Saratov

The name Saratov may have been derived from, Sarı Taw (Сары Тау), meaning "Yellow Mountain" in the Tatar language. Another version of the name originates from the words, Sar Atau, which means [the] "Boggy Island".

Uvek, a city of the Golden Horde, stood near the site of the modern city of Saratov from the mid-13th century until its destruction by Tamerlane in 1395. While the exact date of the foundation of modern Saratov is unknown, plausible theories date it to ca. 1590, during the reign (1584–1598) of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, who constructed several settlements along the Volga River in order to secure the southeastern boundary of his state. Town status was granted to it in 1708. As the city was not strongly fortified, it was captured by the Cossacks and Kalmyks several times. Cossack insurgents captured it in 1671, 1708 and 1774. Administratively, the city was part of the Kazan Governorate, then the Astrakhan Governorate, before it became the capital of the newly formed Saratov Viceroyalty in 1780, renamed to the Saratov Governorate in 1797. In c. …

Saratov has a moderately continental climate with warm summers, relatively dry climate and an abundance of sunny days. The warmest month is July with daily mean temperature near +23 °C (73 °F); the coldest is February, at −8 °C (18 °F). Summers are hot and in Saratov daytime temperatures of +30 °C (86 °F) or higher are commonplace, up to +40.9 °C (105.6 °F) during a heat wave in 2010. Snow and ice are dominant during the winter season. Days well above freezing and nights below −25 °C (−13 °F) both occur in the winter.