Write a message on the topic of traveling along the Volga. IF - Volga River description, length, sources, tributaries

The great Russian river, the longest river in Europe - it's all about the Volga. Its length is more than 3500 kilometers. Volga even has its own, not yet official day - May 20. It flows through the territory of 15 regions and republics.

There are many versions of why the river is called that. The main Slavic origin of the name is considered. “Vologa” or “Volgy” means moisture, that is, just water.

It originates in the Tver region, the village of Volgoverkhovye. There is a small chapel above the source. Hundreds of tourists visit this place every year. Not far from the chapel there is a stone on which an appeal to tourists is written. It begins like this: “Traveler, turn your gaze to the source of the Volga...”.

Only in this place can you stand on both banks of the river at the same time. It is interesting that during the Great Patriotic War, the Germans, having stepped over the source of the Volga, reported to the commander-in-chief that they had crossed the Great Russian River.

After just a few hundred meters, the Volga, thanks to its tributaries, becomes wider. And at its mouth it is so wide that the bridge across it is 5 kilometers long. It becomes navigable after flowing into the Upper Volga Reservoir and the lake of the same name - Volgo. Famous rivers flow into the Volga itself: Oka, Kostroma, Kama, Sheksna. In addition to the Verkhnevolzhsky reservoir, there are a number of other reservoirs on the river. There are 9 of them in total and the largest are: Kuibyshevskoye, Rybinskoye, Gorkovskoye, Cheboksary, Volgogradskoye.

The first big city on the river is Tver. In addition to Tver, there are many other large cities on the banks of the Volga:

• Yaroslavl.
• Kostroma.
• Nizhny Novgorod.
• Kazan.
• Saratov.
• Volgograd.

The Volga flows into the Caspian Sea. Here it breaks into many branches. The last major city, Astrakhan, is located at the mouth of the river. The river is connected with other seas, White, Black, Baltic, by canals.

The Volga is rich in fish, the most famous of which is sturgeon. Besides it there are: catfish, bream, pike perch, beluga, herring and many others. There are 70 species in total. River animals – seals, otters, beavers.

The image of a river is often used in culture. Repin's painting "Barge Haulers on the Volga", Zykina's song "The Volga River Flows", the film "Volga, Volga" - many people know these works. A Soviet car was even named after her.

Currently, the water in the river is heavily polluted. In addition, it becomes shallow. To save the river, they adopted a program to clean up the Volga. It should be completed by 2025, then the phrase on the stone at the source of the river “here is born the purity and greatness of the Russian land” will correspond to reality.

Option 2

The Volga is located in the European part of Russia. This is the longest and most abundant river in Europe and is one of the largest rivers on our planet. Its length today is 3530 km. It originates on the Valdai Hills in the village of Volgoverkhovye, Tver Region and, flowing through 11 regions of the Russian Federation, flows into the Caspian Sea. A small chapel was built at the source of the Volga, which is often visited by tourists who want to see with their own eyes the beginning of the great Volga. Along its course, the river’s waters are supplemented by more than 500 tributaries, not counting small and seasonal streams. The entire length of the Volga is conventionally divided into 3 parts: upper, middle and lower.

Most scientists attribute the name of the river to Slavic origin and associate it with the modern Russian “moisture”. Some associate the word “Volga” with the Baltic ilga “long, long”, the Balto-Finnish valkea “white” or the Mari Yul, Volgydo “light”. In the first centuries AD. ancient authors call the river in this area Ra, and in the Middle Ages it was widely known as Itil. In some ancient sources, for example, in the works of Diodorus Siculus (90-30 BC), there are references to the river with other names. But it has not been fully proven that these researchers wrote specifically about the Volga.

There are many cities on the banks of the Volga, among them 4 millionaire cities (with more than a million inhabitants). Many marinas (more than 1,400) and industrial ports were built.

The Volga was an important transport route in Rus'. Fabrics and metals were brought along it from the Arab Caliphate. The Slavs transported weapons, honey, furs, etc. downstream. During the Tatar-Mongol yoke, trade transport along the river weakened, but then recovered with renewed vigor. After the conquest of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates by Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century, the entire Volga basin was in the hands of Russia, and trade reached its greatest extent. New cities appear on the banks, and large trade caravans of ships cross the river.

Today, the economic role of the Volga is supported by the reservoirs and hydroelectric power stations located on it. Factories and factories use river waters for their production.

In folk culture, the Volga is called Mother Volga, the great river. Many songs and poems have been written about her, many beautiful pictures have been drawn. As the main river in the European part of Russia, it is one of the symbols of Russia. There are many picturesque travel destinations on the banks of the Volga.

Report about the Volga No. 3

There are many different rivers in Russia, but one of them stands out - the Volga.

