The Volga is one of the largest rivers in Europe. Its source falls on the Voldai Upland, located in the region of the city of Tver. Further, flowing through 11 regions and 4 republics, the Volga flows into the Caspian Sea.
The origin of the name of the Volga river
The Volga owes its name to the Russian word for moisture. There are also other versions. For example, from the Baltic "ilga", which means long, or translated from Finnish, white - "valkea".
Historical facts about the Volga River
From a historical point of view, the Volga River was first mentioned in the 5th century BC in the writings of Herodotus. However, only a part of scientists think so, the other half tend to attribute more early time appearance. There are those who consider the Volga river, which Diodorus spoke about in 30 BC.
The Volga was of great importance in the implementation of trade relations. So, it was thanks to this river that the Arabs were able to ship their silver to Scandinavia, and Scandinavia provided other countries with all kinds of fabrics and metals. The heyday of trade along the Volga came in the 17th century, when Ivan the Terrible conquered Astrakhan and Kazan, which contributed to the unification of the entire Volga river system in the hands of the Russian state.
During the war years, the Volga river route also played great importance. This has been preserved to this day.
Geographical information about the Volga River
There are 151,000 watercourses in the Volga basin, the length of which in total is 574,000 kilometers. The number of tributaries to the Volga is 200, but all of them are located before the territory of Kamyshin.
The Volga is one of the most famous and largest rivers in all of Europe. Its source falls on the Voldai Upland, located in the region of the city of Tver. Further, flowing through 11 regions and 4 republics, the Volga flows into the Caspian Sea.
It is also important to remember that, conditionally, the Volga has three parts. Its upper part extends from the source to the mouth of the Oka River. The Middle Volga falls on the territory, starting from the confluence of the Oka and ending with the mouth of the Kama. The lower part of the river - from the confluence of the Kama to the mouth.
The lower part of the Volga is the most full-flowing, which made it possible to create a dam on the territory of the Zhigulevskaya hydroelectric power station and build the Volga hydroelectric power station. The Volgograd reservoir is also located here.
Volga water
At present, the water quality in the river can hardly be called good. Industrial and engineering enterprises, thermal plants - all this adversely affects the purity of water. More than a third Wastewater from all over Russia it is on the Volga. Oil products, domestic and agricultural effluents pollute the river, subsequently decaying very slowly or not at all. 
Ichthyophana
Despite the quality of the water, the Volga is home to a wide variety of fish (about 76 species and 47 subspecies). The largest fish of the entire river is the beluga, the length of which can reach up to 4 meters. There are also catfish, perch, ruff, roach, pike perch, ide, etc.
Terrain and soil
Due to the very large length of the river, its soil is very diverse. This is a flat river, with an area of 1/3 of the European part of the whole country.
The general value of the Volga
The value of the Volga is very great. First of all, this is an excellent transport highway, thanks to which it is possible to deliver coal, bread, cement, vegetables and many other very diverse things. 
The Volga is a water supply resource for many factories, factories, and industrial enterprises. The river is also important in terms of electricity supply. More than one hydroelectric power station has been built on the Volga, providing people with constant electricity. Also, this is the source different types fish, which is especially appreciated by fishermen. The Volga is also used for active rest and travel!
The first mention of the Volga River dates back to ancient times, when it was called as "Ra". In later times, already in Arabic sources, the river was called Atel (Ethel, Itil), which means “great river” or “river of rivers”. That is how the Byzantine Theophanes and subsequent chroniclers called her in the annals.
The current name "Volga" has several versions of its origin. The version about the Baltic roots of the name seems to be the most probable. According to the Latvian valka, which means "overgrown river", the Volga got its name. This is how the river looks in its upper reaches, where the Balts lived in antiquity. According to another version, the name of the river comes from the word valkea (Finno-Ugric), which means "white" or from the Old Slavic "volog" (moisture).
Hydrography
Since ancient times, the Volga has not lost its grandeur at all. Today it is the largest river in Russia and ranks 16th in the world among the longest rivers. Before the construction of the cascade of reservoirs, the length of the river was 3690 km, today this figure has decreased to 3530 km. At the same time, navigable navigation is carried out for 3500 km. In navigation, the channel plays an important role. Moscow, which acts as a link between the capital and the great Russian river.
The Volga connects with the following seas:
- with the Azov and Black Seas through the Volga-Don Canal;
- with the Baltic Sea through the Volga-Baltic waterway;
- with the White Sea along the White Sea-Baltic Canal and the Severodvinsk river system.
