
Kazan (Russian: Каза́нь, IPA: [kɐˈzanʲ]; Tatar
Cyrillic:
Казан, Latin: Qazan) is the capital
and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a
population of 1,143,535, it is the eighth most
populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence
of the Volga
and Kazanka
Rivers in European Russia.
The Kazan Kremlin is a World Heritage Site. In 2005, the Medal
"In Commemoration of the 1000th Anniversary of Kazan" was
established by Russia to denote this landmark event. The multi-ethnic city is
honored by UNESCO and famous for Muslims and Christians living side-by-side in
peace.
In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the right to brand
itself as the "Third Capital" of Russia. In 2009 it was chosen as the
"Sports capital of Russia" and it still is referred to as such. The
city hosted the 2013 Summer Universiade and will host the 2015 World Aquatics Championships,
and 2018 FIFA World Cup.