The Volga River is majestic in its beauty and power, it is called the “queen” of Russian rivers.

This river was formed about 20 million years ago and flowed from the foot of the Ural Mountains.

On the banks of this river there are cities such as Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, Volgograd (these cities have more than 1 million inhabitants).

The Volga has more than 150 tributaries - this is one of the records on the planet. The current speed in the river is 5 km/h. The length of the Volga is 3530 km. This is the largest river in the world that does not flow into any ocean. It is divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower.

The great river begins on the Valdai Hills and flows into the Caspian Sea. On the upper Volga there are the Uglich, Rybinsk, and Gorky reservoirs and 3 hydroelectric power stations (HPPs) near them.

After the confluence of the Oka River, the middle Volga becomes more full-flowing. The Cheboksary hydroelectric power station and reservoir were built near the city of Cheboksary.

The Lower Volga, after the Kama River flows into it, becomes a huge and powerful river. The Zhigulevskaya, Saratovskaya and Volzhskaya hydroelectric power stations, Kuibyshevskoye and Volgogradskoye reservoirs were built on it.

The Volga flows through the territories of various regions and republics, such as Astrakhan, Volgograd, Tver, Chuvashia, Mari El, Tatarstan, etc.

The river is fed by meltwater. Rain and groundwater play a small role in its nutrition. The flood period lasts about 75 days. The maximum amount of water is reached in May, during the spring ice drift.

Along the river there are forests, agricultural fields, and enterprises in various industries.

The Volga is the richest river in terms of fish diversity. It is home to about 80 species of fish and 50 subspecies. Fish such as sturgeon swim into it from the Caspian Sea. Residents: bream, pike, catfish, perch, ruff, etc.

At the beginning of the 20th century, belugas were caught in the Volga, some weighed up to 1 ton, and were about 100 years old.

“Beauty” Volga is the pride of Russia. It is necessary to protect it from pollution in order to preserve the diversity of the natural and animal world that lives in it and at the expense of the ecosystem around this river.

Message 4

The Volga River is the longest river in Russia. It stretches between many cities and regions. It passes through the Tver, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod, and Ulyanovsk regions. It will take more than one minute to remember all the cities that are surrounded by the beautiful Volga River. Its length is 3530 km. It originates on the Valdai Hills and flows into the Caspian Sea.

Different sources contain different information about the Volga River. Somewhere it is reported that earlier in Ancient Rome the Volga was called the river Ra, which translated means “generous”. The Arabs called the river in the 9th century Athel - “river of rivers, great river”

The Volga River, due to its length, served well for transporting goods. Fabrics, Slavic soil, metals, weapons, honey, wax, and furs were transported along it. Unfortunately, in the 10th century the Volga lost its importance as a trade route. This happened after Svyatoslav’s campaign on the Volga. Five centuries later, the Volga regained its importance in trade. And from the 16th century it began to actively develop again. Due to the excellent development of trade in Russia, new cities are emerging, such as Samara, Saratov, Tsaritsyn.

The Volga is rich in its resources. It is home to a large number of aquatic inhabitants. At the moment there are about seventy species of fish. It is home to well-known species of fish: pike perch, pike, bream, sturgeon, carp and many others. Unfortunately, the waters of the Volga River are heavily polluted in the twenty-first century. This affects life, the creatures living there, the ecology, the state of nature and, of course, human health. Due to oil pollution, the number of fish in the river has decreased significantly. This turn of events was also influenced by continuous fishing throughout the river. The government of our country, Russia, did not leave this issue aside, and adopted the law on “Preservation and Prevention of Pollution of the Volga River” already in 2017. As a result of this program, waste emissions into the river will be reduced to a minimum, and serious water purification will be carried out.

The first bridge built over the Volga River was the Aleksandrovsky railway bridge, built near Syzran. It came into use in 1880 and began to be used for cargo transportation. But this is not the only bridge that is located on top of the river. The bridge, which is the longest bridge across the Volga to this day, is called the Presidential Bridge. It is located in the city of Ulyanovsk. The length of the bridge is 5825 meters.

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The Volga River is the largest river in Europe, the most abundant in Russia. This is the longest river in the world that flows into an inland body of water - the Caspian Sea.

The river basin occupies an area equal to half the area of ​​Europe.

The Volga River (a brief description is given below) has more than one hundred and fifty tributaries - this is one of the record figures on the planet. On average, it takes water 37 days to travel from source to mouth, since the current speed is approximately 4 km per hour. The Volga is one of the few rivers that has its own holiday - in Russia May 20 is considered to be Volga Day.

Volga River: a brief description of the geographical location

The Volga flows through the territory of Russia, only a small branch of the Kigach goes east to the Atyrau region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Volga River (a brief description for children will be given below) begins in the Tver region near the village, which is called Volgoverkhovye.

