Which river is not a tributary of the Volga. Large and medium-sized tributaries of the Volga

The most powerful and largest tributary of the Volga is the Kama, which ranks second, if we take the rivers of the European part of our country, in terms of its catchment area, amounting to 522,000 km 2, and, of course, in length, equal to as much as 2030 km. First place, as expected, goes to the Volga. The second largest tributary of the Volga, the Oka, begins in the center of the Central Russian Upland, at an altitude of 226 meters above sea level. It flows into the great Russian river from the right, right near the city of Gorky. The Kama begins within the boundaries of the Upper Kama Plateau.

Kama. Description of the inflow

First we'll look at major tributaries Volga. The Upper Kama Plateau is the northern side of the High Trans-Volga region. The river first flows north, then at an angle of 90 degrees it turns east and in the foothills of the Urals changes direction again, turning very sharply to the south. It turns out that in the upper reaches it forms a kind of large loop. Considering that the total length exceeds 2000 km, from the source to its mouth it is only 445 km. This reshaping of the Kama became possible due to its glaciation. It belongs to the lowland rivers, although its slope is twice that of the Volga. The Kama is shallow in its upper reaches, and only when the Vishera, which is distinguished by its high water content, flows into it, does it become truly full-flowing. It flows in a deep valley with very solid banks from the mouth of the Vishera to the place where the next tributary, Chusovaya, flows into it. The water regime of the Kama is more complex than that of other rivers European Russia. This tributary of the Volga is influenced by the mountain tributaries of the left bank, which are very watery and have a different regime. This is especially noticeable after Vishera flows into it.

What does Kama eat?

Snow waters play a major role in the nutrition of the Kama. Their share in the annual runoff is more than 50%. Also noticeable is the ground and rain power. Main features water regime almost completely the same as the Volga. However, the Kama has a more erratic summer low water level, often interrupted by rainy floods, sometimes reaching significant levels. The water level fluctuates up to 10-12 meters. This is happening, for example, near the city of Molotov. The river freezes in mid-November and opens up by April, its second half. Kama accepts it herself large number tributaries, of which the most important and important are the Chusovaya, Vishera, Vyatka and Belaya.

Volga is the largest and deep river Europe. She ranks sixteenth among the most long rivers planets. The Volga was first mentioned in the works of Ptolemy under the name Ra, later it was called Itil. This river played an important role in the relationship between the Slavic, Finnish and Turkic peoples.

Geographical characteristics

Today, the length of the Volga is 3530 km, the basin area is 1360 square km. Covering a huge area of Russia, it flows into the Caspian Sea, connecting with three more seas: the Black and Azov Seas, flowing through the Volga-Don Canal; Baltic Sea through the Volga-Baltic waterway; and the White Sea, flowing through the Severodvinsk river network and the White Sea-Baltic Canal.

The Volga originates from the territory of the Valdai Upland, feeding from a small stream at an altitude of 228 m above sea level. She's enough slow current due to several factors:

the width of the channel reaches 2500 m;
the height of the river mouth is 28 m below sea level;
the average current speed does not exceed 1 m/s (2-6 km per hour);
slope - 256 meters, drop - 0.07%;

Despite its area, the river itself is quite shallow: its maximum depth is only 18 meters, the average varies from 8 to 11 meters. The deep Volga is fed from three sources: melt, groundwater, rains. Melt water accounts for 60% of nutrition, groundwater - 30% (supports the river in winter period), rains - 10% (mainly in summer time). From the source to the territory of Saratov, the Volga is fed by 200 tributaries, but starting from Saratov region and all the way to the Caspian Sea, it flows without the support of other bodies of water.

Main direction water artery- eastern, despite the sufficient tortuosity of the riverbed, the river maintains its direction until it meets the Ural Mountains. Near Kazan it turns sharply to the south, near Samara it makes its way through numerous hills, forming the so-called Samara Luka. At the mouth of the Caspian Sea it spills into dozens of deep branches.

The spring flood begins in April, is characterized by a fairly sharp increase in water level, and ends in June. At this time, the Volga floods over 10 km, and in the lower reaches of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain the flood reaches 30 kilometers. A slight increase in water level is also typical for the autumn season during the flood period. The rest of the time the river is quite homogeneous: in summer months due to high temperature, in winter - thanks to the only source of nutrition - groundwater.

In winter, almost the entire Volga is covered with ice, this is explained by the geographical features of each region and the slow water flow. Between November and March, almost the entire surface of the river is covered with a dense layer of ice. Only near Astrakhan the ball of ice does not cover the water surface; here the most active ice drift was recorded during the spring melting of ice.

