How the Volga River flows on the map. Where does the Volga River flow? Interesting Facts. Different Volga: Upper, Middle and Lower

The first mentions of the Volga River date back to ancient times, when it was called “Ra”. In later times, already in Arabic sources, the river was called Atel (Etel, Itil), which translated means “great river” or “river of rivers.”

The current name "Volga" has several versions of its origin. The most likely version seems to be that the name has Baltic roots. According to the Latvian valka, which means “overgrown river”, the Volga got its name. This is exactly what the river looks like in its upper reaches, where the Balts lived in ancient times.

The source of the Volga River is the place where the Volga River begins. Located in the Ostashkovsky district of the Tver region.

Being at the source, you can easily step from one bank of the great Volga to the other.

The largest European river, the Volga, begins at the southwestern outskirts of the village of Volgoverkhovye, at an altitude of 228 meters above sea level.

There is a chapel above the source of the Volga.

Near the source of the Volga River there are churches of the Olginsky Convent.

The first bridge is also located here. The length of this “crossing” is three meters.

The first large settlement from the source of the Volga is Rzhev. Of the settlements located between it and the beginning of the river, two villages can be noted - Peno and Selizharovo.

Peno is an urban-type settlement (since 1930), the administrative center of the Penovsky district of the Tver region of Russia.

Located on the Volga River, its tributary the Zhukopa River and Lake Peno.

It emerged in 1906 as a station village that grew up next to the village of the same name.

During the Great Patriotic War, Nazi troops occupied the village for several months. Partisan detachments operated in the vicinity of the village. On November 23, 1941, in the village, after torture, the fascists shot one of the organizers of the partisan movement, Komsomol member Lisa Chaikina, who in 1942 was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

A stele at the site of her execution.

House-Museum of Lisa Chaikina,

Volga in the Selizharovo region.

The village of Selizharovo is the administrative center of the Selizharovo district. Located on the Volga at the mouth of the Selizharovka and Pesochnya rivers. Intersect here Railway Likhoslavl - Soblago and the Rzhev - Ostashkov highway.

This settlement originated in ancient times on the trade route from Novgorod to the Caspian Sea. Presumably, it arose at the Selizharov Monastery, built in 1504. At first it was a monastic settlement, and since 1862 locality was named Selizharovsky Posad. Trade ships passed through it. The population was engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding, and various crafts.

Resurrection Church

On the left side of the Volga at the end of Tikhomirov Street in the village of Selizharovo there is a church built in stone in 1763 on the site of two wooden ones...

Trinity Selizharov Monastery

Church of Peter and Paul

Next is Rzhev.

Volga and the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God of Okovets in Rzhev

Volga near Rzhev

Rzhev is an ancient city. It was first mentioned in written sources (Novgorod Charter) in 1019; there is also a later date - 1216.

There is no clear opinion among historians yet. Later it was part of the Principality of Toropets, and from 1225 it became the center of the appanage Principality of Rzhev. At the beginning of the 14th century, Rzhev entered the Moscow Principality. Later it was included in the Novgorod and then Tver provinces.

Cathedral of the Icon of the Mother of God Okovetskaya

Church of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia

Park named after V.V. Gratsinsky

Monument at the grave of V.V. Gratsinsky

27-year-old military commissar V.V. Gratsinsky, commander of a detachment of 1000 bayonets, died in a battle with the White Czechs on September 2, 1918, near the village of Morkvashi near Kazan. His body was taken by soldiers to Rzhev, where on September 11, 1918 he was buried with military honors in the Nikolsky Garden (now Gratsinsky Park).

Monument to Lenin on Sovetskaya Square

Stele "Rzhev - the city of military glory"

There is a lot in Rzhev that reminds us of the war.