The waters of the Volga originate in the region of the Valdai Upland - in the spring of the village of Volga-Verkhovye, which is located in the Tver region. The height of the source above sea level is 228 meters. Further, the river carries its waters through all of Central Russia to the Caspian Sea. The height of the fall of the river is small, because. the mouth of the river is only 28 meters below sea level. Thus, throughout its entire length, the river descends 256 meters, and its slope is 0.07%. The average speed of the river flow is relatively low - from 2 to 6 km/h (less than 1 m/s).
The Volga is fed mainly by melt water, which accounts for 60% of the annual runoff. 30% of the runoff comes from groundwater (they support the river in winter) and only 10% brings rain (mainly in summer period). Throughout its length, 200 tributaries flow into the Volga. But already at the latitude of Saratov, the water basin of the river narrows, after which the Volga flows from the city of Kamyshin to the Caspian Sea without support from other tributaries.
From April to June, the Volga is characterized by a high spring flood, which lasts an average of 72 days. The maximum level of water rise in the river is observed in the first half of May, when it spills over the floodplain territory for 10 or more kilometers. And in the lower reaches - in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, the width of the flood in places reaches 30 km.
Summer is characterized by a stable low-water period, which lasts from mid-June to early October. Rains in October bring with them an autumn flood, after which a period of low-water winter low water begins, when the Volga is fed only by groundwater.
It should also be noted that after the construction of a whole cascade of reservoirs and regulation of the flow, fluctuations in the water level became much less significant.
The Volga freezes in its upper and middle reaches, usually at the end of November. In the lower reaches, ice rises in early December.
Ice drift on the Volga in the upper reaches, as well as in the section from Astrakhan to Kamyshin, occurs in the first half of April. In the area near Astrakhan, the river usually breaks up in mid-March.
At Astrakhan, the river remains ice-free for almost 260 days a year, while in other sections this time is about 200 days. During the open water period, the river is actively used for ship navigation.
The main part of the river catchment falls on the forest zone, located from the very source to Nizhny Novgorod. The middle part of the river passes through the forest-steppe zone, and the lower part already flows through semi-deserts.
Volga map
Different Volga: Upper, Middle and Lower
According to the classification adopted today, the Volga in its course is divided into three parts:
- The Upper Volga captures the section from the source to the confluence of the Oka (in the city of Volga). Nizhny Novgorod);
- The Middle Volga extends from the mouth of the Oka River to the confluence of the Kama;
- The Lower Volga starts from the mouth of the Kama River and reaches the Caspian Sea itself.
As for the Lower Volga, some adjustments should be made. After the construction of the Zhigulevskaya hydroelectric power station just above Samara and the construction of the Kuibyshev reservoir, today's border between the middle and lower sections of the river passes just at the level of the dam.
Upper Volga
In its upper course, the river made its way through the system of the Upper Volga lakes. Between Rybinsk and Tver, 3 reservoirs are of interest to fishermen: Rybinsk (the famous "fish"), Ivankovskoye (the so-called "Moscow Sea") and the Uglich reservoir. Even further downstream, bypassing Yaroslavl and as far as Kostroma, the riverbed passes through a narrow valley with high banks. Then, a little higher than Nizhny Novgorod, there is the dam of the Gorky hydroelectric power station, which forms the Gorky reservoir of the same name. The most significant contribution to the Upper Volga is made by such tributaries as: Unzha, Selizharovka, Mologa and Tvertsa.
Middle Volga
Beyond Nizhny Novgorod, the Middle Volga begins. Here the width of the river increases by more than 2 times - the Volga becomes full-flowing, reaching a width of 600 m to 2+ km. Near the city of Cheboksary, after the construction of the Cheboksary hydroelectric power station of the same name, an extended reservoir was formed. The area of the reservoir is 2190 square km. The largest tributaries of the Middle Volga are the rivers: Oka, Sviyaga, Vetluga and Sura.
Lower Volga
The Lower Volga begins immediately after the confluence of the Kama River. Here the river, indeed, can be called mighty in all respects. The Lower Volga carries its full-flowing streams along the Volga Upland. Near the city of Tolyatti on the Volga, the largest reservoir was built - Kuibyshevskoe, on which in 2011 there was a disaster with the notorious motor ship Bulgaria. The reservoir of the Volga hydroelectric power station named after Lenin is propped up. Even further downstream, near the city of Balakovo, the Saratov hydroelectric power station was built. The tributaries of the Lower Volga are no longer so full of water, these are the rivers: Samara, Eruslan, Sok, Big Irgiz.
Volga-Akhtuba floodplain
Below the city of Volzhsky, a left branch called Akhtuba separates from the great Russian river. After the construction of the Volga hydroelectric power station, the beginning of the Akhtuba was a 6 km canal extending from the root Volga. Today, the length of Akhtuba is 537 km, the river carries its waters to the northeast parallel to the mother channel, then approaching it, then moving away again. Together with the Volga, Akhtuba forms the famous Volga-Akhtuba floodplain - a real fishing eldorado. The floodplain territory is pierced by numerous channels, saturated with flood lakes and unusually rich in all kinds of fish. The width of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain averages from 10 to 30 km.
