Arkhangelsk Oblast the main shipyard for the Russian Navy. Among the oldest populated places of the oblast are Kholmogory, Kargopol, and Solvychegodsk; there are a number of Russian Orthodox monasteries, including the Antoniev Siysky Monastery and the World Heritage Site of the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea. Plesetsk Cosmodrome is one of three spaceports in Russia (the other two are Kapustin Yar in Astrakhan Oblast and Yasny in Orenburg Oblast). Arkhangelsk Oblast, which includes Nenets Autonomous Okrug, borders Kirov Oblast, Vologda Oblast, the Republic of Karelia, the Komi Republic, and the White, Pechora, Barents and Kara seas. Cape Fligely in Franz
Astrakhan population of 100,000, Astrakhan is a welcoming place to all visitors. Many of the buildings in the city are the same ones that stood throughout history. While today they may just be banks, shops and offices, at one point they may have been Cathedrals, Monasteries and military headquarters. This historical architecture is in addition to the recent high rises built to make the city more urban and modern.Starting nearly 400 years ago and continuing to present day, Astrakhan has been Russia's main center of fish procession. The market for fish is a large component of the economy in this city.