of the region's flora is
not rich. The modern vegetation of the Caspian region has developed
approximately in the last 15-16 thousand years. During this time, only
756-850 species of higher plants out of 240,000 species of world flora
were able to gain a foothold here in harsh stressful conditions of
existence (lack of moisture, soil salinization). But the combination of
these species, the interpenetration of northern boreal and desert
Iranian-Turanian species create unique plant communities. Within Russia,
you will not find another such place where, with a height difference
relative to the low water of 1.5 - 2.0 m, associations from coastal
water to desert plants are represented. On the territory of the
Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and the delta of the river. Volga as a result
of research conducted by the Laboratory of Geobotany of ASU, about 500
plant species belonging to 82 families have been identified. The ten
most species-rich families include 262 species, or more than 50% of the
total number of species. Downstream, the representation of families
varies. In the European part of Russia, desert vegetation as a zonal
type is noted only in the southeast within the Caspian Lowland. In
desert habitats, the leading place belongs to Compositae, cereals and
haze, which indicates the connection and interpenetration of species of
desert and floodplain habitats.
The North Turanian (Caspian)
deserts are the realm of semi-shrub (chamefites) wormwood, among which
white wormwood, poor-flowered or black wormwood, and sandy wormwood
dominate. In total, the genus Artemisia is represented by 10 species. As
a result of evolution, desert plants have developed a number of
morphological and anatomical features that allow them to tolerate lack
of moisture and soil salinity.
The floodplain and delta are dominated
by grasslands throughout, which can be subdivided into high, medium and
low grasslands, with varying degrees of moisture during the growing
season. Plants of a xerophytic orientation are common in the meadows of
a high level - ground reed grass, sour sorrel, synergy, pontic wormwood,
Russian bedstraw, horned locust, and other species. Meadows of the
middle level are occupied by mesophytic plants - awnless brome,
narrow-leaved bluegrass, madder-shaped bedstraw (in the floodplain), and
sea tuber, marshmallow, and other species (in the delta). Thanks to the
widely developed hydrographic network (rivers, channels, eriki, ilmen)
in the floodplain and especially in the delta of the river. The Volga is
widely represented by the flora of submerged and semi-submerged species.
In the underwater part of the delta, one can find spiral vallisneria,
hornworts, urut, pondweeds, and the underwater form of umbrella susak.
These peculiar “underwater meadows” are an excellent place for the
growth and development of many semi-anadromous fish. Green algae inhabit
the estuarine sections of rivers and the Northern Caspian. They can be
either planktonic or benthic.
A sharp change in moisture in the
floodplain and delta prevents the spread of forests. They can exist only
in narrow strips (ribbon or gallery forests) along riverbeds and
channels; the main spaces are occupied by meadows. Only in the
northernmost segment of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, small oak forests
of English oak have been preserved. Black poplar, ash, elm and willows
are also typical here, tending to the banks of rivers and channels.
Downstream, the species composition of tree species becomes poorer,
forests are only ribbon, with dominance of three-stamen willow and white
willow.
On the territory of the Astrakhan region, there are 20
species of plants listed in the Red Book of Russia.
The climate of the Astrakhan region is continental, dry. The winter
is not snowy, in most of the region there is a noticeable strong
softening influence of the Caspian Sea, with frequent thaws and unstable
snow cover, however, on some days there are quite intense frosts when
cold air masses invade from Kazakhstan or the Urals. Hot summer. The
climate is also characterized by large annual and daily amplitudes of
air temperature, low precipitation and high evaporation of moisture.
The average annual air temperature varies from south to north from
+10 °C to +8 °C. The coldest month is January, the average temperature
is -10 ... -20 °C. The highest average temperature +35…+45 °C is
observed in July.
The annual amount of precipitation varies from
180–200 mm in the south to 280–290 mm in the north of the region. The
greatest amount of precipitation falls between April and July. In
summer, heavy rains are accompanied by thunderstorms, sometimes with
hail.
The steppes of the Lower Volga region and the Northern Caspian region
from ancient times served as a gateway for nomads breaking through from
the East to Europe. Magnificent grazing lands, abundance of water,
winters with little snow have always attracted nomadic pastoralists who
settled in these places and, under certain historical conditions, began
to conduct an integrated cattle-breeding and agricultural economy here.