Here its source is a small stream, which after a few kilometers crosses the lakes - first Small, and then Big Verkhity, which give strength to the great river. About a third is washed by the waters of the Volga basin. The Volga and its tributaries flow through the territory of thirty administrative regions of Russia and one region of Kazakhstan.

The mouth of the river is located in and represents the largest delta in Europe from numerous branches that flow into the Caspian Sea.

Historical information

The Volga, as an important trade artery of Eurasia, has been known to mankind for a long time. Having a great length and favorable geographical position, it was especially popular among traders. Back in the 5th century BC, Herodotus, an ancient Greek philosopher, mentioned it in his treatise on the campaign of King Darius against the Scythian tribes. He named the Volga Oar. In ancient Arabic chronicles it is listed as Itil.

By the 10th century AD, a well-known link connecting Scandinavia with Arab countries had been formed. Large trading centers were formed on the banks of the great river: Khazar Itil and Bulgar, Russian Murom, Novgorod, Suzdal. In the 16th-18th centuries, such large cities as Saratov, Samara, and Volgograd appeared on the map of the Volga region. Here, in the Trans-Volga steppes, the rebel Cossacks and peasants were hiding. Giving a brief description of the Volga, it should be noted that at all times it performed an important economic function - it connected ports within the country and was a highway for communication between different states. In the middle of the 20th century, after its formation, the political function of the river increased - access to the Azov and Black Seas, and therefore to the World Ocean.

Nature of the Volga basin

The Volga River is rich in natural resources. A brief description of the main plant and animal species is given below. There are four types of plants in the water: algae, submerged aquatic plants, aquatic plants with floating leaves, and amphibians. A wide variety of herbs grow in the coastal areas (wormwood, sedge, mint, marshmallow, spurge), as it is covered with extensive meadows. There is an abundance of blackberries and reeds. For hundreds of kilometers along the Volga there are forest belts with birch, ash, willow, and poplar trees. This is a brief description of the Volga River and its flora.

The fauna of the river is also diverse. About fifty species of fish live in the water, including sturgeon, beluga, and stellate sturgeon. The coastal expanses are densely populated by birds and animals. The Volga Delta, where the unique Astrakhan Nature Reserve is located, has a special nature. It is home to many insects, birds, mammals and a wide variety of plants. Some representatives of the fauna existing in the reserve are listed in the Red Book: mute swan, pelican, white-tailed eagle, seal.

Large cities of the Volga region

The Volga region has an advantageous location both geographically and economically. Developed areas of the Urals, Central Russia and Kazakhstan are nearby. The Volga River supplies populated areas with water and energy. A brief description of the most striking cities is given below. On the banks of the Volga there are many large and small cities, with their own unique sights and amazing history. The largest are Kazan, Samara, Volgograd.

Kazan is a beautiful and ancient city, included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Cities. From the side of the Kazanka River - the left tributary of the Volga - the complex of the Kazan Kremlin is visible: the 16th century Annunciation Cathedral, the Kul Sharif mosque, the leaning tower of Syuyumbike. The Kremlin is the main attraction of the city.

Samara is also a city located at the meeting point of three rivers - Samara, Soka and Volga. The main attractions are the bell tower of the Iversky Convent, the historical center of the city.

The hero city of Volgograd is one of the most beautiful settlements in Russia. Among the numerous cultural and historical attractions of the city, it is necessary to note the Mamayev Kurgan, located on the banks of the Volga, the Kazan Cathedral, and the central Embankment.

On the banks of the Volga there are also smaller, distinctive cities and towns with their own historical heritage and cultural monuments.

Volga - a river flowing in the European part of Russia on the territory of 11 regions and 4 republics. Refers to a swimming pool.

In the upper reaches, the Volga River flows from northwest to southeast, then from the city of Kazan the direction of the river changes to the south. Near Volgograd, the river bed turns to the southwest.
The Volga River begins on the Valdai Hills from a spring in the village of Volgoverkhovye, Ostashkovsky district, Tver region. The Volga Delta begins near the city of Volgograd, Vogograd Region. And 60 km from the city of Astrakhan, Astrakhan region, the Volga River flows into the Caspian Sea.

The Volga River is one of the largest rivers on Earth and the largest in Europe. It is in 16th place in length among the world's rivers and in 4th place. The Volga is also the largest river in the world that flows into an inland body of water.

The name of the Volga River comes from the Old Slavonic word - vologa, moisture.

Settlements.
The Volga River is the central water artery of Russia. The river is located in the European part of the country.