All currents of the Volga are divided into 3 parts:

Upper Volga (from the source to the confluence of the Oka River). There are four reservoirs along the entire length of this section. The deepest tributaries of the upper part of the river are Mologa, Selizharovka, Unzha, Tvertsa.
The Middle Volga is a full-flowing part of the reservoir, some sections are characterized by a width of up to 2 km, especially near the city of Cheboksary. The main tributaries of this area are the Sura, Vetluga, Sviyaga, and Oka rivers.
The Lower Volga begins after the confluence of the Kama. The largest reservoir in Russia, the Kuibyshevskoye reservoir, was built near the city of Tolyatti. The main tributaries (not full-flowing) are the Samara, Bolshoy Irgiz, Eruslan, and Sok rivers.

Tributaries of the Volga

Among the 200 tributaries flowing into the river, the largest are the Kama and Oka, other smaller ones include: Medveditsa, Tvertsa, Unzha, Sura, Kerzhenets, etc. There is still debate regarding the accuracy of the classification of the Kama as a tributary of the Volga, for several reasons . Firstly, the Kama formed much earlier than the Volga. Secondly, the number of tributaries of the Kama exceeds the number of rivers feeding the Volga. Thirdly, the area of the Kama water basin is several times larger than the area of the Volga. Taking into account the fact that all the characteristics of the Volga are inferior to the data on the Kama, some geographers propose to classify the Volga as a tributary of the Kama.

The Kama is a left tributary of the Volga. The length of the river is 2030 kilometers, its coverage area is 522 thousand square kilometers. The river originates in the northern part of the High Trans-Volga region, within the Upper Kama Plateau. Initially, the river flows north, then sharply turns east at a right angle and, having reached the foothills of the Urals, turns south. On the map, the upper channel of the river is a giant loop with a length of more than 2000 km, while the distance from the source to the mouth in a straight line is only 475 km. This form of flow is due to the formation of the river during icing, which greatly affected the river channels of this region.

It should be noted that the Kama is a flat river, its slope is slightly higher than the Volzhsky - 0.11%. In sections of the upper reaches, the river is low-water, only after replenishing with the waters of the Vishera, it becomes full-flowing and flows until the confluence of the next tributary in a deep valley with relatively high banks. The Kama water system is one of the most complex among Russian waterways due to the regular replenishment of water reserves from mountain tributaries, which affects the increased frequency of floods and instability of the annual water level. Also, the water supply is replenished by melt water (more than 50%), groundwater and rain.

Oka is the right tributary of the Volga. Its length is 1,498 km, the basin area is 245 thousand square kilometers. It is one of the lowland rivers and forms many branches and oxbows throughout its course, which is a plus for many fishermen. The source of the river is located in Oryol region in the village of Aleksandrovka there is a small spring, then the riverbed passes through the Central Russian Upland. The upper channel is narrow with a large slope and further expands under the influence of inflowing tributaries from 15 regions of Russia. The main tributaries of the waterway are Protva, Moscow, Ugra, Moksha, Zhizdra and more than a hundred small rivers. The average depth of the river is 3 meters, the maximum width of the channel is 400 meters. During spring floods, the water level rises to 8-10 meters. The most frequent and fairly high floods are observed in summer and autumn, which is explained by the structural features of the river basin. Basically, the water supply of the Oka comes from melt water. The freeze-up period lasts from December to early April. In the Nizhny Novgorod region, the Oka flows into the Volga.

The role of the Volga in the life of the country

The Volga plays an important role in the life of Russia, as a transport route for easy movement between the cities of the Volga region and beyond. No less important is the contribution to fishing and tourism, but today there is a high level of pollution in the waterway, which in the future could fundamentally change the life of not only coastal areas, but also large cities. The impact on the country's economy is expressed primarily by the possibility of access to the sea and established sea routes. The economic aspects of Russia in which Volga participates include:

Hydroelectric power stations and reservoirs. Since the 30s of the last century, hydroelectric power stations began to be actively built on all riverbeds of the Volga to generate electricity. Today, 9 hydroelectric power stations operate in the river beds, which provide 40% of the electricity in all of Russia.
The industrial complex of the Volga basin makes up 45% of the all-Russian one. Of these, 90% are auto production, 75% are steel pipe production, 70% are petroleum products, 60% are oil production.
The agricultural complex covers more than half of the all-Russian one. This includes fishing (20%) for food industry. The cultivation of grain crops is located in the middle Volga region; in the lower part of the river, the cultivation of garden and vegetable crops is especially widespread.
The logging complex and lumber production are concentrated in the upper part of the Volga. As a water transport artery, the Volga is an important object for the development of the economy and trade in particular. Thus, upstream ships transport oil and petroleum products, salt, metal, food products, cement and gravel. Logging and lumber, industrial raw materials and finished products are usually transported down.

