This work gives the origins and meanings of geographical and political features of the former Soviet Union. All 15 countries that were once part of the U.S.S.R. are included. Each of the more than 2,000 entries provides, first, the name of the feature along with its Cyrillic counterpart, followed by the country, and the geographical location within the country; an account of the name's origin and meaning then follows, with appropriate historical, topographical and biographical references. Cross references provide former names and alternate spellings or forms of current names.