Astrakhan

Astrakhan, a government and city of Southern Russia, north of the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus. Originally a province of the Mongol Empire, it was conquered by Russia in 1554: Most of its surface is covered with barren plains and salt lakes, but the banks of the Volga are fertile enough. The population in 1882 was 708,911. The city of Astrakhan stands on an island in the Volga about 30 miles from its mouth. The sheepskins are noted in commerce; the fisheries are highly productive, and there is a large trade with Persia and the East in furs, silk, shagreen, iron, etc. It is the seat of both an Armenian and a Greek Archbishopric.