The Volga River flows through the territory of many constituent entities of the Russian Federation: in the Tver region, in the Moscow region, in the Yaroslavl region, in the Kostroma region, in the Ivanovo region, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, in the Republic of Chuvashia, in the Republic of Mari El, in the Republic of Tatarstan, in the Ulyanovsk region , in the Samara region, in the Saratov region, in the Volgograd region, in the Astrakhan region, in the Republic of Kalmykia.

On the Volga River, from source to mouth, there are four millionaire cities:
- the city of Nizhny Novgorod - is the administrative center of the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia and the largest city of the Volga Federal District. It is located in the middle of the East European Plain at the confluence of the Oka River and the Volga River. The Oka divides Nizhny Novgorod into 2 parts: the upper part on the Dyatlov Mountains; the lower part is on the left bank of the Oka. Until 1990, the city was named Gorky in honor of the writer M. Gorky.

— the city of Kazan is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, a large port on the left bank of the Volga River. It is the largest scientific, educational, economically developed, cultural and sports center in Russia. The Kazan Kremlin is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

— the city of Samara is a city located in the middle Volga region of Russia. It is the administrative center of the Samara region, forming the municipal entity “city district of Samara”. It is the sixth most populous city in Russia with a population of 1.17 million people as of 2012. Samara is a major transport, economic, scientific and educational center. The main industries are: oil refining, mechanical engineering and food industry.

— the city of Volgograd is a city located in the southeast of the European part of Russia, and is the administrative center of the Volgograd region. It is located on the western bank of the Volga River in its lower reaches. Together with the cities of Volzhsky and Krasnoslobodsk located on the eastern bank, it is part of the Volgograd agglomeration. The population of the city is 1,018,739 people. Volgograd was called Tsaritsyn from 1589 to 1925, and Stalingrad from 1925 to 1961.

The largest cities on the Volga: Rzhev, Tver, Dubna, Kimry, Kalyazin, Uglich, Myshkin, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Kineshma, Yuryevets, Kozmodemyansk, Cheboksary, Zvenigovo, Volzhsk, Tetyushi, Ulyanovsk, Novoulyanovsk, Sengiley, Togliatti, Zhigulevsk, Syzran, Khvalynsk, Balakovo, Volsk, Marks, Saratov, Engelsk, Kamyshin, Nikolaevsk, Akhtubinsk, Kharabali, Narimanov, Astrakhan, Kamyzyak.

The rest of the settlements located on the banks of the Volga River from its source to its mouth can be viewed

Routes (access roads).
Due to the fact that the banks of the Volga River are dotted with many settlements, there are many railway and road access routes to the river, so travelers and tourists usually do not have a question about how to get to the river.

The Volga River is connected to the Baltic Sea by the Volga-Baltic waterway, as well as the Vyshnevolotsk and Tikhvin systems. The Volga River is connected to the White Sea through the White Sea-Baltic Canal and through the Severodvinsk system. The Volga River is connected to the Black and Azov Seas through the Volga-Don Canal.

There are also inland waterways along the Volga River: from the city of Rzhev to the Kolkhoznik pier (589 km); from the Kolkhoznik pier to the village of Krasnye Barrikady (2604 km), as well as a 40-kilometer section in the river delta.

There are 1,450 marinas and ports on the river. The largest of them are from the source of the Volga to its mouth - in Selizharovo, in Rzhev, in Zubtsovo, in Staritsa, Tver river port, in Konakovo, in Dubna, in Kimry, in Kalyazin, in Uglich, in Myshkin, in Rybinsk, in Tutaev , in Yaroslavl, in Kostroma, in the city of Ples, in Kineshma, in Chkalovsk, in the city of Gorodets, in Balakhin, in Nizhny Novgorod, in Kozmodemyansk, in Cheboksary, in Novocheboksarsk, in Zvenigovo, Volzhsk, Kazan river port, port Bolgar, port in Tetyushi, Ulyanovsk river port, in Novoulyanovsk, in Sengilei, in Tolyatti, Samara river port, in Syzran, in Khvalynsk, in Balakovo, in Volsk, in Saratov, in Kamyshin, in Volgograd, in Narimanov, Astrakhan river port.

Automobile access roads to the Volga River can be viewed
You can see the bridges built across the Volga River

Main tributaries and reservoirs.
The river system of the Volga basin includes 151 thousand. watercourses are streams, rivers and temporary watercourses, the total length of which is 574,000 km. The Volga receives about 200 tributaries. There are more left tributaries and they are richer than the right ones. After the city of Kamyshin (Volgograd region) there are no significant tributaries.

The largest tributaries of the Volga River are the Kama and Oka rivers.
— river – length 1805 km, basin area 507,000 km²; left tributary.
- - length 1498.6 km, basin area 245,000 km²; right tributary.