Through the territory of the Astrakhan region, the Volga travels 550 km, carrying its waters along the Caspian lowland. At the 3038th kilometer of its journey, the Volga River splits into 3 branches: Bold Curve, City and Trusovsky. And in the section from 3039 to 3053 km, the city of Astrakhan is located along the branches of the City and Trusovsky.
Below Astrakhan, the river makes a turn to the southwest and splits into numerous branches that form a delta.
Volga Delta
The Volga delta first begins to form in a place where one of the branches called Buzan separates from the main channel. This place is located above Astrakhan. In general, the Volga delta has over 510 branches, small channels and eriks. The delta is located on a total area of 19 thousand square kilometers. In width, the distance between the western and eastern branches of the delta reaches 170 km. In the generally accepted classification, the Volga delta consists of three parts: upper, middle and lower. The zones of the upper and middle deltas consist of small islands separated by channels (eriks) 7 to 18 meters wide. The lower part of the Volga delta consists of very branched channel channels, which pass into the so-called. Caspian peals, famous for their lotus fields.
Due to the lowering of the level of the Caspian Sea over the past 130 years, the area of the Volga delta is also growing. During this time, it has increased more than 9 times.
Today, the Volga delta is the largest in Europe, but is famous primarily for its rich fish stocks.
Note that the flora and fauna of the delta is under protection - the Astrakhan Reserve is located here. Therefore, amateur fishing in these places is regulated and not allowed everywhere.
The economic role of the river in the life of the country
Since the 30s of the last century, electricity has been produced on the river with the help of hydroelectric power stations. Since then, 9 hydroelectric power plants with their reservoirs have been built on the Volga. At the moment, the river basin has sheltered approximately 45% of industry and half of all agriculture in Russia. More than 20% of all fish are caught in the Volga basin for Food Industry RF.
The logging industry is developed in the Upper Volga basin, and grain crops are grown in the Middle and Lower Volga regions. Horticulture and horticulture are also developed along the middle and lower reaches of the river.
The Volga-Ural region is rich in natural gas and oil deposits. Near the city of Solikamsk there are deposits of potassium salts. The famous lake Baskunchak on the Lower Volga is famous not only for its healing mud, but also for its salt deposits.
Upstream ships carry oil products, coal, gravel materials, cement, metal, salt and food products. Downstream supplies timber, industrial raw materials, lumber and finished products.
Animal world
Tourism and fishing on the Volga
In the mid-90s of the last century, due to the economic decline in the country, water tourism on the Volga lost its popularity. The situation was normalized only at the beginning of this century. But hinders development tourism business outdated material and technical base. Motor ships that were built back in Soviet times(60-90 years of the last century). There are quite a lot of water tourist routes along the Volga. From Moscow alone, motor ships run on more than 20 different routes.
Russia is the largest country in the world by area. On a vast territory, the largest rivers of the Earth flow: the Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Amur. Among them is the longest river in Europe - the Volga. Its length is 3530 km, and the basin area is 1360 thousand m2.
The Volga River flows in the European part of Russia: from the Valdai Upland in the west, along the eastern side - to the Urals, in the south of the country it flows into the Caspian Sea. Not most of delta enters the territory of Kazakhstan.
The source of the river is located on the Valdai Upland, in the village of Volgoverkhovye, Tver Region. A small stream, receiving about 150,000 tributaries, including 200 small and large rivers, is gaining power and strength and turns into a mighty river. A special monument to the river was erected at the place of its source.
The fall of the river along its length does not exceed 250 m. The mouth of the river lies 28 m below sea level. The territory of Russia adjacent to the Volga is called the Volga region. There are four million-plus cities along the banks of the river: Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara and Volgograd. The first large settlement on the Volga from the source is the city of Rzhev, and the last in the delta is Astrakhan. The Volga is the world's largest river of internal flow, i.e. not flowing into the oceans.
The main part of the Volga area, from the source to Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan, is located in the forest zone, the middle part of the basin to Samara and Saratov is in the forest-steppe zone, the lower part is up to Volgograd in the steppe zone, and to the south in the semi-desert zone.
The Volga is usually divided into three parts: the upper Volga - from the source to the mouth of the Oka, the middle Volga - from the confluence of the Oka to the mouth of the Kama, and the lower Volga - from the confluence of the Kama to the confluence of the Caspian Sea.
River history
For the first time, a Greek scientist 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 the name - "Ra". In Rus', the river is spoken of in the famous Tale of Bygone Years.