The Volga occupies a special place in the tourism sector. In particular, such areas as fishing, diving and cruises are developed. The so-called vacation on - land plots near the river, prepared for the construction of estates for recreation on the river.

Fishing on the Volga is possible at any time of the year. The usual catch for fisherman is catfish, pike perch, perch and bream. For summer fishing a fishing rod will be enough winter time Ice fishing is especially popular.

The city of Volgograd offers diving, where there are a large number of diving centers. Despite the outdated technical base, boating on

The Volga and its tributaries are a fairly common practice. Only more than 30 routes run from Moscow to other regions.

Land plots near the river: Volga and tributaries

Another great opportunity that the Volga and its tributaries provide is relaxation in your own home among incredibly rich and perfect nature. Recently, the purchase of land for the construction of estates and villas has become increasingly important. Land plots on the Volga are, first of all, prestige, since almost all comfortable lands are located on the first line, which significantly affects the cost. In this case, it is possible to arrange your own pier and many other amenities.

Compared to land on the Volga itself, construction sites near the tributaries are a fairly profitable investment. And here's why:

Relatively close to settlements, which guarantees a sufficiently developed infrastructure. Lack of large crowds of people and tourists, unlike well-known areas on the Volga.
Reasonable prices. For example, land plots on the Medveditsa River (15 km downstream to the Volga) 20 meters from the water are offered at an average price of $2,500 per sq.m., on the Volga itself from $3,500. The benefits of purchasing a plot are in the future. Since recently there has been an increased interest in purchasing land in the countryside, land along the Volga will increase in price, which will also affect the cost of plots on its tributaries. Due to the lack of potentially comfortable areas near the Volga (directly next to the river), many will begin to pay attention to more distant and free lands of various tributaries of the water artery, which will automatically increase their value significantly.
Comfortable stay. The ability to choose a suitable location is guaranteed a large number profitable offers. Thus, for a secluded vacation, you can select remote areas with minimum quantity passing ships or a closer location with increased activity and more developed infrastructure.
Design project. The lower cost of plots opens up the opportunity to use the saved funds to create your own project with the maximum number of amenities, taking into account your wishes.
Health improvement. The maximum distance from highways and metropolitan life guarantees the freshness and purity of nature. The scenery and unobstructed fishing and hunting opportunities mean a quality holiday for the whole family. Regardless of the age of vacationers, this place has something for everyone, from exploring the territory to deep-sea fishing.
Prospects. With the right investment and a competent approach, land near the river will bring a stable income. For example, building an eco-resort for outdoor recreation or promoting eco-tourism are some of the many options that can bring profitable profits.

The Volga is the main artery of the Volga region, which has shaped the location of the country's major cities, has a huge impact on the economy and is directly involved in the life of Russia. Thanks to its rich flora and fauna, it is of interest for the tourism sector, including for the development of land plots. Purchasing land on the Volga and its tributaries is a profitable investment not only in your own comfort, but also in the development of your own business.

The Volga River is located in the European part of Russia, it is one of them large rivers planet, and also the largest in Europe. The length of the river reaches 3530 kilometers. The basin has an area of 1,360,000 square kilometers. The Volga River begins on the Valdai Hills and flows into the Caspian Sea. The mouth is located 28 meters below sea level. In total, the fall is 256 meters. The Volga River receives approximately 200 tributaries. The tributaries on the left side are more numerous and rich in water than those on the right. The Volga river system basin contains 151 thousand watercourses (rivers, streams and temporary watercourses) with a total length of 574,000 kilometers. The Volga basin is located on approximately one third of the European territory of Russia and extends from the Valdai and Central Russian Uplands to a third of the Urals. At the latitudes of Saratov, the basin narrows significantly and from Kamyshin straight to the Caspian Sea the Volga flows without tributaries. The main feeding part of the Volga water collection area, from the upper reaches to the cities of Kazan and Gorky, is located in the forest area. The basin partially reaches the vegetable gardens of Kuibyshev and Saratov, in the forest-steppe territory, the lower part - in the steppe territory to Volgograd, in the south - in the semi-desert territory. The Volga is divided into 3 zones: the upper Volga is located from the upper reaches to the mouth of the Oka, the middle Volga - from the inflow of the Oka right to the mouth of the Kama, the lower Volga - from the inflow of the Kama right to the mouth. Look what it looks like.