In addition to many tributaries, there are several reservoirs on the river:
— Upper Volga Reservoir – length 85 km, width 6 km, area 183 km².
— Ivankovskoye Reservoir – length about 120 km, width of the reservoir 2-5 km, area 327 km², volume 1.12 km³, greatest depth 19 m, average depth 4 m.
— Uglich reservoir – length 146 km, width 0.4-5 km, area 249 km², volume 1.24 km³, greatest depth 22 m, average depth 5 m.
— Rybinsk Reservoir – length 140 km, width 70 km, area 4580 km², volume 25.4 km³, greatest depth 25-30 m, average depth 5.5 m.
— Gorky Reservoir – length 427 km, width 3 km, area 1590 km², volume 8.71 km³, maximum depth 22 m.
— Samara (Kuibyshev) reservoir – length 600 km, width up to 40 km, area 6.5 thousand km², volume 58 km³, greatest depth 41 m, average depth 8 m.
— Cheboksary Reservoir – length 341 km, width 16 km, area 2190 km², volume 13.85 km³, maximum depth 35 m, average depth 6 m.
— Volgograd Reservoir – length 540 km, width up to 17 km, area 3117 km², volume 31.5 km³, average depth 10.1 m.

More detailed information about the tributaries of the Volga River can be read

Relief and soils.
The Volga River is a typical lowland river. The area of ​​the Volga basin occupies about 1/3 of the European part of Russia and extends along the Russian Plain from the Valdai and Central Russian Uplands in the west and to the Urals in the east. Due to the very large length of the river, the composition of the soils in the Volga basin is very diverse.

Vegetation.
The Upper Volga from its source to the city of Nizhny Novgorod and the city of Kazan is located in a forest zone. The middle part of the river to the cities of Samara and Saratov is located in the forest-steppe zone. The lower part of the river is located in the steppe zone up to the city of Volgograd, and a little further south lies in the semi-desert zone.
In the upper reaches of the Volga there are large forests; in the middle part and partly in the Lower Volga region, large areas of the territory are occupied by grain and industrial crops. Gardening and melon growing are also developed.

Hydrological regime.
The Volga is conventionally divided into three parts: the upper part of the Volga - from the source of the Volga River to the confluence of the Oka into it, the middle part of the Volga - from the confluence of the Oka (Nizhny Novgorod) to the confluence of the Kama River into the Volga (Nizhnekamsk) and the lower part Volga - from the confluence of the Kama River to the mouth of the Volga.

The length of the Volga River from source to mouth is approximately 3530 km (even before the construction of reservoirs it was 3690 km long). The drainage basin area is 1,361,000 km². Water flow near the city of Volgograd is 8060 m³/s. The height of the source is 228 meters above sea level. The height at the mouth is 28 meters below sea level. The river slope is 0.07 m/km. The total drop is 256 m. The average speed of water flow in the channel is low - from 2 to 6 km/h. The average depth is 9 m, the depth in summer and during winter low water is about 3 m.
The river is fed a little by rain (10%), a little more by groundwater (30%) and mainly by snow (60% of the annual flow) water. Spring flood in April-June. Low water levels are observed in summer and during winter low water. There are autumn floods in October as a result of prolonged rains.
The average annual water flow at the Upper Volga dam is 29 m³/s, near the city of Tver - 182 m³/s, near the city of Yaroslavl - 1,110 m³/s, near the city of N. Novgorod - 2,970 m³/s, near the city of Samara - 7,720 m³/s s, near the city of Volgograd - 8,060 m³/s. Below the city of Volgograd, the river loses about 2% of its water flow to evaporation.
The water temperature in the Volga River in July reaches 20-25 °C. The river near Astrakhan breaks up from ice in mid-March. In the first half of April, the opening occurs on the upper Volga and below the city of Kamyshin; throughout the rest of the river, the opening occurs in mid-April. The Volga freezes in the upper and middle parts of its course at the end of November; in the lower part - in early December. The Volga remains free from freezing for about 200 days a year, and near Astrakhan about 260 days. With the creation of reservoirs on the river, the thermal regime of the Volga changed: on the upper dams the duration of ice phenomena increased, and on the lower dams it became shorter.
The bottom of the Volga is sandy, silty-sandy and silty; on the riffles the soil is gristly or pebbly.

Ichthyofauna.
In terms of its diversity of fish, the Volga is considered one of the richest rivers in Russia. Its waters are home to 76 species of fish and 47 subspecies. Grayling is found in the upper reaches of the Volga. Constantly found in the Volga are: carp, sterlet, bream, ide, pike-perch, pike, burbot, bleak, perch, catfish, dace, ruffe, bluegill, chub, roach, white-eye, podust, silver bream, asp, etc. Among the migratory fish that enter the river from the Caspian Sea: beluga, lamprey, sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, white fish, thorn, Volga and common herring. Among the semi-anadromous fish that live in the river are: bream, carp, pike-perch, bershi, catfish, asp, sabrefish, etc. The smallest species of fish in the Volga is the granular puglovka, its length is only 2.5 cm. In appearance, it resembles a tadpole. And the largest fish of the Volga River is beluga, its length can reach 4 meters.