Since the time of Rus', the Volga has been an important trading link - an artery where the Volga trade route was founded. Through this route, Russian merchants traded in oriental fabrics, metal, honey, and wax.
After the conquest of the Volga basin, the heyday of trade began, which peaked in the 17th century. Over time, a river fleet arose on the Volga.
In the 19th century, an army of barge haulers worked on the Volga, which is the subject of a painting by a Russian artist. At that time, huge supplies of salt, fish, and bread were transported along the Volga. Then cotton was added to these goods, and later oil.
During the Civil War, the Volga was the main strategic point, which provided the army with bread and food, and also made it possible to quickly transfer forces with the help of the fleet.
Painting by Ilya Repin "Barge haulers on the Volga", 1872-1873 When Soviet power was established in Russia, the river began to be used as a source of electricity. In the 20th century, 8 hydroelectric power plants were built on the Volga.
During the Second World War, the Volga was the most important river for the USSR, as armies and food supplies were transferred through it. In addition, on the Volga, in Stalingrad (now Volgograd), the largest battle took place.
Now the Volga basin is producing oil and natural gas reserves that support the Russian economy. In some areas potash and table salt are mined.
Flora and fauna of the river
The Volga is predominantly fed by snow (60%), some is rain fed (10%), and ground water feed the Volga by 30%. The water in the river is warm, in summer the temperature does not fall below + 20-25 degrees. The river freezes at the end of November in the upper reaches, and in the lower reaches - in December. The river is frozen 100-160 days a year.
Large populations of fish live in the river: crucian carp, zander, perch, ide, pike. Catfish, burbot, ruff, sturgeon, bream and sterlet also live in the waters of the Volga. In total there are about 70 species of fish.
Birds settle in the Volga delta: ducks, swans, herons. Flamingos and pelicans live on the Volga. And still growing famous flowers- lotuses. Although the Volga is heavily polluted industrial enterprises, it still retains aquatic vegetation (lotus, water lily, reed, water chestnut).
Tributaries of the Volga
Approximately 200 tributaries flow into the Volga, and most of them are on the left side. The left tributaries are much more abundant than the right ones. The largest tributary of the Volga is the Kama River. Its length reaches 2000 km. The beginning of the tributary takes on the Verkhnekamsk Upland. Kama has more than 74 thousand tributaries, 95% are rivers up to 10 km long.
Hydrotechnical studies also indicate that the Kama is older than the Volga. But the last ice age and the construction of reservoirs on the Kama seriously reduced its length.
In addition to the Kama, tributaries of the Volga stand out:
- Sura;
- Tvertsa;
- Sviyaga;
- Vetluga;
- Unzha;
- Mologa and others.
Tourism on the Volga
The Volga is a picturesque river, so tourism is flourishing on it. The Volga makes it possible to visit in a short time a large number of Volga cities. Cruises along the Volga are a common type of recreation on the river.
The journey lasts from 3-5 days to a month. It includes visiting the most beautiful cities of the country, located along the Volga. Favorable period for travel along the Volga - from the beginning of May to the end of September.
- The Kama, a tributary of the Volga, hosts an annual sailing competition, the largest in Europe.
- The Volga appears in the literary and artistic works of Russian classics: Repin.
- Feature films have been made about the Volga, including "Volga, Volga" in 1938, "A bridge is being built" in 1965.
- The Volga is considered to be the "homeland of barge haulers." Sometimes 600 thousand barge haulers could work hard at the same time.
- A controversial point: it is generally accepted that the Kama is a tributary of the Volga River. But geographers and hydrologists are still arguing which of the rivers is the main one. The fact is that at the confluence of the Volga rivers carries 3100 cubic meters water per second, but the "productivity" of Kama is 4300 cubic meters per second. It turns out that the Volga ends just below Kazan, and then the Kama River already flows, and it is the Kama that flows into the Caspian Sea.
- The Arabs, impressed by the scale of the Volga, called it "Itil", which means "river" in Arabic.
- The Volga pours 250 cubic kilometers of water into the Caspian Sea every day. However, the level of this sea continues to decline steadily.
- On May 20, Volga Day is celebrated in Russia.
Where does the Volga flow? Perhaps, almost any student can answer this question. secondary school. However, this river plays such an important role in the life of a vast country that to dwell on it characteristic features much more detail is needed.
Section 1. Where does B flow intoOlga? general description
If you look at the list of the largest and deepest rivers in the world, then the Volga will be almost the very first item in it. It flows along and its length is about 3.5 thousand kilometers.
The Valdai Upland is the source of a mighty river. As you know, the Volga flows into exchanging water resources with numerous rivers and springs along its length. The area of the Volga basin occupies 8% of the entire territory of the Russian Federation.
