Astrakhan Oblast

Subject of the Russian Federation Astrakhan Oblast Астраханская область flag coat of arms Federal district Southern Russia surface 49,024  km² population 1,010,073 inhabitants (as of October 14, 2010) Population density 21 inhabitants / km² Administrative center Astrakhan Official language Russian Ethnic composition Russians (67.6%) Kazakhs (16.3%) Tatars (6.6%) (as of 2010) governor Igor Babushkin Founded December 27, 1943 Time zone UTC + 4 Telephone prefixes (+7) 851xx Postcodes 414000-416999 License Plate 30th OKATO 12 ISO 3166-2 RU-AST Website www.astrobl.ru

Coordinates: 47 ° 11 '  N , 47 ° 9'  E

The Astrakhan oblast ( Russian Астраханская область Astrachanskaja oblast ) is an oblast in Russia with around one million inhabitants. The region on the Caspian Sea forms the eastern edge of the Federal District of Southern Russia of the Russian Federation .

The oblast lies in the Caspian Depression and occupies a narrow strip on the lower reaches of the Volga . South of the city of Astrakhan is the Volga Delta, the largest river delta in Europe, in which the Volga flows into the Caspian Sea. The oblast borders Kalmykia to the west, Volgograd Oblast to the north and Kazakhstan to the east . Despite the proximity to the Caspian Sea, the climate is strictly continental with little rainfall.

In addition to the Russians , the autochthonous population also includes the Kazakhs , Tatars , Nogai Tatars ( Nogai ) and Kalmyks . Other, smaller minorities in the region are Azerbaijanis , Armenians , Chechens and Ukrainians . About 25% of the population are Muslim. The oblast is sparsely populated; without the capital, the population density is less than 10 inhabitants per square kilometer.

Fishing is traditionally economically important, until a few years ago mainly for caviar in the Volga. More recently, oil and gas fields have been discovered that are being exploited.

Administrative division

Astrakhan Oblast is divided into eleven Rajons and two urban districts . A total of 11 urban and 153 rural communities are subordinate to the Rajons (status: 2010).

City districts

	Urban district	Residents	Area (km²)	Population density (inh / km²)
I.	Astrakhan	506.110	209	2422
II	Znamensk	32,414	?	?

Rajons

	Rajon	Residents	Area (km²)	Population density (inh / km²)	Urban population	Rural population	Administrative headquarters	More places	Number of urban communities	Number of rural communities
1	Akhtubinsk	72,494	7810	9	53,449	19,045	Akhtubinsk	Nizhny Baskuntschak , Verkhny Baskuntschak	3	12
10	Charabali	41,038	7100	6th	18,147	22,891	Charabali		1	9
4th	Ikrjanoje	48,736	1950	25th	11,108	37,628	Ikrjanoje	Ilyinka , Krasnye Barrikady	2	15th
3	Jenotayevka	27,970	6300	4th	-	27,970	Jenotayevka		-	14th
5	Kamysjak	50,476	3493	14th	20,970	29,506	Kamysjak	Kirowski , Volgo-Kaspijski	3	17th
6th	Krasny Jar	36,796	5260	7th	-	36,796	Krasny Jar		-	16
7th	Liman	33,433	2100	16	9,192	24,241	Liman		1	15th
8th	Narimanov	46.133	6100	8th	11.094	35,039	Narimanov		1	12
9	Privolschski	43,158	840	51	-	43,158	Natschalovo		-	12
11	Tschorny Yar	20,362	4200	5	-	20,362	Tschorny Yar		-	10
2	Volodarsky	47.993	3887	12	-	47.993	Volodarsky		-	21st

Remarks:

1. ↑ ^{a b} number of the district / district (in alphabetical order of the names in Russian )
2. ↑ SATO (" Closed City ")
3. ^ Urban-type settlements or municipalities

Cities and urban settlements

Astrakhan is the administrative center and only major city of the oblast . There are a total of six cities (including one “closed” ) and seven urban-type settlements in the oblast .

