Kazan, sometimes spelled Kasan, is a city of west-central Russia on the Volga River east of Moscow. Founded in 1401, the modern city became the capital of a powerful Tartar khanate in 1455 but was conquered by Czar Ivan IV in 1552.

Kazan, is the capital city of Tatarstan, Eastern European Russia, on the Volga River. Kazan's port and shipyards on the Volga make it an important water transport center. Founded in 1401, Kazan became the capital of a powerful, independent Tatar khanate (1445), which emerged from the empire of the Golden Horde. Tolstoy and Lenin studied at the University of Kazan, founded in 1804.

The city also has a branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, an ancient cathedral, several monasteries, mosques, and the Russian Islamic University Medrese, founded 1998. Kazan is also famous for it's museums, theaters, restaurants and breathtaking views.

Pictures of Kazan. Property of GotoKazan.com

Tatarstan is situated in the centre of Russian Federation on the East European plain, in the conjunction of two largest rivers of Europe - Volga and Kama.

It is a sovereign state, subject to international law associated with the Russian Federation on the basis of Treaty about mutually delegated rights and objects of treatment.

The territory of the republic is about 67 836.2 km. The capital of the republic is the city of Kazan.

More than 70 nationalities live here, the most numerous of which are Tatars and Russians. The state languages are Tatar and Russian. The population of the republic is about 3 773 800 people.

From the economic point of view, Tatarstan is one of the highly developed republics of the Russian Federation. The basic resources are oil, land, water resources.

The republic has powerful scientific and intellectual potential. The leading branches of the industry: oil extraction and oil chemistry, aircraft, machine-building and device-making.