Bridge and obelisk in honor of WWII heroes

Obelisk to the heroes of the Second World War

Bas-relief on the pedestal of the obelisk to the heroes of the Second World War

Alley of Heroes of the Soviet Union - participants of the Battle of Rzhev

Rzhev suffered seriously during the Great Patriotic War. In the famous Battle of Rzhev, which lasted from January 1942 to March 1943 and included four offensive operations, the irretrievable losses of Soviet troops amounted, according to various estimates, to more than 400,000 people.

Memorial complex to fallen internationalist soldiers and participants in other local conflicts

People call the Volga the Mother of Russia. The first mention of it can be found in the works of the ancient historian Herodotus. The river flows throughout the European part of the country. The river's path begins in the forest zone and ends in desert areas, flowing into the Caspian Sea. From a small stream at an altitude of 227 meters above sea level, the Volga turns into a huge freshwater massif at the mouth, reaching a width between the banks of 20-30 kilometers.

In contact with

The Volga is the longest river in Europe and the largest in the world.

Its length from source to mouth is 3,550 kilometers, and the area along the length of the water basin is approximately 1,350 thousand square kilometers and occupies a third of the central part of Russia;
More than two hundred tributaries flow into the river and great amount drains, there are approximately 150 thousand of them.

More complete information about this great river of Russia can be found in Wikipedia, where all the encyclopedic data about the reservoir is dryly described. The Volga originates in the outback of the Tver region, and if not for a small chapel with an indicative inscription, it would be impossible to guess that this is the source of the mighty Russian river.

Spring at the beginning of the river

The source of the Volga River is marked on the map as an area in the outback of the Valdai Upland. A small spring is the beginning of the most beautiful river in the world. IN Ostashkovsky district In the Tver region, on the outskirts of the small village of Volgoverkhovye, there is a small swamp with several springs gushing out. One of them is considered the source of a mighty reservoir.

Above the spring, a small chapel is installed on stilts. After crossing the bridge, you can get inside and see through a window in the floor the beginning of a huge river located above the spring. In 1995, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' consecrated the water of the source and the chapel. The rite of blessing the water has since taken place annually on May 29. Since then, the water that gives life to the beginning of the Volga has been considered holy. There is a font in the chapel from which you can scoop up water for washing or you can take it with you.

Not far from the source there is a stone with a carved reminder of the significance of the place, saying that: “The purity and greatness of the Russian land is born here.” A small stream flowing from the chapel about thirty centimeters deep and no more than 60 centimeters wide. You can step over it or stop to take a photo, standing on both banks of the Volga at the same time. In hot weather, the narrow channel sometimes dries up, but this does not affect the fullness of the water. big river. The Volga is fed by meltwater and numerous rivers, lakes, and springs, allowing it to spread at its mouth for many kilometers in width.

Interesting to know: Standing on the river under Prince Ivan III.

Traveling to beautiful, and most importantly, environmentally friendly places is a great luxury these days. The source area of the Volga is one of such territories. You can truly enjoy nature and the echo of Orthodox Russian antiquity.

Okovetsky spring

Not far from the source of the Volga there is a source with very ancient history And healing properties. According to an old legend, in 1539, an icon of the Holy Cross of the Lord appeared next to the key. After this event, the stream acquired wonderful healing properties. At the site where the icon was found, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a chapel was erected, which was destroyed and rebuilt several times. The last revival of the consecrated structure took place in 1991. Based on historical documents, an exact copy was built according to the model of 1870.

Healing water, according to legend, brought health to many people. After visiting the spring, you can plunge into the holy waters of the legendary spring. Special fonts were built for this purpose. The water temperature at any time of the year is +4 degrees. Rising from a depth of 800 meters, the Okovetsky Spring flows into the Volga as a stream, feeding it with holy water.

