Astrakhan

The city of Astrakhan is conveniently located on the islands of the Caspian lowland, in the uppermost part of the Volga. Such an advantageous geographical position allowed the ancient city to become the largest transport hub of the entire Lower Volga region. Railway and air traffic, the sea and river port of the Volga-Caspian basin have made the city a frequently visited place not only in the list of connoisseurs of rich cultural heritage. The administrative center of the Astrakhan region is also very attractive from an economic point of view: the gifts of the mighty Volga are valued in every corner of vast Russia.

The formation of the ancient city was preceded by a stubborn confrontation of the Russian state with the Tatar khanates (Astrakhan and Kazan), whose possessions included the Lower and Middle Volga. It is worth noting that this territory had a huge political and economic significance for the Russian principalities.

In 1556, Ivan the Terrible managed to annex the Astrakhan Principality to the borders of Russia. It remained only to strengthen the defense of the future Astrakhan, located in the open steppe. Then the only right decision was to move the city to another, more reliable place – it became a hillock on the left bank of the Volga. In order to significantly strengthen the protection of the annexed lands, it was decided to build a stone kremlin around the city. Mighty walls, fortified with seven towers, have become a significant obstacle for restless opponents. This beautiful architectural monument, like an echo of history, is still the hallmark of the city.

Astrakhan received the administrative status of a city only under Peter I. Over time, the outlines of Astrakhan became more and more familiar. The city acquired the final contours in 1943. Now it is a prosperous corner of Russia with its own special flavor, which is only being improved in economic and socio-cultural development.

As for the climate in the Astrakhan region, here it is moderately continental. How does this manifest itself? In winter, the temperature in the city is slightly below the norm accepted for this geographical latitude. The average values are 12C for the north side and -8C for the south. Frosts are not a rare phenomenon for Astrakhan residents. The thermometer may drop to - 30C. The hottest summer month is July, the temperature during this period reaches +25C.

The annual values of the oscillation frequency in Astrakhan range from 180-200 mm in southern climatic conditions and up to 280-290 mm in northern ones. In winter it snows, sometimes wet, and it also rains. Heavy rains prevail in summer, sometimes with thunderstorms and hail. The average wind speed during the year is 4-8 m/sec. Occasionally, these indicators can exceed all the mark of 18-20 m / s.

In June 1945, a tornado was recorded on the territory of the village of Tambovka, with a wind speed of 45 m / s, destroying buildings and breaking electrical wires. In general, the climate in the city is quite favorable. In summer, sea breezes dominate on the shores of the Caspian Sea. In winter, when the northern part of the Caspian freezes, breezes do not accumulate.

Astrakhan is an actively growing and continuously developing city. This fact, unfortunately, did not have the most favorable effect on the ecological situation of the area. She is tense at the moment. The reason for this is not only the geographical location of Astrakhan, but also the active human activity, which affects the environment rather negatively.

Industrial enterprises, utilities and transport are recognized as the strongest sources of pollution. For your information, the share of the latter in the city reaches 70%. Specific natural conditions do not allow creating spacious highways. Astrakhan is a network of winding narrow streets with a large number of intersections. As a result, cars move at a low speed, making frequent stops. This inevitably leads to high air pollution.

It is worth paying special attention to the insufficient landscaping of Astrakhan. This is due to the peculiarities of the climate, leading to increased salinization of soils due to the constant flooding of the city. Environmental discomfort often leads to the emergence of specific diseases among the population. As a rule, the respiratory, digestive and immune systems suffer. As for the adjacent territory polluting the environment, the gas processing plant in Aksaraysk has become the undisputed leader here.

The population as of the beginning of 2014 is 531 thousand people. Multiculturalism is one of the key features of this region. Astrakhan is home to more than 100 ethnic groups and about 20 religious denominations.

As for the percentage of nationalities, according to 2010 data, about 78% are Russians; 7% are distributed among Tatars; 5% are given to Kazakhs; 1.3% are "owned" by Azerbaijanis. Of course, it is worth taking into account the fact that over time, the percentages of the national composition of the population may change due to constant migration. For example, the share of the peoples of the North Caucasus is increasing significantly and is currently among the four predominant national groups in the region.

The average age of Astrakhan residents is 36 years. The able-bodied population reached the mark of 60%. This was facilitated by the active revival of the economy of the city and the region. Employment of the population in the agricultural sector and the service sector is high, compared with the average Russian indicators. In the field of healthcare and education, huge forces of the able-bodied population of Astrakhan are also involved - more than 20%.

The unemployment rate in the Astrakhan region is slightly higher than the average in Russia (11%). In general, in the Astrakhan region, the indicator of the unemployed population for the share of the economically active is 2.2%. In the city, this value is lower - 1%. The shortage of jobs for the local population is caused by the influx of migrants, who are gradually displacing Astrakhan residents and occupying open vacancies. Temporary migrants looking for seasonal earnings cause considerable trouble to indigenous residents and authorities. From April to August, their number was 38 thousand people per month. In October-November, the indicator drops to 20 thousand.

In the field of education, there is an underdevelopment of institutions of the highest level. But this is compensated by secondary vocational education - the share of the able-bodied population accounts for 47% of specialists who graduated from the SUZ.