Water quality.
The Volga River experiences enormous anthropogenic pressure from numerous sources of pollution located along its banks, as well as directly in the mouth.
Russia's great industrial potential is concentrated in the Volga basin, which is represented by giant chemical enterprises, oil refineries, large engineering associations and thermal power plants. Cargo and passenger ships sail along the Volga River and its tributaries. Hydrocarbon raw materials (coal, gas, oil) are being extracted in this area. Hundreds and thousands of organizations have their interests in the Volga region. Some of them are river polluters.
The Volga accounts for more than a third of the country's total wastewater discharge. Existing treatment facilities provide effective water purification of only 8% of contaminated water. A large number of pollutants enter the Volga with water from the Oka River and the Kama River, as well as their tributaries. The largest volumes of contaminated wastewater occur in cities such as: Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Saratov, Samara, Balakhna, Volgograd, Togliatti, Cherepovets, Ulyanovsk, Ivanovo, Naberezhnye Chelny.
Inorganic and organic pollutants include petroleum products, heavy metal compounds, pesticides (pesticides), phenols, synthetic detergents, etc. These substances enter the river water with waste from industry, agricultural and domestic waste. Many of them in the aquatic environment either decompose very slowly or do not decompose at all.

Use, tourism and recreation.
The Volga River is used by people for a wide variety of purposes. First of all, it is of great economic importance as a transport route. Bread, salt, fish, vegetables, oil, petroleum products, cement, gravel, coal, metal, etc. are supplied up the Volga; Lumber, timber, mineral and construction cargo, and industrial materials are floated downstream.
Passenger transportation and excursions on motor ships are also carried out on the river.
The river is a source of water supply for agricultural facilities, as well as plants, factories and other industrial enterprises.
A number of dams and hydroelectric power stations have been built on the river to generate electricity for human needs.
Economic, recreational and sport fishing is carried out on the river. Many people use the Volga for travel and outdoor activities.

Reference Information.

Length: 3530 km.
Basin area: 1,361,000 km².
Pool: Caspian Sea.
Source: Valdai Upland
Location: Volgoverkhovye village, Ostashkovsky district, Tver region of Russia.
Coordinates: 57°15′7.51″ N. latitude, 32°28′12.62″ e. d.
Mouth: Caspian Sea.
Location: 60 km from the city of Astrakhan, Astrakhan region of Russia.
Coordinates: 45°53′14.98″ N. latitude, 48°31′1.3″ e. d.

The Volga is the longest European river, as well as one of the largest on planet Earth, which is located in the European part of Russia and Kazakhstan.

At the moment, the length of the Volga is approximately 3530 km, although before the construction of reservoirs on the river, it was somewhat longer - 3690 km.

The Volga got its name from the times of Rus' and comes from the word “moisture”.

Source

The source of the Volga River is located on the Valdai Hills, namely in the small village of Volgoverkhovye, in the Tver region. The river then passes through several large lakes. A special monument to the river was erected at the source site.

Historical characteristics

• The Greek historian Herodotus first spoke about the river. Then information about the Volga is found in the notes of the Persian king Darius, who described his campaigns against the Scythian tribes.
• Roman sources speak of the Volga as a “generous river”, hence they gave it their name - “Ra”.
• Arab researchers speak of the Volga as “a river of rivers, a great river.”
• In Rus', the river is spoken of in the famous “Tale of Bygone Years”.
• Since the times of Rus', the Volga has been an important trade link - an artery where the Volga trade route was founded. Through this route, Rus' traded with Arab countries, mostly in the following goods: expensive oriental fabrics, metals, slaves, honey, wax. During the Mongol invasion, this trading region lost its priority and importance, but already in the 15th century it regained its former importance.
• After the conquest of the entire Volga basin, trade flourished, the peak of which occurred in the 17th century.
• Over time, a powerful river fleet appeared on the Volga.
• In the 19th century, a whole army of barge haulers worked on the Volga, which is even the subject of a painting by the famous Russian artist I.A. During this period, huge reserves of salt, fish, and bread were transported along the Volga. Cotton and later oil also joined these commodities.
• During the period, the Volga was perhaps the main strategic point, control of which would provide the army with bread, as well as oil and the ability to quickly transfer its forces with the help of the fleet.
• When Soviet power was established in Russia, the river began to be used as a source of electricity by building hydroelectric power stations on it.
• During World War II, the Volga was the most important river for the USSR, as huge armies and food supplies were transferred across it. In addition, the largest battle in history took place in one of the cities on the Volga - Stalingrad. The Volga is the key to the USSR, as the German and Soviet command believed, so the battles were especially fierce.
• In the upper reaches of the Volga there are huge tracts of forests, and downstream along the Volga there are large cultivated areas and gardening enterprises.
• Huge reserves of oil and natural gas are produced in the Volga basin, which form the basis of the entire Russian economy.
• In some areas, potassium salt and table salt are mined.