Holguin Convent

The monastery was founded in 1649 and was originally for male monks. In 1727 a fire destroyed the monastery. The temple was revived with donations from Orthodox believers only at the beginning of the twentieth century. A community was formed nearby and nuns settled. The monastery became a women's monastery and was named Olginsky in honor of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga. During the Great Patriotic War, a stable was equipped in the monastery church, and later a warehouse. It was restored and brought into proper shape only in 1999 through the efforts of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Lake Sterzh

Fifteen kilometers from its source, the Volga flows into the picturesque Lake Sterzh, before flowing through two smaller bodies of water: Malye Verkhity and Bolshiye Verkhity. There is a lot of fish in the lake and along the banks there are excellent landscapes of central Russia. People living on the shore say that in sunny weather you can see how the waters of the Volga, without mixing, cross the Sterzh. This powerful through current can be distinguished by the color of the water. It differs from the color of the waters of the main reservoir.

Just beyond the lake is the first operating dam, from which the flow in the upper reaches of the Volga is controlled. Then the river begins to gain strength, fullness and grandeur. In the village of Volgoverkhovye, guides suggest walking along several ecological trails, no more than a kilometer long. While walking, you can listen to a story about the significant events of this territory, see numerous monuments along the way and simply relax your soul.

Interesting to know: How many exist on planet Earth?

How to get there on your own

To the source of the Volga are offered bus excursions at a fairly affordable price, but it’s also easy to get there on your own. Scheduled public transport doesn't go there.

Distances to the source of the Volga from major Russian cities

from Moscow - 440 km;
from St. Petersburg - 440 km;
from Tver - 260 km;
from Veliky Novgorod - 260 km;
from Yaroslavl - 585 km;
from Smolensk - 406 km;
from Vologda - 645.

A journey to the beginning of the Great Russian River is a fascinating and educational event for the whole family.

Despite the fact that in Russia there are many different beautiful rivers However, the Volga is most valuable to her; the population of the country calls it majestic, based on the fact that the Volga is like the queen of all Russian rivers. Scientists geologists determine from sediments 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 retreated to the south about twenty million years ago, and then the Volga River flowed in its wake. The Volga began not in Valdai, but near Ural mountains. It seemed to cut a corner, taking the direction towards Zhiguli from there, and then carried the waters much further to the east than now. Movements of the earth's crust, the formation of new hills 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 ancient history It is known that a well-known Greek scientist named Ptolemy in his “Geography” called the Volga River by the name “Ra”. Despite the fact that he lived far from the Volga, on the coast of Africa, in the city of Alexandria, rumors about this great river reached there too. This 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 from the ancient Mari name of the river Volgydo, or which translated 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 who lived on its banks. But the Bulgarians themselves (the ancestors of modern Tatars) called the 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 most likely origin of the ethnonym “Volga” "from the Proto-Slavic word meaning volgly - vologa - moisture, thus the possible meaning of the name Volga is like “water” or “moisture”, if I may say so, then “ big water", thanks to the enormous size of the river. The Slavic version of the origin of the name is evidenced by the presence of the Vlga rivers in the Czech Republic and Vilga in Poland.

Source of the Volga

The source of the Volga is a spring near the village of Volgoverkhovye in the Tver region. In its upper reaches, within the Valdai Upland, the Volga passes through small lakes- Maloe and Bolshoye Verkhita, then through a system of large lakes known as the Upper Volga lakes: Sterzh, Vselug, Peno and Volgo, united into the Upper Volga Reservoir.

Geographical location of the river

The Volga originates on the Valdai Hills (at an altitude of 229 m) and 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, not flowing into the world ocean. The source of the Volga is a spring near the village of Volgoverkhovye in the Tver region. In the upper reaches, within the Valdai Upland, the Volga passes through small lakes - Maloe and Bolshoye Verkhity, then through a system of large lakes known as the Upper Volga lakes: Sterzh, Vselug, Peno and Volgo, united into the so-called Upper Volga reservoir.