The Volga is divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower. The first one starts from the source and stretches to the mouth of the Oka, then comes the middle one, which ends at the place where it flows into the Volga. And the lower part ends with the Caspian Sea.
Water reserves in the river are replenished by groundwater, rainfall and snowmelt. In April, the spring flood begins, low water is observed in summer, the flood period occurs in autumn, and in winter the river level reaches its lowest point. Water in the Volga begins to freeze in late November or early December.
Section 2. Where does the Volga flow? Interesting historical facts
The first mention of the Volga is in the 2nd century BC in the "Geography" of Ptolemy, where it has the name Ra, which translates as "generous". Itil is its name in the Middle Ages, and in the annals of the Arabs it is called the "river of the Rus".
In the 13th century, the river became famous thanks to the beginning of the Volga, which provides connections with European states, and a direct route to the East opens through the Caspian Sea. Where the Volga flows, the map will show quite accurately, however, not everyone knows that forests have been rafted along this river for a long time, and it is here that fishing begins to develop.
At the moment, compared with past centuries, its possibilities are simply endless.
Fertile soils near the banks of the Volga have long been famous for their fertility, and around the middle of the 19th century, metallurgical and machine-building plants began to be built here. In the 20th century, the development of oil fields began in the lower part of the river. At the same time, the construction of hydroelectric power plants was going on. And every year the river became more and more difficult to replenish its resources.
Section 3. Where does the Volga flow? Features of flora and fauna
Due to the direct proximity to the Caspian Sea, the climate near the Volga is humid and warm, during the hot period the air temperature rises to +40 °, but during the frost period it drops to -25 °.
More than 44 species of fauna live in the river, among them there are endangered specimens that are under protection. Huge number strikes waterfowl. Mammals prefer to settle near the coast: foxes, hares and raccoon dogs.
More than 120 species of fish live in the waters of the river: carp, roach, bream, sturgeon and others. These places have long been a favorite among fishermen. But if earlier the world sturgeon catch was more than 50%, today the situation has changed dramatically.
The negative influence of civilization has not bypassed the mother river. A large number of hydroelectric power plants and reservoirs greatly adversely affects the state of local flora and fauna. In addition, the quality of the water itself in the river has deteriorated greatly.
Despite the fact that there are many different beautiful rivers in Russia, nevertheless, the Volga is the most valuable for it, the population of the country calls it majestic, based on the fact that the Volga is the queen of all Russian rivers. Scientists geologists determine from deposits in the earth's crust that over the immeasurably long history of the Earth, significant areas of the present Volga region have more than once turned into the seabed. One of the seas slowly receded to the south about twenty million years ago, and then the Volga River flowed in its wake. The Volga did not begin in Valdai, but near Ural mountains. She, as it were, cut a corner, taking the direction from there to the Zhiguli, and then carried the waters much more east than now. Movements of the earth's crust, the formation of new heights and depressions, sharp fluctuations in the level of the Caspian Sea and other reasons forced the Volga River to change direction.
Origin of the river's name
From the facts of ancient history, it is known that a well-known Greek scientist at that time named Ptolemy in his Geography called the Volga River by the name "Ra". Not looking at the fact that he lived far from the Volga, on the coast of Africa, in the city of Alexandria, but rumors about this great river also reached there. It was in the 2nd century AD. Later, in the Middle Ages, the Volga was known as Itil.
According to one version, the Volga acquired its modern name according to the ancient Mari name of the Volgydo River, or, which in translation meant “bright”. According to another version, the name of the Volga comes from the Finno-Ugric word Volkea, meaning "light" or "white". There is also a version that the name Volga comes from the name Bulga, associated with the Volga Bulgarians living on its banks. But the Bulgarians themselves (ancestors modern Tatars) called reuk "Itil", a word that means "river" (there is, however, another version that the meanings of the hydronyms Volga and Itil then did not coincide with modern ones), it is believed that the origin of the ethnonym "Volga" from the Proto-Slavic word meaning Volgly - vologa - moisture, thus the possible meaning of the name of the Volga is like "water" or "moisture", if I can put it, it fits and " big water due to the huge size of the river. The presence of the rivers Vlga in the Czech Republic and Vilga in Poland speaks for the Slavic version of the origin of the name.
The source of the Volga
The source of the Volga is the key near the village of Volgoverkhovye in the Tver region. In the upper reaches, within the Valdai Upland, the Volga passes through small lakes - Small and Big Verkhity, then through a system of large lakes known as the Upper Volga lakes: Sterzh, Vselug, Peno and Volgo, united in the Upper Volga reservoir.
