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It is generally accepted the vegetation of the North-Western Caspian Plain include to the desert zone. The purpose of the article is to justify the belonging of the vegetation of this area to the steppe zone. The descriptions of vegetation on ecological-topological profiles on three key sites carried out in 1961 and 2008 are compared. Comparative analysis of plant communities revealed changes that occurred in almost half a century. It is established that the composition of the vegetation remains the presence the steppe turf grasses on light chestnut and brown-steppe soils and extra zonal of xero-halophytes on solonetz soils. The constant participation of turf grasses in the addition of communities gives grounds to refer the vegetation cover of the North-Western Caspian Plain to the subzone of the southern desert steppes of the steppe zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]