In the 8th-10th centuries, the territories were part of the Khazar
Khaganate. The center of the state was originally located in the coastal
part of modern Dagestan, later moved to the lower reaches of the Volga.
Part of the ruling elite converted to Judaism. A number of East Slavic
tribal unions were politically dependent on the Khazars. There are
suggestions that the capital of the Khazar Khaganate, Itil, was located
on the territory of the modern Astrakhan region, destroyed by Prince
Svyatoslav in 965. Later, the Polovtsians settled here.
After the
European campaign of Batu in 1236-1242, the Polovtsy ceased to exist as
an independent political unit, but formed the bulk of the Turkic
population of the Golden Horde. Actually, the Mongols in the Jochid
troops were only 4 thousand people. according to the will of Genghis
Khan. It was the Cumans who made a significant contribution to the
formation of such ethnic groups as Tatars, Kirghiz, Gagauz, Uzbeks,
Kazakhs, Karakalpaks, Crimean Tatars, Siberian Tatars, Nogais, Kumyks,
Bashkirs, Karachays, Balkars.
During the reign of Khan Uzbek
(1313-1341) and his son Janibek (1342-1357), the Golden Horde reached
its peak. In the early 1320s, Uzbek Khan proclaimed Islam the state
religion, threatening "infidels" with physical violence. The rebellions
of the emirs who did not want to convert to Islam were brutally
suppressed. The time of his khanate was distinguished by severe
punishment. Russian princes, dependent on the khans, before leaving for
the capital of the Golden Horde, wrote spiritual wills and paternal
instructions to children in case of their death there. Since the sixties
of the XIV century, since the time of the Great Memory, there have been
important political changes in the life of the Golden Horde. The gradual
disintegration of states began. After the death of Khan Kichi-Mohammed,
the Golden Horde ceased to exist as a single state.
The Astrakhan
Khanate was formed in 1459/60, when it was headed by the former khan of
the Great Horde (this is how the central part of the Golden Horde with
its capital in Novy Saray began to be called) Mahmud, and since 1461 by
his son Kasim. Favorable location and lack of competition contributed to
the restoration of Astrakhan's trade relations with Khorezm, Bukhara,
Kazan. During the reign of Kasim, trade relations were established
between Astrakhan and the Moscow principality. In particular, under Ivan
III, ships from Moscow along the Moscow, Oka and Volga rivers annually
went to Astrakhan for salt. After the conquest of the Kazan Khanate and
the storming of its capital, Tsar Ivan the Terrible decided to
subordinate his southern neighbor to his influence. An opponent of
Yamgurchey and an ally of the Moscow Tsar reigned there - Khan
Dervish-Ali, who promised support to Moscow. However, in 1556, this khan
went over to the side of the old enemies of Muscovy - the Crimean
Khanate and the Ottoman Empire, thus provoking a new campaign of the
Muscovites against Astrakhan. It was headed by governor N. Cheremisinov.
First, the Don Cossacks of the ataman L. Filimonov's detachment defeated
the khan's army near Astrakhan, after which on July 2 Astrakhan was
again taken without a fight. As a result of this campaign, the Astrakhan
Khanate was completely subordinated to the Moscow kingdom.
In
1558, the Astrakhan Khanate was annexed to the Russian state. The
indication "Tsar of Astrakhan" was included in the official title of the
Russian autocrat. Moved to a new location in 1558 around the fortress,
the city of Astrakhan became a reliable military and political outpost
in the south of Russia, a transshipment base for its advance to the
Caucasus and the Asian Caspian Sea, a center of active trade and
interstate ties. This is how the Astrakhan Voivodeship was formed. In
1569, the Turks unsuccessfully besieged the Astrakhan fortress. In 1597,
the construction of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery for Men, begun in
1578, was completed in Astrakhan.
In the 17th century, trade,
fish and salt industries were developing in the Astrakhan region. In the
middle of the century, an uprising by Stepan Razin took place on the
territory of the Astrakhan region.
