Akhtubinsk town is located in Near-Caspian Lowland, on the left bank of Akhtuba (an armlet of Volga), 292 km to the north of Astrakhan.

It has railway stations Vladimirovka and Akhtuba on the line Volgograd – Astrakhan and a river port. Is connected to the highways Moscow - Astrakhan (on the right bank of Volga) and Volgograd - Astrakhan (on the left bank of Volga).

The town with the area of 43 sq km has the population of 42 128 persons (2010). The principal employer and mainstay of the entire town is the V.P.Tchkalov State Flying Test Center.

One of the major sights of Ahtubinsk District is the Bogdinsko-Baskunchak Reserve including Russia’s largest salty lake Baskunchak and the highest point in Near-Caspian Lowland – Mount Big Bogdo (with an absolute elevation of +152,5 meters). One can take excursions of various distance (7, 12 and 70 km long) around the nature reserve, including the survey of sights Green Garden», natural boundary Sharbulak, salty lake Baskunchak, karst fields, funnels and coves.

History of Akhtubinsk

The resettlement village Vladimirovka founded in the early 19th century was consolidated with the workers’ settlement Petropavlovsky, and the station settlement Akhtuba and transformed into Ahtubinsk town in 1959.

According to the census of 1959 the population of Ahtubinsk before the consolidation was 15.2 thousand people and after it - 22.3 thousand people. The town was named after River Akhtuba that it stands on.