The river can be divided into three main parts:

Upper Volga, the largest tributaries of the Upper Volga are Selizharovka, Tma, Tvertsa, Mologa, Sheksna and Unzha. After the Volga passed through the system of Verkhnevolzhsky lakes in 1843, a dam (Verkhnevolzhsky Beishlot) was built to regulate water flow and maintain navigable depths during low water periods. Between the cities of Tver and Rybinsk on the Volga, the Ivankovo Reservoir (the so-called Moscow Sea) with a dam and a hydroelectric power station near the city of Dubna, the Uglich Reservoir (HPP near Uglich), and the Rybinsk Reservoir (HPP near Rybinsk) were created. In the Rybinsk-Yaroslavl region and below Kostroma, the river flows in a narrow valley among high banks, crossing the Uglich-Danilovskaya and Galich-Chukhloma uplands. Further, the Volga flows along the Unzhenskaya and Balakhninskaya lowlands. Near Gorodets (above Nizhny Novgorod), the Volga, blocked by the dam of the Gorky hydroelectric 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. The Cheboksary Hydroelectric Power Station was built near Cheboksary, 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 Togliatti, above the Samara Luka, which is formed by the Volga, skirting the Zhigulevsky Mountains, the Zhigulevskaya Hydroelectric Power Station dam was built; Above the dam lies the Kuibyshev Reservoir. On the Volga near the city of Balakovo, the Saratov hydroelectric power station dam was erected. Lower Volga receives relatively small tributaries - Sok, Samara, Bolshoi Irgiz, Eruslan. 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 the floods within this floodplain previously reached 20-30 km. The Volzhskaya Hydroelectric Power Station was built on the Volga between the beginning of Akhtuba and Volgograd; Above the dam lies the Volgograd Reservoir.

The Volga Delta begins at the point where Akhtuba separates from its channel (in the Volgograd area) 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, Old Volga, Bolda, Buzan, Akhtuba (of which Bakhtemir is maintained in navigable condition, 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, Oryol, Ryazan, Vologda, Kirov, Penza, Tambov regions, Perm region, Udmurtia, Mari El, Mordovia, Chuvashia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Kalmykia, Komi, Moscow, and some others.

Volga is connected to Baltic Sea Volga-Baltic waterway, 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 Volga River is mainly fed by external meltwater. Rains, which fall mainly in summer, and groundwater, from which the river lives in winter, play a lesser role in its nutrition. In accordance with this, the annual level of the river is distinguished by: high and prolonged spring floods, fairly stable summer low water and low winter low water. The duration of the flood is on average 72 days. The maximum water rise usually occurs in the first half of May, half a month after the spring ice drift. From the beginning of June to October - November, summer low water sets in. Thus, most of the navigation period when the Volga River is ice-free (an average of 200 days) coincides with a 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 works of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus (5th 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 are trying to identify the Oar River with the Volga, although Herodotus also reported that the Oar flows into Maeotis (the Sea of Azov). Sometimes they also see the Volga in another river, which was mentioned in the 1st century. BC e. reported Diodorus Siculus.

At first the Scythians lived in very small numbers near the Araks River and were despised for their ignominy. But even in ancient times, under the control of one warlike king distinguished by his strategic abilities, they acquired a country in the mountains up to the Caucasus, and in the lowlands of the coast of the Ocean and Lake Meotia - and other areas up to the Tanais River.

In written ancient Roman sources of the 2nd-4th centuries, the Volga is geographically identified as the river Ra - generous, in Arabic sources of the 9th century it is called Atel - the river of rivers, the great river. In the earliest ancient Russian chronicle, “The Tale of Bygone Years,” it is said: “From that Volokovo forest the Volga will flow to the east and flow... into the Khvalisskoye Sea.” Volokovsky Forest is the ancient name of the Valdai Hills. Khvalissky was the name given to the Caspian Sea.