In 1705-1706, local residents
rebelled against the policy of Peter I. Taking into account the special
and growing role of Astrakhan as the most important city of Russia in
trade and political relations, Peter I on November 22, 1717 signed a
decree on the founding of the Astrakhan province and the annexation of a
number of cities to it: Simbirsk, Samara, Syzransk, Kashkar, Saratov,
Petrovsky, Dmitrovsky, Tsaritsyn, Cherny Yar, Krasny Yar, Guryev and
Terek. Astrakhan province was determined to play an important role in
Russia's relations with the East. In the Caspian Sea and the Volga,
Peter I saw the main highway connecting the entire trade of Russia and
Europe with India, Iran and Central Asia. The government was interested
in directing the flow of eastern goods along the Caspian-Volga route.
In 1722, a shipyard was built near the mouth of the Kutum River,
which received the name of the Astrakhan Admiralty. In 1730-1740, the
processing of silk and cotton began in the Astrakhan province.
The administrative term "Astrakhan region" first arose in 1785, when it
(May 5, according to the old style) was separated along with the
Caucasian region as part of the Caucasian vicegerency. However, the
Astrakhan province existed for a longer period - from 1717 to 1785 and
then from 1802 to 1928. By decree of November 15, 1802, the Astrakhan
province was divided into Astrakhan and Caucasian. However, the
separation of the Astrakhan province from the Caucasus was completed
only on January 6, 1832, when the corresponding decree was signed.
Until the revolutionary events of 1918-1920, it also included the
Kalmyk steppe and the Kirghiz-Kaisat (that is, Kazakh) internal Bukeev
horde, which later led to certain difficulties in territorial
delimitation and drawing new borders, which did not pass the full state
codification .
In Soviet times, the territory of the modern
Astrakhan region was included in the Astrakhan province, the Lower Volga
region, the Lower Volga region, the Stalingrad region and the Stalingrad
region until December 27, 1943, when the Astrakhan region was created by
the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (it
included part districts of the abolished Kalmyk ASSR and the Astrakhan
district of the Stalingrad region).
At the end of 2010, a number
of experts announced the real possibility of merging the Volgograd and
Astrakhan regions into a single Lower Volga region. At the same time,
the emphasis is on the Astrakhan region, its potential and the regional
elite.
The industrial complex of the economic center of the region -
Astrakhan - is represented by shipbuilding, pulp and paper production,
and the fish processing industry. The leading industries are mechanical
engineering, electric power industry, food industry. The region has
practically inexhaustible reserves of gas, oil and sulfur. In general,
the industry of the city remains unprofitable. This is mainly the
influence of the fuel industry, which accounts for a third of the losses
of the industry, as well as shipbuilding, the radio industry and the
electric power industry. At the same time, industry losses in comparison
with 2002 decreased by 28.9%.
In the Astrakhan region, 40 km from
the city of Astrakhan, there is a SEZ "LOTOS", bordering the countries
of the Caspian basin, at the intersection of the International transit
transport corridor "North-South". SEZ "LOTOS" was established in 2015 to
accommodate industrial facilities related to shipbuilding, mechanical
engineering, as well as other high-tech industries.
Akhtubinsky
district (about 70.2 thousand people) is located in the north-eastern
part of the region. On its territory there is a military training
ground, branches of defense industry enterprises. The main enterprises
are OAO Bassol (production of food products), OAO Mineral-Knauf
(production of building materials), OAO Akhtubinsky SSRZ (engineering),
OAO Cannery and ZAO Akhtubinsky Meat Processing Plant.
Kamyzyaksky district (about 50.3 thousand people) occupies a leading
position in the Astrakhan region in the production and processing of
agricultural products. The main areas of agriculture are vegetable
growing, melon growing, rice growing, meat and dairy cattle breeding.
The industry of the district is represented by the following industries:
shipbuilding (one of the oldest enterprises is OJSC Volgo-Caspian
Shipyard), light, printing, flour and cereal industries, production of
building materials, etc.
The fuel industry is the main branch of the Astrakhan region, as the
Astrakhan gas condensate field is located here, the largest in the
European part of Russia. The Astrakhan gas complex, which includes gas
fields and a gas processing plant, operates on the basis of this gas
condensate field. The complex is specialized in the production of
technical gas sulfur, motor gasoline, diesel and boiler fuel,
propanobutane fraction. Mechanical engineering is developed in the
region (shipbuilding, production of press-forging equipment,
compressors, etc.).
