This 1822 map of Tambov Province is from a larger work, Geograficheskii atlas Rossiiskoi imperii, tsarstva Pol'skogo i velikogo kniazhestva Finliandskogo (Geographical atlas of the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Poland, and the Grand Duchy of Finland), containing 60 maps of the Russian Empire. Compiled and engraved by Colonel V.P. Piadyshev, it reflects the detailed mapping carried out by Russian military cartographers in the first quarter of the 19th century. The map shows population centers (seven gradations by size), postal stations, roads (four types), provincial and district borders, monasteries, and factories. Distances are shown in versts, a Russian measure, now no longer used, equal to 1.07 kilometers. Legends and place-names are in Russian and French. Tambov was founded in 1636 as part of a defensive belt to the south of Moscow. The Romanovs built fortresses in the province to protect their southern flank from attacks by Crimean Tatars and other invaders. Initially inhabited by the Mordvin-Moksha peoples, the Tambov region was settled by increasing numbers of Russians in the 17th century. Tambov Province became a major agricultural producer in the Russian Empire, forming a significant part of the famous Black Earth belt.