city, Rostov oblast (region), southwestern Russia. It lies at the confluence of the Tuzlov and the Aksay rivers. The original 16th-century town of Starocherkasskaya stood along the Don River, but it was frequently inundated and was moved to its present site in 1805. Novocherkassk long served as the capital of the Don Cossack region and was a centre of opposition to the Bolsheviks in 1917–20 during the Russian Civil War. Modern Novocherkassk produces electric locomotives, mining machinery, machine tools, and chemicals for plastics and synthetic fibres. The city has numerous institutions of higher education and research. Pop. (2006 est.) 179,461.