The geographical position of the Volga and its large tributaries has already determined VIII 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. Fabrics and metals were exported from the Arab Caliphate; slaves, furs, wax, and honey were exported from the Slavic lands. In the 9th-10th centuries, a significant role in trade was played by such centers as the Khazar Itil at the mouth, the Bulgar Bulgar in the Middle Volga, the Russian Rostov, Suzdal, Murom in the Upper Volga region. Since the 11th century, trade has weakened, 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, the role of such centers as Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Astrakhan. The conquest of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates by Ivan the Terrible in the mid-16th century led to the unification of the entire Volga river system in the hands of Russia, which contributed to the flourishing of Volga trade in the 17th century. New ones are emerging big cities- Samara, Saratov, Tsaritsyn; Yaroslavl, Kostroma, and Nizhny Novgorod play a major role. Large caravans of ships (up to 500) sail along the Volga. In the 18th century, the main trade routes moved to the West, and economic development the lower Volga is constrained by weak population and raids by nomads. The Volga basin in the 17th-18th centuries was the main area of action for the rebel peasants and Cossacks during the peasant wars under the leadership of S.T. Razin and E.I. Pugacheva.

In the 19th century, there was a significant development of the Volga trade route after the Mariinsky river system connected the Volga and Neva basins (1808); A large river fleet appeared (in 1820 - the first steamship), a huge army of barge haulers (up to 300 thousand people) worked on the Volga. Large shipments of bread, 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 of the power of the Committee of the Constituent Assembly in a number of cities of the Volga region. The restoration of Bolshevik control over the Volga is considered an important turning point in 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 J.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 entire country, the importance of the Volga Route increased. Since the late 30s of the 20th century, the Volga has also begun to be used as a source of hydropower. During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, the largest Battle of Stalingrad took place on the Volga, which preserved the name of the Volga in the history of the liberation of the 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.

Natural world of the Volga

Large forests are located in the Upper Volga basin, in the Middle and partly in the Lower Volga region large areas are busy sowing grain and industrial crops. Melon growing and gardening are developed. The Volga-Ural region has rich oil and gas deposits. Near Solikamsk there are large deposits of potassium salts. In the Lower Volga region (Lake Baskunchak, Elton) - table salt.

In terms of fish diversity, the Volga is one of the richest rivers. The Volga River basin is home to 76 different species of fish and 47 subspecies of fish. The following fish enter the Volga from the Caspian Sea: lamprey, beluga, sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, thorn, whitefish, anadromous Volga herring or common herring; semi-anadromous: carp, bream, pike perch, roach, etc. The following 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 weight is 1.5 tons. At the beginning of the century, belugas weighing over a ton lived in the Volga; the weight of caviar in females was up to 15% of the total body weight. Red fish is the glory of the Astrakhan region. Five species of sturgeon fish live here - Russian sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, beluga, thorn and sterlet. The first four species are anadromous, and sterlet is a freshwater fish. Farms also breed a hybrid of beluga and sterlet - bester. Herring-like fish are represented by Caspian shad, common sprat and blackback and Volga herring.

Among the salmon-like fish, the whitefish is found, the only representative of the pike-like fish is the pike. The carp fish of the lower reaches of the Volga include bream, carp, roach, rudd, gold and silver crucian carp, asp, silver bream, gudgeon, grass carp, white and bighead carp.

Perch fish in the Volga are represented by river perch, ruffe, as well as pike perch and bersh. In the stagnant shallow freshwater reservoirs of the Volga lower reaches, 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. It is always animated, human qualities are attributed to it, and the ideal Russian person must correspond to the image of this river. The Volga is not found very often in literature and art, but truly iconic works are associated with its image. In the culture of the 19th and early 20th centuries, 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 the democratic art of pre-revolutionary Russia. The Volga is identified with the Motherland; it is a symbol of freedom, space, breadth and greatness of the spirit of Soviet people. The central role in the construction of this image was played by the film “Volga-Volga” and the song “The Volga Flows” performed by Lyudmila Zykina.

Volga Delta

The Volga Delta is the place where the first biosphere reserve in Russia was created in 1919. Five years ago in Astrakhan region Another federal state nature reserve appeared - Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky. We understand that nature reserves constantly face 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 last year Maly Zhemchuzhny Island received the status of a federal natural monument. This is one of the most valuable natural reserves of the Northern Caspian Sea. In addition, 800 thousand hectares of the delta have the status of a wetland of international importance. In our region there are four state natural reserve regional significance.