Compared to the 1990s, by 2003 the share of
products of the fuel industry of the Astrakhan region in the Russian
Federation (from 8% to 60%) and electric power industry (from 2% to 11%)
had significantly increased, due to the critical state of the commercial
reserves of the Caspian basin, it significantly decreased the share of
food industry products (from 36% to 9%), and there was also a decrease
in the share of light industry products (from 27% to 1%). The best per
capita coefficients for the production of metal-cutting machine tools
are 4 (fourth place among all recorded types of industrial products in
the regions of the Russian Federation), natural gas, primary oil
refining.
As of the beginning of 2020, 17 power plants with a total capacity of
1029.25 MW were operated in the Astrakhan region, including 13 solar
power plants and 4 thermal power plants. In 2019, they produced 4,106
million kWh of electricity[79].
Agriculture
The volume of
agricultural production in the Astrakhan region in 2020 is 53.1 billion
rubles, of which crop production is 30.8 billion rubles, animal
husbandry is 22.3 billion rubles. Production index 102.3%. The volume of
production by agricultural organizations is 5.8 billion rubles.
The Astrakhan region is one of the few regions of the Russian
Federation that has not only preserved, but also increased the number of
livestock. Every year a regional exhibition of breeding farm animals is
held in the region.
Cattle are represented by the main dairy
breeds: Simmental, Red Steppe and Black-and-White.
The leading
branch of animal husbandry in the Astrakhan region is sheep breeding.
The region has a unique genetic fund of sheep of fine-fleeced, karakul,
meat-wool and edilbay breeds, providing great opportunities for wool
production.
As of January 1, 2020, in farms of all categories
(agricultural organizations), the number of cattle amounted to 294.1
thousand heads (10.0 thousand), including cows - 156.2 thousand heads
(5.5 thousand), sheep and goats - 1408.8 thousand heads (45.9 thousand),
pigs - 3.1 thousand heads (300), birds 1993.6 thousand heads (1459.9
thousand).
The number of cattle in all categories of farms in the
region as of 2016 amounted to 279.6 thousand heads, including cows -
142.7 thousand heads, sheep and goats - 1,545 thousand heads. The volume
of livestock production in farms of all categories amounted to:
livestock and poultry for slaughter in live weight 45.5 thousand tons
(100%), milk 142.1 thousand tons (100.7%), eggs 254.4 million pieces
(114% ).
The fishery complex of the Astrakhan region covers all the main areas
of activity: catching aquatic biological resources, reproduction,
commercial fish farming (aquaculture), processing of raw materials,
production of various types of fish products, scientific research, and
training of specialists. The fishing industry includes over 200
enterprises and organizations of various forms of ownership and
activities, employing about 6 thousand people. The volume of withdrawal
of aquatic biological resources in 2017 is set at 51.3 thousand tons, of
which 29.4 thousand tons are quota-bound.
The natural and
climatic conditions of the Astrakhan region are favorable for the
development of aquaculture. Currently, 134 enterprises operate in the
region, the area of used water bodies is about 32 thousand hectares.
Cultivation of cyprinid fish species (carp, white and bighead carp,
grass carp) is carried out in the Astrakhan region in engineering-type
ponds and natural reservoirs (ilmeny). Cultivation of sturgeon species
(Russian sturgeon, beluga, sterlet, bester) is carried out in cage lines
located on the watercourses of the Volga delta. Currently, there are 36
industrial aquaculture enterprises, the total area of which is about 85
hectares. The annual volume of commercial sturgeon production is 400-450
tons, food caviar is 8-10 tons. In total, there are 163 fish breeding
sites in the Astrakhan region with a total area of 10.5 thousand
hectares, 71 of which were formed in 2016.
Agricultural land is more than 3.4 million hectares. The areas
occupied by vegetable crops are the largest among all subjects of the
Russian federation. 350,000 tons of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants,
marrows, cucumbers, carrots, beets, onions and cabbage are grown
annually in the fields of the region. Traditional in the Astrakhan
region is the production of rice, which is grown along the Volga. The
climatic conditions of the region allow for two crops of potatoes per
year. The introduction of high-quality seed material of domestic, Dutch
and German varieties into production is a determining factor in
obtaining high, stable yields.
The Astrakhan region is the leader
in the cultivation of tomatoes in open ground, with a share of 75.5%
(665.4 thousand tons) of the total harvest in Russia in 2021, and in the
cultivation of gourds, with a share of 48.1% (323.6 thousand tons ) from
the total collection in Russia in 2021.
