There is no other river in Russia that would play such an important role in the history of the country. And no other one enjoys such great love among Russians as the Volga. From ancient times, it was identified with Mother Motherland, affectionately calling the Volga Mother. She has always been a symbol of freedom and greatness of spirit. And how many people about her composed songs and poems, fairy tales and past!
The Volga is not only the longest river in Europe, it is also the longest river on the planet among those flowing into inland waters. Its length from source to mouth is 3,530 km, which is almost a thousand kilometers longer than the Danube. The Volga is almost 3.5 times larger than the Loire - the longest river in France.
Distinctive features
The longest river in Europe begins with a small spring on the Valdai Upland near the small Tver village of Volgo-Verkhovye. Crossing the Central Russian Upland, the Volga turns from a thin stream into a large stream. Having reached the foothills of the Ural Mountains, it turns south and along the Caspian lowland calmly and importantly carries its waters to the Caspian Sea, which flows into the city of Astrakhan.
In the upper reaches, the longest river in Europe connects several small lakes. In 1843, a dam was erected at the source of Lake Volgo to regulate the flow of water, which is still valid today. The Volga, as it were, consists of three parts along the entire length: the Upper - from the beginning to the confluence with the Oka, the Middle - from the Oka to the confluence of the Kama and the Lower - from the Kama to the Caspian.
The source is located at an altitude of 228 meters, and the mouth is in a depression 28 meters below sea level. The size of the basin is larger than some European countries and amounts to 1360 thousand km 2 . The river system includes more than 151 thousand watercourses. The Volga has about 200 tributaries, while the left is much more watery and more numerous than the right.
Volga and man
The longest river in Europe is not only a symbol of Russia, but also an important waterway, which performs the most important economic function. It has always been of benefit to the peoples living on the shores.
Convenient geographical position contributed to the use of the river and its tributaries as a connecting thread between East and West. As early as the 13th century, the Volga trade route served as a road to Europe, through which eastern goods, including Arab silver, were regularly delivered. In the Middle Ages, fishing flourished on the Volga, rafting of the forest.
Like a magic thread, it ties several dozens of ancient cities into one necklace, including Rzhev, Tver, Uglich, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Kazan, Kostroma, Samara, Astrakhan.
Thanks to man-made canals, the Volga got access to the seas washing the European shores of Russia. All the rivers of this part of the country are united in a single water system, the core of which is the longest river in Europe.
After the creation of the grandiose Volga cascade of hydroelectric power stations in the twentieth century, its economic importance increased many times. The river has become more navigable, today large vessels regularly sail until Tver. It carries half of all river cargo and passengers in Russia.