AZOV, a town on the left bank of the river Don, 20m. from its mouth, in the north Caucasian area of the R.S.F.S.R. (47° 5' N., 39° 22' E.). It was formerly a port, but the harbour is now silted and trade has been diverted to Taganrog and Rostov-on Don. The chief occupation of the town is fishing. Pop. 17,48o (1926). The ancient Tanais lay 1 om. north and the Genoese fac tory, Tana, was here. Formerly Azov was of military importance; it was captured by Peter the Great in 1696, restored to the Turks in 1711 and finally became Russian in