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

City * / City settlement	Russian	City district / Rajon	Residents (October 14, 2010)	coat of arms	location
Akhtubinsk *	Ахтубинск	Akhtubinsk	41,853		48 ° 17 '  N , 46 ° 10'  E
Astrakhan *	Астрахань	Urban district	520.339		46 ° 20 '  N , 48 ° 1'  E
Charabali *	Харабали	Charabali	18,117		47 ° 24 '  N , 47 ° 15'  E
Ilyinka	Ильинка	Ikrjanoje	4,650		46 ° 14 '  N , 47 ° 54'  E
Kamysjak *	Камызяк	Kamysjak	16,314		46 ° 7 '  N , 48 ° 5'  E
Kirowski	Кировский	Kamysjak	2,249		45 ° 51 '  N , 48 ° 8'  E
Krasnye Barricady	Красные Баррикады	Ikrjanoje	6,488		46 ° 12 '  N , 47 ° 54'  E
Liman	Лиман	Liman	9,024		45 ° 47 '  N , 47 ° 14'  E
Narimanov *	Нариманов	Narimanov	11,521		46 ° 41 '  N , 47 ° 51'  E
Nizhny Baskuntschak	Нижний Баскунчак	Akhtubinsk	2,789		48 ° 13 '  N , 46 ° 50'  E
Znamensk *	Знаменск	City District ( SATO )	29,401		48 ° 35 '  N , 45 ° 45'  E
Verkhny Baskuntchak	Верхний Баскунчак	Akhtubinsk	8,411		48 ° 14 '  N , 46 ° 43'  E
Volgo-Kaspijski	Волго-Каспийский	Kamysjak	2,581		46 ° 12 '  N , 47 ° 55'  E

population

The last Russian censuses in 2002 and 2010 showed a population of 1,005,276 and 1,010,073 residents, respectively. Thus, the population increased by 4,797 people (+0.47%) in these eight years. The distribution of the different ethnic groups was as follows:

Population of the oblast by ethnic group

nationality	VZ 1989	percent	VZ 2002	percent	VZ 2010	percent
Russians	713,558	71.97	700,561	69.68	618.204	67.6
Kazakhs	126,500	12.76	142,633	14.19	149,415	16.3
Tatars	71,655	7.23	70,590	7.02	60,523	6.6
Ukrainians	18,714	1.89	12,605	1.25	8,132	0.9
Azerbaijanis	4,530	0.46	8,215	0.82	7,828	0.9
Nogaier	3,958	0.40	4,570	0.45	7,589	0.9
Chechens	7,886	0.80	10,019	1.00	7,229	0.8
Kalmyks	8,191	0.83	7.162	0.71	6,624	0.7
Armenians	2,807	0.28	6,309	0.63	5,824	0.6
Zigane	2,462	0.25	4,331	0.43	5,214	0.6
Residents	991.521	100.00	1.005.276	100.00	1,010,073	100.00

Notes: The proportions refer to the total number of inhabitants. Including the group of people who did not provide any information about their ethnic affiliation (2002 2,963 and 2010 95,217 people). Since the number of people who did not provide information in 2010 is very high, it is difficult to provide precise information

Bank of the Kutum, Volga River, in Astrakhan

The majority of the population in the area is now Russian. The Kazakhs and Tatars are the numerically strongest ethnic minorities in Astrakhan Oblast. Other indigenous peoples such as the Nogai and the Kalmyks make up only a small proportion of the total population. Since 1989 the population of Russians and Tatars has declined, while the proportion of Kazakhs has increased, as has the number of recently immigrated populations.

The proportion of Kazakhs in Astrakhan Oblast is the highest in any Russian region. In some districts near the border, this number is still well above the average of the oblast, for example in Volodarsk Raion (68.05% of the Kazakh population), in Krasny Yar (47.65%), in Kharabali (41.84%) and in Kamysjak (31.05%). Kazakh can be learned in many schools and there are numerous Kazakh associations and cultural centers. There is a Kazakh consulate in Astrakhan, and Ak Arna, a bilingual (Kazakh-Russian) newspaper, has been published in the oblast since 1991 . Since 2007, Kazakh language and literature can be studied at the Astrakhan State University . The Tatars also live mainly in some regions, especially in Priwolschski Rajon, where their population share is above average at 31.05%, and in Narimanow Raion (20.16%). The presence of the Kazakhs and Nogais in the region can be traced back to the Astrakhan Khanate .

The population growth of the region is mainly caused by an increase in the number of inhabitants in the city of Astrakhan itself.

Culture, sights and traditions

The most famous sight of the capital Astrakhan is probably the Astrakhan Kremlin , with which the city has been trying to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage since 2009 . In Astrakhan, historical buildings from various epochs have been preserved to a large extent.