The life expectancy of Astrakhan residents is higher than in other regions of Russia and is 65.5 years. But still, with a fairly high provision of doctors (64 specialists per 10 thousand people – 5th place in Russia), the percentage of mortality from tuberculosis is high in the Astrakhan region. This negative fact is caused by a high migration flow and an unfavorable environmental situation.

Interestingly, according to 2010 data, there are 1,134 representatives of the fair sex per 1,000 men. Unfortunately, men often die in the prime of life – at the working age (this is as much as 40% of the total mortality). The reasons for such early care are accidents at work, poisoning or injury.

In general, the demographic situation in Astrakhan has a positive trend – the birth rate exceeds the death rate. This is confirmed by the annual population growth.

The housing and utilities sector has always remained a sore spot in many regions of the Russian Federation. Astrakhan is no exception. To date, there are a lot of un-patched "holes" in the housing and communal services of the city and the region. The reason is not only the unwillingness of officials to fulfill their role, as many locals believe. Astrakhan residents themselves make a big contribution to the crisis of the entire structure: low solvency of the population, rapid deterioration of housing buildings and housing and communal services infrastructure and the low attractiveness of the industry in question for business structures. All these factors together give rise to the current situation in the housing and communal services of Astrakhan today.

In general, there is a significant percentage of dilapidated and dilapidated housing in the city, the condition of roads and pavement leaves much to be desired, the improvement of yard territories is insufficient. But, despite these factors, reform and the search for ways out of the crisis situation in housing and communal services are still underway. So, programs of capital repairs of dilapidated housing are gradually being implemented and 154 objects have been put in order by 2010. Programs are being implemented to improve energy conservation and energy efficiency. Boiler houses of the city are supplied with new equipment that optimizes water treatment. In all districts of the city, collective installation of metering devices for water consumption and energy supply is being carried out in homes. According to 2010 data, more than 1,750 meters were installed in Astrakhan. Roads and the transport network make a significant contribution to the development of the city's infrastructure.In the Astrakhan region, the length of highways is 4771.5 km, of which 3806 km are public roads. There are three highways of federal significance laid here. One of them is the highway M–6 “Caspian” Moscow (Kashira) - Astrakhan.

Currently, new roads are being actively built on the territory of the Astrakhan region and old ones are being reconstructed, as well as bridges are being built. But, despite this, the existing road network does not meet the demands of the actively developing economy of the region and requires significant investments (in particular, service and engineering support).

Astrakhan airport has the status of an international airport. Due to its convenient geographical location, airlines in Russia and other countries use it as an intermediate flight. Today, the service of transit flights accounts for about 50% of the total volume of work of the Astrakhan airport.

At the moment, the airport has equipped and opened an international sector and established lines from Astrakhan to Turkey, Egypt, Romania, the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus.

The Astrakhan Navy includes the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy. In addition, commercial and service ships ply along the banks of the Volga. As for the railway track, it “came” to the territory of Astrakhan in 1909. Initially, Astrakhan 1 station was a dead end. A Moorish-style station was built here. But later, during the Second World War, the tracks went around the station, and it became longitudinal, not end. There are also stopping points and stations within the city. From public transport in Astrakhan, there are trolleybuses, city buses of medium and large capacity, as well as fixed-route taxis.

Now we propose to pay attention to the development of the education sector in the city, which is important, don't you agree? There are 1115 educational institutions in Astrakhan, where 307.5 thousand people study. Of the entire list, 93% have a license for educational activities. Preschool education is represented by 337 educational institutions, in which more than 27 thousand children are brought up. General education is conducted in 404 general education schools, in which 150.4 thousand children study. In addition, the number of institutions implementing educational programs of an increased level of complexity is growing.

The good news is that in rural areas there is a growing number of schools where in-depth study of subjects is practiced. A foreign language is being introduced into primary classes. Moreover, in 28 schools, children learn two foreign languages at once. Specialized school classrooms are equipped with modern equipment and computer software.

In total, about 66 thousand people are trained in the vocational education system, and 12 thousand teachers work. There are 118 professors and doctors of sciences in the teaching staff, more than 700 people are candidates of sciences. Students are trained in 68 specialties and 29 directions at universities, 84 specialties are mastered by students in secondary specialized educational institutions, 61 professions are represented in primary vocational education, and students are trained in 49 postgraduate programs.

New specialties have appeared in Astrakhan aimed at developing the fuel and energy complex, improving the environmental situation of the region, improving road communication and transport, as well as the development of information systems. In addition, the system of distance education is actively operating.

Undoubtedly, the main advantage of the city, the main item on the list of an avid traveler is the Astrakhan Kremlin, built back in 1558. This historical value was rightfully considered a real defender of the city from the raids of ill-wishers and contributed to the significant strengthening of the Russian state. Initially, the Kremlin was made of wood. Later it was rebuilt in stone. It is noteworthy that on the territory of the Kremlin there are no less beautiful buildings of the 16th-17th century: the Assumption Cathedral – the hallmark of the city, the Trinity Cathedral, the Cyril Chapel and the Bishop's House. That's where the real storehouse of historical monuments is.