The Volga River is the largest in Europe and the third longest in Russia. The river originates in the Tver region on the Valdai Upland. To Kazan, it carries its waters to the south-east, then turns south, and from Samara to the south-west. In the Volgograd region, it again changes direction and flows southeast to the Caspian Sea, where the Volga River flows into at a distance of 60 km from Astrakhan.
The Volga flows through the densely populated regions of the European part of Russia, in the territory of which there are 4 republics and 11 regions. On its banks are concentrated many cities and towns. Large cities stand on the river, including four millionaires: Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, Volgograd.
Several reservoirs were built on the Volga, the most famous of which are: Verkhne-Volzhskoye, Rybinskoye, Gorkovskoye, Kuibyshevskoye, Volgogradskoye. Thousands of rivers and streams carry their waters to the mighty Volga. The river has especially many left tributaries. The largest rivers flowing into the Volga are the left tributary of the Kama and the right tributary of the Oka.
The Volga River flows through the vast territory of the Russian Plain with various natural and climatic zones. The area from the sources to Kazan is occupied by forests, then a forest-steppe extends to Saratov, the steppes prevail in the lower reaches and in the very south is a semi-desert.
Before flowing into the Caspian Sea, the river is divided into hundreds of branches. The mouth of the Volga River is a delta in the form of a triangle with many islands and canals, where the unique nature has been preserved in its original form.
In the delta is the
Astrakhan reserve, which has the status of a biosphere. More than 250 species of birds live here, including 70 rare ones. During the flight to the nesting places in the reserve, the rarest white crane in the world makes a stop - the Siberian Crane. There are especially many
marsh birds in the delta that nest in reed beds. 27 species of birds are in the Red Book: osprey, Egyptian heron, curly pelican, white-tailed eagle and others. In the lower Volga there are about 50 species of fish, including sturgeon, beluga, stellate sturgeon, asp, common carp, pike perch. In the Astrakhan reserve, you can find plants listed in the Russian Red Book: lotus,
white water lily, yellow capsule,
water chestnut.The Volga River is not only a symbol of Russia, but also the main waterway, the basin of which is a large industrial zone of the country.
Hydro and power plants, oil refineries, engineering, chemical oil, gas, and coal mining enterprises have been built here. In addition, passenger and cargo shipping are developed on the river.
During navigation from May to September, the Volga River is the place of motor cruises, during which travelers can see many cities of the Volga region, each of which has its own unique history. This is Yaroslavl with numerous archaeological and architectural values protected by UNESCO. Ancient Uglich with church monuments. Kostroma with the Ipatiev Monastery and the Museum of Wooden Architecture. A small quiet Ples, where Levitan's best canvases were painted. Volgograd with the Mamaev Kurgan, on which one of the highest statues in the world is installed - Mother Motherland