The Astrakhan region is
the second after the Volgograd region region of Russia in the
cultivation of onions. On an industrial basis, it is cultivated using
drip irrigation. The gross harvest of onions in 2021 in the region
amounted to 276.7 thousand tons (26.2% of the total harvest in Russia).
In 2020, the gross harvest of grain and leguminous crops is 46.8
thousand tons (in weight after processing), of which rice is 22.2
thousand tons, spring barley is 11.3 thousand tons, winter wheat is 10.4
thousand tons.
In 2020, the gross harvest of fruits, berries and
grapes in farms of all categories: pome fruits 3484 thousand tons, yield
53.33 c/ha, stone fruit 7418 thousand tons, yield 96.98 c/ha, walnut 421
thousand tons, yield 59.5 c/ha, berries 3563 thousand tons, yield 105.47
c/ha. Total fruit and berry plantations (including citrus fruits) 15197
thousand tons, plantations in fruiting age 1706.11 ha. Vineyards 2128
thousand tons, yield 145.86 kg/ha.
There are 6 universities and more than 10 branches of universities in
other regions of Russia in the region.
Several scientific
organizations operate in the Astrakhan region:
Federal State Budget
Scientific Institution All-Russian Research Institute of Irrigated
Vegetable and Melon Growing, address: Astrakhan region, Kamyzyak
district, Kamyzyak, st. Lubicha, 16. Specializes in breeding and
genetics of agricultural vegetables and gourds, studies the problems of
development of delta landscapes.
Astrakhan experimental station of
the All-Russian Institute of Plant Industry named after N.I. Vavilov,
address: St. Petersburg, st. Bolshaya Morskaya, 42-44 (administration),
Astrakhan region, Privolzhsky district. At the station, collections of
rice, watermelon, melon, pumpkin, tomatoes, and some leguminous crops
are maintained and studied.
FGBNU Caspian Research Institute of Arid
Agriculture, address: Astrakhan region, Chernoyarsky district, s. Salt
Zaimishche, Severny quarter, house 8. Engaged in improving the seed
production of grain, fodder crops and organizing the technology of their
cultivation in the conditions of arid agriculture of the Caspian
lowland.
GLITs of the Ministry of Defense named after V.P. Chkalov,
address: located in the city of Akhtubinsk, Astrakhan Region. Aviation
research and testing military institution.
Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky
State Nature Reserve, address: Astrakhan region, Akhtubinsk,
Melioratorov microdistrict, 19, apt. 1. The purpose of the reserve is to
preserve the unique natural complexes of Mount Bolshoye Bogdo and the
surroundings of Lake Baskunchak, study their composition and dynamics,
environmental education of the population, and organization of
ecological tourism.
Astrakhan Order of the Red Banner of Labor State
Natural Biosphere Reserve, address: Astrakhan, Tsarev River Embankment,
119. It studies the avifauna and ichthyofauna of the Volga delta.
Church of Peter and Paul (XVII-XVIII centuries, the village of Cherny
Yar);
Kalmyk stone khurul monastery (beginning of the 19th century,
Rechnoye village);
Nicholas-Vysokogorsky Monastery on Churkinsky
Island (late 19th century);
Samosdelskoye settlement - the remains of
a medieval urban settlement (IX-X century);
The mausoleum of
Kurmangazy Sagyrbayuly - in the village of Altynzhar of the present
Volodarsky district of the Astrakhan region of Russia (1896) .;
Petrovsky lighthouse - presumably built by Peter I to organize the
Persian campaign (1722-1723);
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed
Virgin Mary (village Nikolskoe 1884-1899);
Liman khurul is the only
functioning Buddhist temple in the Astrakhan region, located in the
village of Liman;
Kapustin Yar is a missile range in the northwestern
part of the Astrakhan region.
Airapetov, Oleg Rudolfovich (born January 6,
1963, Akhtubinsk) is a Russian historian. Candidate of Historical
Sciences, Associate Professor.
Gaziza Samitova (1862-1928) is an
original Tatar poetess. Daughter of a merchant of the II guild. She
spent most of her life in her native village of Kamenny Yar.