The Ulyanov Family Museum in Astrakhan

• Museums
  • The museums in Astrakhan, see Astrakhan
  • The museum complex in Altynschar
  • The Buddhist Temple (Churul) in Zagan-Aman
  • A museum of the history of fishing in Ikrjanoje
  • The Watermelon Museum in Kamysjak

The Kurmangasi mausoleum near Altynschar village

• Churches, mosques and temples
  • Church in the village of Rasino
  • Church in the village of Marfino
  • Astrakhan mosques
  • The Buddhist temple in Rechnoye village
  • The ruins of the church in the village of Yenotayevka
  • The tombs of Chan Bukej (founder of the Bukej horde) and Seid-Baba in the village of Malyj Aral, a sacred place for the Kazakhs.
  • The mausoleum for the Kazakh composer Kurmangasi in Altynschar

The lighthouse of Peter the Great in the village of Vyshka on the Caspian Sea

• Architectural monuments
  • 19th century lighthouse in the village of Vyshka on the Caspian Sea.
• Traditional festivals and holidays
  • The Kalmuck festival of Zagan Sar in the Kalmuck villages of Astrakhan Oblast
  • The Persian-Turkish holiday Nouruz among the Kazakhs and Nogaiians of Astrakhan Oblast. In Iran, Novrus traditionally takes place on March 23rd, in Astrakhan - to avoid scheduling difficulties with the Russian Maslenitsa - it is often officially not celebrated until a month later, in mid-April.
  • Navy Day on the last Sunday of July.
  • Victory Day on May 9th every year. Victory Day is celebrated with a parade in the city center.

nature

In the Volga Delta

There are several nature reserves in the area of ​​Astrakhan Oblast, including the Astrakhan Nature Reserve. It is primarily ornithologically interesting because of the massive migration of migratory birds in spring and winter; however, there is currently no ringing of migratory birds. Russian and German travel companies offer excursions to the nature reserve. Another big reserve is the Bogdo Baskunchak Nature Reserve to the Salt Lake Baskunchak .

Sand dunes in the steppe near Astrakhan

Large parts of the Astrakhan region are steppe landscape, in contrast to this is the Volga delta in the southern part . Several uninhabited islands in the Caspian Sea belong to the oblast, including Blinow and Batkatschny .

Species such as bee-eater , hoopoe and various limikoles can be seen in Astrakhan Oblast . The oblast is rich in various amphibians, but also reptiles such as turtles and snakes, due to the natural spatial diversity of the steppe, the floodplain regions of the Volga and Akhtuba as well as the Caspian Sea.

politics

Former Governor of Astrakhan Oblast Alexander Shilkin

Igor Babushkin has been the governor of the oblast since September 2019 (as of June 2020). Alexander Schilkin was in office before him .

In the Astrakhan Oblast Duma, which has 56 members, the United Russia party has the largest number of 33 members. The second largest group is Fair Russia / Pensioners / Life with 7 MPs, followed by the Communists with 6 and the Astrakhan and Astrakhan Region groups with 4 MPs each.

Web links

Commons : Astrakhan Oblast  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Astrakhan Oblast website
• English and Russian short messages from Kawkaski Usel from Astrakhan Oblast

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Administrativno-territorialʹnoe delenie po subʺektam Rossijskoj Federacii na 1 janvarja 2010 goda (administrative-territorial division according to subjects of the Russian Federation as of January 1, 2010). ( Download from the website of the Federal Service for State Statistics of the Russian Federation)
2. ↑ ^{a b} Itogi Vserossijskoj perepisi naselenija 2010 goda. Tom 1. Čislennostʹ i razmeščenie naselenija (Results of the All-Russian Census 2010. Volume 1. Number and distribution of the population). Tables 5 , pp. 12-209; 11 , pp. 312–979 (download from the website of the Federal Service for State Statistics of the Russian Federation)
3. ↑ Nacional'nyj sostav naselenija po sub "ektam Rossijskoj Federacii. (XLS) In: Itogi Vserossijskoj perepisi naselenija 2010 goda. Rosstat, accessed on June 30, 2016 (Russian, ethnic composition of the population according to federal subjects , results of the 2010 census). 
4. ↑ ^{a b} Population figures 2010 at the Federal Service for State Statistics of Russia (calculation as of January 1; Excel file; 562 kB)
5. ↑ http://www.zakon.kz/60496-astrakhanskaja-oblast-ostaetsja.html