The Volga Delta is recognized as the most environmentally friendly delta in Europe. Our task, despite the fact that the territory for economic use here is highly valued, is to expand the boundaries nature reserves. Now, for example, the idea of creating so-called biosphere testing grounds in the region is being explored. We are one of the first to do this in Russia. 300 thousand hectares of the Northern Caspian Sea and the Volga delta are to be reserved for them. Modern methods will be tested in these spaces, mainly water ones. economic activity that will not harm the unique environment. We are for openness of environmental information and always promptly respond to any signals about emergencies and problems.

The largest river valley in Europe, the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and the Volga River delta, as well as the surrounding desert, have always attracted the attention of botanists. The first studies mainly concerned the species composition of the flora. IN different time The region was visited by: P. S. Pallas, K. K. Klaus, E. A. Eversmann, I. K. Pachosky, A. I Gordyagin and many other outstanding travelers and botanists. At the end of the 20s of this century, 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 later these ideas began to change.A. G. Ramensky (in 1931) noted a change in the composition of herbaceous communities of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and delta as they moved downstream of 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 disadvantages of the Volga trade route for many centuries were the lack of water connections with the World Ocean and the stepwise depths. They once tried to overcome the first disadvantage by organizing portages. But only very small vessels could be transported across watersheds. Peter I organized work to connect the Volga with the Don and the Baltic Sea. However, due to the lack of equipment corresponding 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, Ladoga lake and Niva, cargo transported along the Volga gained access to the Baltic Sea. The limited capacity of this water system forced us to look for other ways to develop water connections between the Volga basin and the Baltic.

In 1810, the Mariinsk water system came into operation, connecting the Volga with the Baltic through the rivers Sheksna, Vyterga, Lake Onega, and the river. Svir, Lake Ladoga and Neva, and in 1811 - the Tikhvin water system, which did the same through the rivers Mologa, Chagodoma, Syas and the Ladoga Canal.

In 1828, the construction of the Württemberg (North Dvina) system was completed, connecting the Volga basin through the Shekena River, the Toporninsky Canal, lakes Siverskoye and Kubenskoye with the river. Sukhona, Northern Dvina and White Sea. In the first half of the 19th century. Work began to actively develop to overcome another major drawback of the Volga transport route - the stepped depths.

Along with shipping, fishing has been of great importance in the Volga basin since ancient times. The Volga has always been abundant in aquatic, semi-anadromous and migratory fish. Sharp fluctuations in catches in the Volga basin were also noted in those times when the influence of human economic activity was practically insignificant. Mills were built on small tributaries of the Volga even in pre-Petrine times. During the time of Peter I, water energy began to be used for metallurgical plants created in the Urals.

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. it became clear that the exceptionally favorable position of the Volga in the very center of the European part of Russia, the richest land, water and mineral resources, the enormous fish wealth of the Volga basin, the presence of qualified workers in the industrial regions - Moscow, Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Ural - cannot be fully used without the development of an adequate energy base.

Significance of the Volga River

Nowadays, the river plays a significant role in the Russian economy, since a large number of hydroelectric power stations are located on it, and the river itself is necessary for various maritime cargo transportation, which is now successfully carried out.

In addition, the Volga is the main artery of the country, supplying it water resources, it is also worth adding that many reservoirs have been created on the Volga. And for local residents whose villages are located near the Volga River gives you the opportunity to feel like tourists, swimming along the river, and just admire beautiful landscape, looking at her one more time.

There is no such density of tourist facilities as in the Bakhchisarai region anywhere in the world! Mountains and sea, rare landscapes and cave cities, lakes and waterfalls, secrets of nature and mysteries of history. Discovery and the spirit of adventure... Mountain tourism It’s not at all difficult here, but any path pleases with clean springs and lakes.

