Kazan – the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan – is one of the largest Russian centres of culture, science and economy. The city shelters about 1100 thousand people of more than 100 nationality and covers area of about 425.3 square km located on the pgleft bank of the Volga River and on both banks of the Kazanka River. Kazan celebrated its millennium anniversary on 30 August 2005. Kazan’s history is closely linked with ancient civilization of Tatars and Bulgars. The city, located between Europe and Asia, connects East and West and keeps up the traditions of two great cultures.

Kazan with its fascinating Kremlin, beautiful mosques, churches and museums, is unique for sightseeing – it is included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Kazan is the city of theatres, museums, music, international festivals, newest technologies, business partnerships and rich scientific potential.

The city of Kazan hosts many industrial enterprises - aviation and chemical industry are among most developed in the region. The city also leads an active international life – it hosts Days of Finland, USA, it welcomes Orthodox culture, it cooperates with Afghanistan, Germany and Latvia. Combining East and West Kazan has residents of many nations and nationalities - here one can hear over a hundred dialects. 158 religious communities and organizations are registered in the capital of Tatarstan, four higher theological educational institutions among them.

Transport is well organized in Kazan – over 150 bus, trolley bus and tram routes pierce the city. First subway line was opened recently. You will also have no problems with phone calls – wide cellular network together with city telephone network covers the city. Numerous shops and supermarkets will provide you with all necessary consumer goods.

Kazan offers lots of opportunities for getting any type of education – it has a variety of educational institutions: from kindergartens to universities. Kazan’s cultural life keeps up ancient traditions and variety of events held in the city. The city provides wide range of cultural events to its guests and citizens – State Concert Hall, National cultural centre “Kazan” and Tatar State Philharmonic Hall are worth-visiting spots of the city. Kazan also has several large libraries – perfect for bookworms and those, who are simply fond of reading. As much as seven theatres are jewels in Kazan’s crown of culture – they hosted International Opera Festival, International Festival of classical ballet, International modern music festival “Europe-Asia” and many other events. Kazan also has a circus, several cinemas, picture galleries and a water park.

Kazan uses Moscow time.

Currency: Russian rouble. You can find information on currency exchange rates on the official website of the Central Bank of Russian Federation.

Area of the city: 425,3 square km.

Population density: 2671 persons per square km.

Administrative division: 7 administrative districts and prefectures.

Official languages of the Tatarstan Republic are – Tatar and Russian.

Banks of Kazan approve following plastic cards for payment: Visa, MasterCard, MostCard, STB, UnionCard, EuroCard, American Express.

State banks serve customers from 9.00 till 19.00 Monday to Friday and till 18.00 on Saturday. Sunday is a day off.

Museums are open from 10.00 till 17.00 with Monday as a day off.

Sources:

    www.kazan1000.ru

    www.tatar.ru