Saransk (UK: /səˈrænsk/, US: /sɑːˈrɑːnsk/)[a] is the capital city of Mordovia, Russia, as well as its financial and economic centre.

It is located in the Volga basin at the confluence of the Saranka and Insar Rivers, about 630 kilometers (390 mi) east of Moscow.

[13] In 1928 Saransk was the administrative centre of the newly established Mordvin National Okrug, which became the Mordovian Autonomous Oblast in 1930.

Soviet planners reconstructed the old city centre in the 1960s and 1970s, adding wide streets and planning the construction of massive residential areas.

[9] The city is located in the Volga basin at the confluence of the Saranka and Insar Rivers, about 630 kilometers (390 mi) east of Moscow.

Saransk has a relatively chilly version of the humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb)[14] with warm but not hot summers and cold winters, that averages well below freezing for five months of the year.

As with many provincial capitals in Russia, the population of Saransk decreased after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, primarily as a result of economic migration to larger cities, made especially attractive by the downsizing, or outright collapse, of many smaller, regional, industrial enterprises.

Initially the theatre performed Russian classics, translated into the Mordovian languages, but later they began to adapt the drama works of national authors for the stage.

[18] The city has a large number of buildings remaining from the 17th and 18th centuries; however, many parts of the town are dominated by Soviet era apartment blocks, dating mainly from the 1960s, similar to other provincial towns which expanded rapidly due to fast industrialization.

An interesting detail is the Soviet era military base, belonging to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is located along the railway lines and serves of a time when Saransk was, effectively, a closed city.

Another city landmark is the Saransk TV Tower – a 180-meter-tall guyed tubular steel mast built in 1961.

It lies in the center of the city, near the Cathedral of St. Feodor Ushakov, at the crossroads of Sovietskaya and the Democraticheskaya streets.

The municipal transit system of Saransk consists primarily of a network of bus and trolleybus lines.

The city is served by the small Saransk Airport (IATA: SKX, ICAO: UWPS) southeast of downtown.

In January 2017, the airport was closed for renovation until the end of the year, as Saransk was chosen to serve as a host city to matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

During the game days of the FIFA World Cup, public transportation services for fans will be free of charge.

Official shuttles will be running the route from the airport to the Fan Fest venue (Ice Palace).

In preparation of the city to the FIFA World Cup, Saransk has upgraded its park of municipal buses and trolleybuses.