| Azov (English) Азов (Russian) |
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| - Town - | |
Location of Rostov Oblast in Russia |
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Azov
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| Administrative status | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Rostov Oblast |
| Municipal status | |
| Urban okrug | Azov Urban Okrug |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 66.7 km2 (25.8 sq mi) |
| Population (2010 Census, preliminary) |
82,882 inhabitants[1] |
| - Rank in 2010 | 199th |
| Population (2002 Census) | 82,090 inhabitants[2] |
| - Rank in 2002 | 198th |
| Density | 1,243 /km2 (3,220 /sq mi)[3] |
| Time zone | MSD (UTC+04:00)[4] |
| Founded | 13th century[5] |
| Postal code(s) | 346780[6] |
| Dialing code(s) | +7 86342 |
Azov (Russian: Азов; IPA: [aˈzof]) is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town. Population: 82,882 (2010 Census preliminary results);[1] 82,090 (2002 Census);[2] 80,297 (1989 Census).[7]
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The mouth of the Don River has always been an important commercial center. At the start of the 3rd century BCE, the Greeks from the Kingdom of Bosporus founded a colony here, which they called Tanais (after the Greek name of the river). Several centuries later, in the last third of 1st century BCE, the settlement was burnt down by king Polemon I of Pontus. The introduction of Greek colonists restored its prosperity, but the Goths practically annihilated it in the 3rd century. The site of ancient Tanais, now occupied by Nedvigovka village, has been excavated since the mid-19th century.
In the 10th century, the area passed under control of the Slavic princedom of Tmutarakan. The Kypchaks, seizing the area in 1067, renamed it Azaq (i.e., lowlands), from which appellation the modern name is derived. The Golden Horde claimed most of the coast in the 13th and 14th centuries, but the Venetian and Genoese merchants were granted permission to settle on the site of modern-day Azov and founded there a colony which they called Tana (or La Tana).
In autumn 2000, Thor Heyerdahl wanted to further investigate his idea that Scandinavians may have migrated from the South via waterways. He was on the trail of Odin (Wotan), the Germanic and Nordic god of the mythologies of the early sagas. According to Snorre, the Icelandic author of the Nordic Sagas, who wrote in the 13th century, Odin was supposed to have migrated from the region of the Caucasus or the area just east of the Black Sea near the turn of the first century AD. Heyerdahl was particularly interested in Snorre's reference to the land of origin of the Æsir people. Heyerdahl wanted to test the veracity of Snorre and, consequently, organized the Joint Archaeological Excavation in Azov, Russia, in 2001. He had wanted to undertake a second excavation the following year, but it never happened. He died in April 2002.[8]
In 1471, the Ottoman Empire gained control of the area and built the strong fortress of Azak (Azov).
The fort blocked the Don Cossacks from raiding and trading into the Black Sea. The Cossacks had attacked Azov in 1574, 1593, 1620 and 1626. In April 1637 3,000 Don and 4,000 Zaporozhian Cossacks besieged Azov (the Turks had 4000 soldiers and 200 cannon). The fort fell on 21 June and the Cossacks sent a request to the Czar for re-enforcements and support. A commission recommended against this because of the danger of war with Turkey and poor state of the fortifications. In June 1641 Hussein Deli, Pasha of Silistria invested the fort with 70-80,000 men. In September they had to withdraw because of disease and provisioning shortfalls. A second Russian commission reported that the siege had left very little of the walls. In March 1642, Sultan Ibrahim issued an ultimatum and Czar Mikhail ordered the Cossacks to evacuate. The Turks reoccupied Azov in September 1642.[9]
The town, however, had yet to pass through many vicissitudes. During the Azov campaigns of (1696), Peter the Great, who desired naval access to the Mediterranean Sea, managed to recover the fortress.[10] Azov achieved town status in 1708, but the disastrous Pruth Campaign constrained him to hand it back to the Turks in 1711.[11] A humorous description of the events is featured in Voltaire's Candide. During the Great Russo-Turkish War it was taken by the army under Count Rumyantsev and finally ceded to Russia under the terms of Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji (1774). For seven years Azov was a capital of a separate government but, with the growth of neighboring Rostov-on-the-Don, gradually declined in importance. It was occupied by Germany between July 1942-February 1943 during World War II.
Sergey Bezdolnyy (United Russia) elected on 3 April 2005. Re-elected on 11 October 2009 - 72.9 per cent. Next election - October 2014.
Azov's climate is humid continental (Köppen climate classification Dfa), featuring hot summers, cold winters (though quite mild for Russia), and fairly low precipitation.
| Climate data for Azov | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −0.9 (30.4) |
0.3 (32.5) |
6.2 (43.2) |
16.3 (61.3) |
22.8 (73.0) |
26.5 (79.7) |
28.7 (83.7) |
27.9 (82.2) |
22.5 (72.5) |
14.6 (58.3) |
7.5 (45.5) |
2.5 (36.5) |
14.58 (58.24) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −7.2 (19.0) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
6.4 (43.5) |
12.3 (54.1) |
16.3 (61.3) |
18.1 (64.6) |
16.8 (62.2) |
11.9 (53.4) |
5.8 (42.4) |
1.4 (34.5) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
5.93 (42.68) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 47 (1.85) |
37 (1.46) |
31 (1.22) |
43 (1.69) |
53 (2.09) |
67 (2.64) |
51 (2.01) |
37 (1.46) |
36 (1.42) |
30 (1.18) |
46 (1.81) |
61 (2.4) |
539 (21.22) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 82 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organisation (UN) [12] | |||||||||||||
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