River mode

Like many other Russian rivers, the Volga is predominantly fed by snow - approximately 60%, a small part is fed by rain - only 10%, and groundwater feeds the Volga by 30%. Annual fluctuations in water levels vary in different regions. For example, in the Tver region it can reach 11 meters, in Astrakhan - only 3 meters.

Volga river photo

The water in the river is advantageously warm; in the summer, for example, it does not fall below 20-25 degrees Celsius. The river freezes at the end of November - in the upper reaches, and in the lower reaches already in December. The river is frozen 100 to 160 days a year. Large waves are not uncommon on the Volga River - about 1.5 - 2 meters. Because of this, breakwaters were installed in many ports.

Flora and fauna

The Volga River, as well as its largest tributary, the Kama, are a source of huge quantities of fish. The river is home to large populations of the following fish species: crucian carp, silver bream, pike perch, perch, ide, pike, catfish, burbot, ruffe, sturgeon, bream and sterlet. Trout have recently been released into the rivers. In total, there are about 70 species of fish in the Volga.

Birds on the Volga River photo

Many species of birds live in the deltas of the Volga: ducks, swans, herons, etc. Although the Volga is heavily polluted by industrial enterprises, it still retains quite rich aquatic vegetation (lotus, water lily, reed, water chestnut, etc.), especially in the bays.

Cities on the Volga River

The most important cities for the country are located on the Volga, including many cities with a population of millions. At the very bottom of the Volga lies the most important economic and industrial center of the Lower Volga region - the city of Astrakhan, with a population of more than half a million. Astrakhan is considered to be a port city.

Volga river. Astrakhan city photo

One of the most beautiful and most famous cities is the large city of Volgograd, formerly called Stalingrad. The city has a heroic title, which it received during the Great Patriotic War (). The city's population is slightly more than 1 million people. Even under the USSR it was one of the most powerful economically developed cities in the country. Now the city has a thriving mechanical engineering, construction industry, metallurgy, and energy industries.

Volga river. Volgograd city photo

One of the largest cities in terms of population on the Volga is the city of Kazan. Its population is more than 1 million, 200 thousand people. Kazan is one of the most powerful industrial centers of the Russian Federation. The basis of the city's industry is mechanical engineering, the petrochemical industry, and the aviation industry. An equally large city on the Volga is Nizhny Novgorod with a population of 1 million, 250 thousand people. Although, unlike the population of Kazan, the population here is not growing, but falling.

Volga river. Kazan city photo

There is a wide production of cars, ships of various classes and the production of weapons. Heavy industry is well developed in the city. Novgorod is also considered one of the main information centers of a large country. The next city to note is with a population of almost 1 million and 200 thousand people. Samara is an important center of mechanical engineering and heavy industry, and in particular the aviation industry.

Volga river. Nizhny Novgorod photo

The last city that needs to be mentioned is the city of Tver with a population of just over 400 thousand people. Tver is the most developed in the engineering sector and heavy industry. The food industry and the chemical industry are slightly less developed.

Tributaries of the Volga

About 200 tributaries flow into the Volga and most of them are on the left side. The left tributaries are also much richer in water than the right tributaries. The largest tributary of the Volga is the Kama River - a left tributary. Its length reaches 2000 km, which is more than half the length of the Volga itself. The influx begins on the Verkhnekamsk Upland.

The Kama is distinguished by a huge number of small tributaries - their total number reaches almost 74 thousand, and the lion's share of them (approximately 95%) are rivers up to 10 km long. Like the Volga, the Kama is predominantly snow-fed. Water level fluctuations most often range from 6 to 7 meters.

Many hydraulic engineering studies also suggest that the Kama is much older than the Volga and that the Volga is a tributary of the Kama, and not vice versa. Just a few thousand years ago this was exactly the case. But the last ice age and the construction of reservoirs on the Kama seriously reduced its length.

Tributaries of the Volga:

• Oka;
• Sura;
• Tvertsa;
• Sviyaga;
• Vetluga;
• Unzha;
• Mologa et al.

Tourism on the river

The Volga is rightfully considered one of the most picturesque rivers in Russia, and therefore tourism is thriving on it. The Volga makes it possible to visit a large number of ancient cities of the state in the shortest possible time.