Dyuzhev,
Dmitry Petrovich (born July 9, 1978, Astrakhan) is a Russian theater and
film actor, film director, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.
Among the famous acting works of Dyuzhev are such films as "Blind Man's
Buff", "Island", "It Doesn't Hurt Me", the television series "Brigada"
and others.
Elanskaya, Klavdia Nikolaevna (1898-1972) - Soviet
Russian theater and film actress. People's Artist of the USSR (1948).
Laureate of the Stalin Prize of the first degree (1952).
Zavorotnyuk,
Anastasia Yurievna (April 3, 1971, Astrakhan) - Russian theater and film
actress, TV presenter. Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (2006).
Kudinov, Vasily Alexandrovich (February 17, 1969, Ilyinka village,
Ikryaninsky district, Astrakhan region, RSFSR, USSR - February 11, 2017,
Astrakhan, Russia) - Soviet and Russian handball player. Honored Master
of Sports of the USSR (1992). Honored Master of Sports of Russia (2004).
Kulichev, Ivan Andreevich (1920-1979) - lieutenant general, commander of
the aviation of the Siberian military district, Hero of the Soviet
Union.
Kulteleev, Tair Muldagalievich (1911-1953) - the first Kazakh
legal scholar, one of the organizers of legal science and legal
education in Kazakhstan, a major researcher of Kazakh customary law.
Lidzhiev, Teltya (Kalm. Toolt Liҗin; (born December 22, 1906, Enotaevka
(today - Enotaevsky district, Astrakhan region), Astrakhan province,
Russian Empire - November 1970, Kalmyk ASSR, RSFSR) - Kalmyk rhapsodist,
narrator of the Kalmyk epic " Jangar, jangarchi.
Letuchy, Vladimir
Matveyevich (1943-2015) - Russian translator of poetry and prose from
German.
Lisunov, Boris Pavlovich (August 19, 1898 - November 3, 1946)
- Soviet aircraft designer, colonel engineer, organizer of the
production of the Li-2 aircraft.
Malakhov, Ivan Pavlovich (born June
29, 1953, the village of Pologoe Zaimishche, in the Akhtubinsky
district, Astrakhan region) - Governor of the Sakhalin Region from
August 2003 to August 7, 2007.
Musagaliev, Azamat Takhirovich;
(October 25, 1984, Kamyzyak) - Russian actor, humorist, TV presenter and
musician. Captain of the KVN team "Team of the Kamyzyak Territory",
participant in the show "Once Upon a Time in Russia" and host of the
show "Where is the logic?" on TNT.
Mustafayev, Chingiz Fuad oglu
(Azerb. Çingiz Fuad oğlu Mustafayev; August 29, 1960 - June 15, 1992)
was an Azerbaijani civilian and military journalist who made a
significant contribution to the development of national television.
Collaborated with a number of foreign news agencies. Author of many
reports from the war zone in Nagorno-Karabakh, including the famous
report from the site of the Khojaly massacre. National hero of
Azerbaijan.
Pokusaev, Evgraf Ivanovich (December 6 (19), 1909, the
village of Bolkhuny, Enotaevsky district of the Astrakhan province. -
August 11, 1977, Saratov) - Soviet literary critic. The main works are
devoted to the work of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, N. G. Chernyshevsky.
Redkin, Mark Stepanovich, famous Soviet photojournalist, correspondent
for the TASS Photo Chronicle and the Frontovaya Illustration newspaper
and other publications in the 1920-1930s, military photojournalist on
the battlefields in the Great Patriotic War.
Tomashevich, Olga
Vladimirovna (born May 15, 1956, in Kapustin Yar) is a Soviet and
Russian historian and Egyptologist, a specialist in the culture and
religion of Ancient Egypt, the gender history of Egypt and the Ancient
East, and the history of Egyptology. Candidate of Historical Sciences,
Associate Professor, Deputy Head of the Department of the History of the
Ancient World of the Faculty of History of Moscow State University,
member of the Methodological Committee of the Faculty. Member of the
Russian Association of Antiquities. Fellow of the A. von Humboldt
Foundation.
Tseplyaev, Nikita Fedorovich (born May 28 (June 9), 1891,
Volnoye, Russian Empire - January 2, 1971, Astrakhan, USSR) - Russian
and Soviet military leader, major general.