Geographic location of the river
The Volga originates on the Valdai Upland (at an altitude of 229 m), flows into the Caspian Sea. The length of the Volga is 3530 kilometers. The mouth lies 28 m below sea level. The total fall is 256 m. The Volga is the world's largest river of internal flow, that is, it does not flow into the oceans. The source of the Volga is the key near the village of Volgoverkhovye in the Tver region. In the upper reaches, within the Valdai Upland, the Volga passes through small lakes - Small and Big Verkhity, then through a system of large lakes known as the Upper Volga lakes: Sterzh, Vselug, Peno and Volgo, united in the so-called Upper Volga reservoir.
The river can be conditionally divided into three main parts, these are:
upper Volga, the largest tributaries of the upper Volga - Selizharovka, Darkness, Tvertsa, Mologa, Sheksna and Unzha. After the passage of the Volga through the system of Upper Volga lakes in 1843, a dam (Upper Volga Beishlot) was built to regulate the flow of water and maintain navigable depths in low water. Between the cities of Tver and Rybinsk on the Volga, the Ivankovskoye reservoir (the so-called Moscow Sea) was created with a dam and a hydroelectric power station near the city of Dubna, the Uglich reservoir (hydroelectric power station near Uglich), Rybinsk reservoir(HPP near Rybinsk). In the region of Rybinsk - Yaroslavl and below Kostroma, the river flows in a narrow valley among high banks, crossing the Uglich-Danilov and Galich-Chukhloma uplands. Further, the Volga flows along the Unzha and Balakhna lowlands. Near Gorodets (above Nizhny Novgorod), the Volga, blocked by the dam of the Gorkovskaya hydroelectric power station, forms the Gorky reservoir.
The middle Volga, in the middle reaches, below the confluence of the Oka, the Volga becomes even more full-flowing. It flows along the northern edge of the Volga Upland. The right bank of the river is high, the left is low. Near Cheboksary, the Cheboksary hydroelectric power station was built, above the dam of which the Cheboksary reservoir is located. The largest tributaries of the Volga in its middle reaches are the Oka, Sura, Vetluga and Sviyaga.
The lower Volga, where in the lower reaches, after the confluence of the Kama, the Volga becomes a mighty river. It flows here along the Volga Upland. Near Tolyatti, above the Samarskaya Luka, which is formed by the Volga, skirting the Zhiguli mountains, the dam of the Zhiguli hydroelectric power station was built; above the dam extends the Kuibyshev reservoir. On the Volga, near the city of Balakovo, the dam of the Saratov hydroelectric power station was erected. The Lower Volga receives relatively small tributaries - Sok, Samara, Big Irgiz, Eruslan. At 21 km above Volgograd, the left branch - Akhtuba (length 537 km) - separates from the Volga, which flows parallel to the main channel. The vast space between the Volga and Akhtuba, crossed by numerous channels and old rivers, is called the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain; the width of floods within this floodplain reached 20-30 km before. On the Volga, between the beginning of the Akhtuba and Volgograd, the Volga hydroelectric power station was built; the Volgograd reservoir extends above the dam.
The Volga delta begins at the point of separation from its channel Akhtuba (near Volgograd) and is one of the largest in Russia. There are up to 500 branches, channels and small rivers in the delta. The main branches are Bakhtemir, Kamyzyak, Staraya Volga, Bolda, Buzan, Akhtuba (of which Bakhtemir is maintained in a navigable state, forming the Volga-Caspian Canal).
Territorial division of the river
Geographically, the Volga basin includes Astrakhan, Volgograd, Saratov, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo, Kostroma, Moscow, Smolensk, Tver, Vladimir, Kaluga, Orel, Ryazan, Vologda, Kirov, Penza, Tambov regions, Perm Territory, Udmurtia, Mari El, Mordovia, Chuvashia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Kalmykia, Komi, Moscow, and some others.
The Volga is connected to the Baltic Sea by the Volga-Baltic waterway, the Vyshnevolotsk and Tikhvin systems; with the White Sea - through the Severodvinsk system and through the White Sea-Baltic Canal; with the Azov and Black Seas - through the Volga-Don Canal.
The main food of the Volga River is melted external waters. Rains, which fall mainly in summer, and groundwater, due to which the river lives in winter, play a lesser role in its nutrition. In accordance with this, in annual level rivers stand out: high and prolonged spring floods, fairly stable summer low water and low winter low water. The duration of the flood is an average of 72 days. The maximum rise in water usually occurs in the first half of May, half a month after the spring ice drift. From the beginning of June to October - November, a summer low water is established. Thus, most of the navigation period, when the Volga River is ice-free (on average 200 days), coincides with the period of low low water levels (2 - 3 m).