Adygea, Crimea. Mountains, waterfalls, herbs of alpine meadows, healing mountain air, absolute silence, snowfields in the middle of summer, the murmur of mountain streams and rivers, stunning landscapes, songs around the fires, the spirit of romance and adventure, the wind of freedom await you! And at the end of the route are the gentle waves of the Black Sea.

Volga river the largest and deepest river in Europe. The ancient name of Ra (lat. Rha) the less old name of Vloga is Itil, the river received in the Middle Ages. This is the largest river that does not flow into the sea. The Volga basin is home to 2/3 of Russia's population. Its source is located on the Valdai Hills at an altitude of 256 m above sea level. And at the mouth, on the northern coast of the Caspian Sea, in its delta there are the largest lotus fields in the world, occupying hundreds of hectares.

Here is what Alexander Dumas wrote about the Volga: “Every country has its own national river. Russia has the Volga - the most big river in Europe, the queen of our rivers, - and I hastened to bow to her majesty the Volga River!
River length: 3,530 kilometers.
Drainage basin area: 1,360 thousand sq. km.

The most high point: Mount Bezymyannaya, 381.2 m (Zhiguli Mountains).

Channel width: up to 2500 m.

Slope and fall: 256 m and 0.07 m/km (or ppm), respectively.

Average current speed: less than 1 m/s.

River depth: the average depth is 8 - 11 meters, in some areas 15 - 18 meters.

Delta area: 19,000 sq. km.

Average annual flow:>38 cubic km.

Where does it occur: The Volga originates in one of the most elevated parts of the Valdai Plateau in the Tver region. It flows from a small spring in the middle of swampy lakes, not far from the village of Volgoverkhovye. The source coordinates are 57°15′ north latitude and 2°10′ east longitude. The height of the source above sea level is 228 meters. The Volga flows through the entire central lowland European Russia. The river bed is winding, but the general flow direction is east. Near Kazan, approaching almost the very foothills of the Urals, the river turns sharply to the south. The Volga becomes a truly mighty river only after the Kama flows into it. Near Samara, the Volga makes its way through a whole chain of hills and forms the so-called Samara onion. Not far from Volgograd, the Volga approaches another mighty river - the Don. Here the river turns again and flows in a south-easterly direction until it flows into the Caspian Sea. At the mouth, the Volga forms a vast delta and is divided into many branches.

River mode, food: Most of the water comes from groundwater and to a lesser extent is fed by precipitation.

Freezing: The Volga is covered with ice in late October - early November and remains covered until the end of April - mid-March.

Tributaries: About 200 tributaries flow into the Volga. The largest of which are the Kama and Oka, as well as smaller rivers such as Unzha, Kerzhenets, Sura, Tvertsa, Medveditsa and others.
It has not yet been decided whether it can be considered that the Kama flows into the Volga. Since, according to the rules of hydrography, it turns out that everything is exactly the opposite, and it is the Volga that should flow into the Kama. Since the Kama is older in origin, it has a larger basin and more tributaries.

The direction of flow in most of the river is from north to south. Between the tributaries of the Oka and Kama, the Volga has a predominantly latitudinal flow.
For centuries, the Volga has served people as a source of clean water, fish, energy, and a transport artery. But today it is in danger; human activity is polluting it and threatening disaster.
Profitable geographical position rivers and human activity in the construction of canals turned the Volga into the largest transport artery. In addition to the Caspian Sea, it is connected to 4 more seas: the Baltic, White, Black and Azov. Its waters irrigate fields, and its hydroelectric power plants provide electricity to entire cities and major enterprises. However, intensive economic use has led to the pollution of the Volga with industrial and agricultural waste. Huge areas were flooded during the construction of dams.

Environmentalists say that the ecological situation is critical and the river’s ability to cleanse itself has been exhausted. Blue-green algae are taking over more and more territories every year, and fish mutations are observed. The Volga is called one of the dirtiest rivers in the world. Environmentalists may like to dramatize, but if it is too late, it will be much worse. In any case, there are problems. Therefore, protecting the river is very important now.

It might be useful to read: