Tambov

Capital city of Tambov oblast (region), Russian Federation; population (1996 est) 318,000. Tambov lies 400 km/249 mi southeast of Moscow. The city contains engineering works (making machine tools and agricultural equipment), food-processing factories, and chemical plants, and stands at a major railway junction.

Tambov was founded in 1636 as a fortress in the southern defence line of Muscovy against Tatar attack. It became a provincial capital in 1779. Prior to the collectivization of agriculture in the early Soviet era, it was an important centre of trade in grain and cattle.

Tambov

Oblast (region) of the western Russian Federation; area 34,300 sq km/13,243 sq mi; population (1996) 1,310,000 (58% urban). The capital is Tambov. Grain, potatoes, sunflowers, and sugar beet are cultivated, and cattle, pigs, sheep, and horses are bred. Industries include food processing, and chemical and textile production.

The region is situated on the Oka–Don plain in the black earth (chernozem) belt. Some 10% of the region is covered with mixed forests, and there are plentiful peat deposits. Cities in the region include Michurinsk.