History of the Volga River
It is believed that the first mention of the Volga is found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus (V century BC). In the story about the campaign of the Persian king Darius against the Scythians, Herodotus reports that Darius, pursuing the Scythians across the Tanais (Don) River, stopped at the Oar River. They try to identify the Oar River with the Volga, although Herodotus also reported that the Oar flows into the Meotida (Sea of Azov). Sometimes they also see the Volga in another river, about which in the 1st century. BC e. said Diodorus Siculus.
At first, the Scythians lived in very small numbers near the Araks River and were despised for their infamy. But even in ancient times, under the rule of one warlike and distinguished by strategic abilities of the king, they acquired a country in the mountains to the Caucasus, and in the lowlands along the coast of the Ocean and Meotian Lake - and other areas up to the Tanais River.
In the written ancient Roman sources of the II-IV centuries, the Volga is geographically identified as the river Ra - generous, in the Arabic sources of the IX century it is called Atelya - the river of rivers, great river. In the earliest ancient Russian chronicle, The Tale of Bygone Years, it is said: “From that Volokovsky forest, the Volga will flow to the east and flow ... into the Khvalisskoye Sea.” Volokovsky forest - the old name of the Valdai Upland. The Caspian Sea was called Khvalisskiy.
The geographical position of the Volga and its major tributaries determined by the 8th century its importance as a trade route between East and West. It was along the Volga route that the flow of Arab silver poured into the Scandinavian countries. From Arab Caliphate fabrics, metals were exported, from the Slavic lands - slaves, furs, wax, honey. In the 9th-10th centuries, such centers as the Khazar Itil at the mouth, the Bulgar Bulgar on the Middle Volga, the Russian Rostov, Suzdal, and Murom in the Upper Volga region played a significant role in trade. Since the 11th century, trade has been weakening, and in the 13th century, the Mongol-Tatar invasion disrupted economic ties, except for the upper Volga basin, where Novgorod, Tver and the cities of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus played an active role. Since the 15th century, the importance of the trade route has been restored, and the role of such centers as Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Astrakhan has been growing. Conquest by Ivan the Terrible mid-sixteenth century of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates led to the unification of the entire Volga river system in the hands of Russia, which contributed to the flourishing of the Volga trade in the 17th century. There are new large cities - Samara, Saratov, Tsaritsyn; Yaroslavl, Kostroma, and Nizhny Novgorod play an important role. Large caravans of ships (up to 500) go along the Volga. In the XVIII century, the main trade routes moved to the West, and economic development the lower Volga is constrained by poor population and nomad raids. The Volga basin in the 17th-18th centuries was the main area of action for the rebellious peasants and Cossacks during the peasant wars led by S.T. Razin and E.I. Pugachev.
In the 19th century, there was a significant development of the Volga trade route after the connection of the Mariinsky river system of the Volga and Neva basins (1808); a large river fleet appeared (in 1820 - the first steamboat), a huge army of barge haulers (up to 300 thousand people) worked on the Volga. Major shipments of grain, salt, fish, and later oil and cotton are carried out.
The development of the Civil War of 1917-22 in Russia is largely connected with the establishment in 1918 in a number of cities of the Volga region of the power of the Constituent Assembly Committee. The restoration of Bolshevik control over the Volga is considered an important turning point of the Civil War, as control over the Volga provided access to grain resources and Baku oil. An important role in the Civil War was played by the defense of Tsaritsyn, in which I. V. Stalin played an active role, which was the reason for renaming Tsaritsyn to Stalingrad.
During the years of socialist construction, in connection with the industrialization of the whole country, the importance of the Volga route increased. Since the end of the 30s of the XX century, the Volga has also been used as a source of hydropower. During the Great Patriotic War 1941-45 on the Volga there was the largest Battle of Stalingrad, which has preserved the name of the Volga in the history of the liberated region. In the post-war period, the economic role of the Volga increased significantly, especially after the creation of a number of large reservoirs and hydroelectric power stations.
The natural world of the Volga
Large forest areas are located in the basin of the upper Volga, large areas in the Middle and partly in the Lower Volga region are occupied by grain and industrial crops. Developed melon growing and horticulture. There are rich deposits of oil and gas in the Volga-Ural region. Near Solikamsk there are large deposits of potash salts. In the Lower Volga region (Lake Baskunchak, Elton) - table salt.
