Volgograd is the largest city and administrative center of the Volgograd Oblast in Russia. Located on the western bank of the Volga River, it covers an area of 859.4 square kilometers and has a population slightly exceeding one million residents.
The city was formerly known as Tsaritsyn from 1589 to 1925, and subsequently as Stalingrad from 1925 to 1961. It currently ranks as the 16th-largest city in Russia by population, the third-largest city in the Southern Federal District, and the fourth-largest city situated along the Volga.