Cruises on the Volga are the most common type of vacation on the Volga, as well as one of the most versatile, comfortable and relatively inexpensive. Such a cruise can last from several days to a whole month, which includes visits to the most beautiful cities and places of the country located along the Volga.

Tourism on the Volga River photo

The most favorable period for traveling along the Volga is the beginning of May to the end of September, when the weather is warmest and most pleasant. The most convenient transport for traveling is a tourist ship, which has all the amenities for passengers, including: swimming pools, comfortable high-class cabins, cinemas, a library and so on. When the ship enters the city, tourists can easily book a tour of a particular city.

Payment for excursions may also be included in the property of the tourist tour itself, along with payment for the ship.

• On the Volga tributary, the Kama, an annual sailing competition is held - one of the largest in Europe;
• The Volga River is the core of the entire Russian people in literature; human qualities were often attributed to the river;
• The Volga appears in many literary and artistic works of Russian classics: Gorky, Nekrasov, Repin;
• Several famous feature films have been made about the Volga, including “Volga, Volga” in 1938, “Building a Bridge” in 1965;
• The Volga is considered to be the “homeland of barge haulers”; sometimes about 600 thousand barge haulers could work hard on it at the same time;
• The Volga is the largest river in Europe.

The Volga River is the longest river in Europe, with a length of 3,692 kilometers and entirely located in Russia.

It is also the largest river in Europe in terms of discharge and watershed. The average flow of the Volga River is 8,060 cubic meters of water per second.

Its basin is 752,443 square kilometers, stretching from the Valdai Hills and the Central Russian Upland in the west to the Urals in the east and a sharp narrowing in Saratov when moving south.

From its source in the Valdai Hills northeast of the Moscow River, the Volga flows east and southeast to the Caspian Sea.

The river falls slowly and majestically: at its source its position is 225 meters above sea level, and at its mouth - 28 meters below sea level.

The course of the Volga is divided into three parts:

1. upper Volga (from its source to its confluence with the Oka)
2. middle Volga (from the confluence with the Oka to the Kama)
3. the lower Volga (from the confluence with the Kama to the mouth of the Volga itself)

The Volga has more than 200 tributaries, and the most important of them are the Kama, Oka, Vetluga, and Sura rivers.

About 40% of Russia's population lives near the Volga River basin; half of the country's farmers farm along this river. A larger number of industries are also located on the banks of this river.

The main cities through which the Volga flows are Astrakhan, Volgograd, Saratov, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslav, Tver.

The Volga has some of the largest bodies of water in the world and numerous large reservoirs that provide irrigation and hydroelectric power.

Large crops of wheat are grown in the fertile river valley. There is also a lot of mineral wealth here and a significant part of the oil industry is concentrated in the Volga Valley. Other resources include natural gas, salt, potash.

The Volga Delta, 160 kilometers long, has up to 500 canals and small rivers.

Astrakhan, in the Volga delta, is the center of black caviar production. There are 127 species of fish in the river, including several species of sturgeon, as well as Volga lampreys, crucian carp, carp, roach, pike, perch, catfish and whitefish. The largest sturgeon record is a beluga caught at the mouth of the Volga in 1827, weighing 1.571 kg and 7.2 m in length.

The mouth of the Volga is the largest estuary in Europe and is the only place in Russia where pelicans and flamingos live. You can also see lotuses here.

The Volga is considered the national river of Russia. Eleven of Russia's twenty largest cities, including the capital, Moscow, are located in the Volga watershed.

The Moscow Canal, the Volga-Don Canal and the Volga-Baltic Waterway form navigable water routes
connecting Moscow with, .

The river freezes over most of its length for three months of the year.

The Russian River is referred to as the Mother Volga, this river is considered the life blood of the country.

The word "Volga" comes from early Slavic roots, meaning "humidity".

Many ethnic groups live along the Volga coastline. And in the first millennium AD, Scythians, Huns and Turks lived here, among others.

The Volga river basin played an important role in the advancement of peoples from Asia to Europe. The river served as an important trade route, connecting Scandinavia, Rus' and Volga Bulgaria with Khazaria and Persia.

In the 16th-17th centuries, Russian princes managed to take control of most of the lands in the Volga River basin.

The city on the great bend of the Volga, now known as Volgograd, witnessed the Battle of Stalingrad, perhaps the bloodiest battle in human history.

The Volga, widened for navigation purposes with the construction of huge dams during the industrialization years of Joseph Stalin, is of great importance for Russia's inland navigation.

The construction of Soviet-era dams often involved the forced displacement of huge numbers of people, as well as the destruction of their historical heritage. For example, the city of Mologa was flooded during the construction of the Rybinsk Reservoir (at that time it was the largest artificial lake in the world).

Today, pollution of the Volga is the main threat to this river.