In terms of fish diversity, the Volga is one of the richest rivers. There are 76 different fish species and 47 subspecies of fish in the Volga river basin. Fish enter the Volga from the Caspian Sea: lamprey, beluga, sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, thorn, whitefish, anadromous Volga or common herring; from semi-anadromous: carp, bream, pike perch, roach, etc. Fish constantly live in the Volga: sterlet, carp, bream, pike perch, ide, pike, burbot, catfish, perch, ruff, asp. Beluga is the most legendary fish of the Caspian basin. Its age reaches 100 years, and its mass is 1.5 tons. At the beginning of the century, beluga whales weighing over a ton lived in the Volga, the weight of caviar in females was up to 15% total weight body. Red fish - the glory of the Astrakhan region. Five species of sturgeon live here - Russian sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, beluga, spike and sterlet. The first four species are anadromous, while the sterlet is a freshwater fish. Farms also breed a hybrid of beluga and sterlet - bester. Herring-like fish are represented by the Caspian shad, common sprat and black-backed and Volga herring.
Of the salmon-like fish, the whitefish is found, the only representative of the pike-like fish is the pike. Carp fish of the lower reaches of the Volga include bream, carp, roach, rudd, gold and silver carp, asp, silver bream, gudgeon, grass carp, white and motley silver carp.
Perch fish in the Volga are represented by river perch, ruff, as well as pike perch and bersh. In stagnant shallow freshwater reservoirs of the lower reaches of the Volga, the only representative of the stickleback order, the southern stickleback, is found everywhere.
The influence of the Volga in creativity
In the figurative perception of the essence of the Russian people, the Volga plays an exceptional and central role, it is the root and core of the entire Russian people, a figurative ideal. She is always animated, human qualities are attributed to her, and the ideal Russian person must correspond to the image of this river. In literature and art, the Volga is not found too often, but truly cult works are associated with its image. AT culture XIX and the beginning of the 20th century, the most “folk” representatives of culture are associated with the Volga: N.A. Nekrasov, Maxim Gorky, F. I. Chaliapin. Soviet art made full use of the image of the Volga created by democratic art pre-revolutionary Russia. The Volga is identified with the Motherland, it is a symbol of freedom, spaciousness, breadth and greatness of the spirit of Soviet people. The film "Volga-Volga" and the song "The Volga Flows" performed by Lyudmila Zykina played a central role in the construction of this image.
Volga Delta
The Volga Delta is the place where the first biosphere reserve in Russia was created in 1919. Five years ago, another federal state nature reserve appeared in the Astrakhan region - Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky. We understand that the nature reserves constantly have many problems, the solution of which cannot be postponed, therefore the financing of their activities is largely the responsibility of the regional budget. Astrakhan residents are proud that Maly Zhemchuzhny Island received the status of a federal natural monument last year. This is one of the most valuable natural reserves of the Northern Caspian. In addition, 800 thousand hectares of the delta have the status of a wetland of international importance. There are four state natural reserves of regional significance in our region.
The Volga Delta is recognized as the most ecologically safe delta in Europe. Our task, despite the fact that the territory for economic use is highly valued here, is to expand the boundaries nature reserves. Now, for example, the idea of creating so-called biospheric polygons in the region is being worked out. We are among the first in Russia to do this. 300,000 hectares of the Northern Caspian and the Volga delta are to be reserved for them. In these spaces, mostly water, will be tested modern methods economic activity which will not damage the unique environment. We are for the openness of environmental information and always promptly respond to any signals about an emergency and problems.
The largest river valley in Europe, the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and the delta of the Volga River, as well as the desert surrounding them, have always attracted the attention of botanists. The first studies mainly concerned the species composition of the flora. At different times, the region was visited by: P. S. Pallas, K. K. Klaus, E. A. Eversmann, I. K. Pachosky, A. Ya Gordyagin, and many other prominent travelers and botanists. In the late 1920s, more attention began to be paid to floodplain habitats. To one of the first researchers of the vegetation cover of the Lower Volga valley - S. I Korzhinsky (in 1888) - the floristic composition of its meadows and swamps initially seemed rather monotonous, but subsequently these ideas began to change. Mr. Ramensky (in 1931) noted a change in the composition of the herbaceous communities of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and delta as one moved downstream the river.
Story
Until the 30s. In the twentieth century, the Volga was practically used only as a transport route and a fishing basin. The main organic shortcomings of the Volga trade route for many centuries were the lack of water connections with the World Ocean and the gradation of the depths. The first shortcoming was once tried to be overcome by the organization of portages. But only very small ships could be dragged across the watersheds. Peter I organized work to connect the Volga with the Don and the Baltic Sea. However, due to the lack of equipment that corresponded to the scale of the work, the efforts expended to connect the Volga with the Don were not crowned with success. The fate of the work on the Upper Volga was different. In 1703, they began and in 1709 completed the construction of the Vyshnevolotsk system. Through the rivers Tvertsa, Tsna, Meta, Volkhov, Lake Ladoga and Niva, goods transported along the Volga got access to the Baltic Sea. The limited capacity of this water system made it necessary to look for other ways of developing water links between the Volga basin and the Baltic.
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