a city and the center of Insar Raion, Mordovian ASSR. Located on the left bank of the Issa River at the point where the Insarka River (Oka basin) empties into it, 18 km south of the Kadoshkino railroad station (Ruzaevka-Riazan’ line). Insar is the site of a ribbon-weaving factory, butter and cheese plant, and hemp processing plant. It has a medical school. Founded in the middle of the 17th century as a fortified settlement, Insar became a city in 1958.

a river in the Mordovian ASSR; a right tributary of the Alatyr’ (Volga basin). Length, 168 km; basin area, 3,860 sq km. It flows along the northwest edge of the Volga Uplands and is fed primarily by snow. The high-water period is in the spring, with the highest levels occurring in April; the water level is low in the summer. The average discharge at Saransk is 7.71 cu m per sec. The river freezes in November, with the ice breaking up in April. The cities of Ruzaevka and Saransk are located on the Insar.