The source of the Volga is a spring near the village of Volgo-Verkhovye in the Kalinin region. At the source, within the boundaries of the Valdai Upland, the Volga flows through small lakes: Verkhit, Vselug, Sterzh, Peno. A dam was built in the upper reaches in 1843 (Verkhnevolzhsky Beishlot) to regulate wastewater and maintain navigable depths during low water periods. Between the cities of Rybinsk and Kalinin on the Volga, the Volga Reservoir is organized, which has a dam and hydroelectric power stations Uglichskoye, Ivankova Reservoir and Rybinsk Reservoir. On the territory of Rybinsk it is Yaroslavl, and in the lower reaches of Kostroma the river flows through a narrow valley between high banks, passing the Uglich-Danilovskaya, Galichsko-Chukhloma uplands. After this, the Volga flows through the Balakhninskaya and Unzhenskaya lowlands. Near the city of Volga, which is blocked by the Gorkovskaya dam, the Gorky Reservoir is created. The most important tributaries of the upper Volga are: Selizharovka, Mologa, Tvertsa, Sheksna and Unzha. Compare with.

Middle current

In the middle reaches, just below the inflow of the Oka, the Volga becomes more water-rich. It flows along the northern edge of the Volga Upland. The right side of the bank is high, the left is low. The Cheboksary Hydroelectric Power Station was built near the city of Cheboksary, and the Cheboksary Reservoir is located just above the dam. The largest tributaries of the Volga in its middle course are: Oka, Vetluga, Sura, Sviyaga. After the Kama joins the lower reaches, the Volga becomes a strong river. It flows in this place along the Volga Upland. Near Togliatti, just above the Samara Luka, formed by the Volga, bypassing the Zhigulevsky mountain heights, the Volzhskaya Hydroelectric Power Station dam was built. Just above the dam lies the Kuibyshev Reservoir. On the Volga, in the territory of the city of Balakovo, the Saratov hydroelectric power station dam was built. In the lower part, the Volga includes small tributaries - Samara, Vetluga, Bolshoi Irgiz, Ruslan. 21 kilometers above the city of Volgograd, the left branch, Akhtuba, 537 kilometers long, is disconnected from the Volga, it flows parallel to the main channel. The wide space between the Volga and Akhtuba, which is crossed by a large number of tributaries, old rivers, is called the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain. The width of the floods within the floodplain once reached 20–30 kilometers. On the Volga between the base of Akhtuba and Volgograd, the Volgograd Hydroelectric Power Station was built. The Volga delta originates in the place where the Buzan branch separates from its bed and is one of the largest in Russia. In the delta you can count up to 500 tributaries, branches, and small rivers. The main branches can be considered: Bakhtemir, Staraya Volga, Kamyzyak, Bolda, Akhtuba, Buzan. Where is it located?

The Volga is mainly fed by snow (60 percent of runoff per year), groundwater (30 percent) and precipitation (10 percent). Natural mode can be characterized by spring floods from April to June, low water content during the summer and winter low water periods, and autumn rain floods in October. The annual fluctuations in the degree of the Volga before regulation reached 11 meters near the city of Kalinin, 15-17 meters just below the Kama mouth, and 3 meters near Astrakhan. When the reservoir was built, level fluctuations in the Volga flow decreased sharply. On average for the year, the water flow at the Upper Volga beishlot was 29 cubic meters per second, at the city of Kalinin - 182, Yaroslavl - 1110, Gorky - 2970, Kuibyshev - 7720, Volgograd - 8060 cubic meters per second. In the lower part of Volgograd, the river loses approximately 2 percent of its own flow to evaporation. The highest water flows can be observed during floods. Find out what attractions there are in here.

Historical and geographical sketch

The geographical position of the Volga, as well as its large tributaries, had already determined its importance as a trade route between the West and the East by the 8th century. Directly from Central Asia They exported metals and textiles from Slavic lands - honey, furs, wax. In the 9th–10th centuries, centers played an important role in trade: Itil, Novgorod, Bolgar, Rostov, Murom, Suzdal. From the 11th century, trade began to weaken, and in the 13th century, the Mongol-Tatar invasion destroyed economic ties, leaving only the upper Volga basin, where the cities of Novgorod, Tver and the cities of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus' were actively involved. Starting from the 14th century, the importance of the trade route was restored again, the centers were actively developing: Kazan, Astrakhan, Nizhny Novgorod.

Ivan the Terrible conquered the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates in the mid-16th century, this led to the entire Volga river system uniting in the hands of Russia, and thus this could contribute to the flourishing of Volga trade in the 17th century. New big cities are appearing - Samara, Tsaritsyn, Saratov; the main role is played by: Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma. In the 19th century, the Volga trade route developed significantly, especially after the Mariinsky river system of the Volga and Neva basins was connected. A large river fleet appeared, and a big army barge haulers. Large transportations began to take place along the Volga: bread, fish, salt, and later cotton and oil. Largest economic importance received the Nizhny Novgorod Fair.

During the Civil War, major events took place on the Volga fighting, and it acquired considerable military-strategic significance. During the socialist system, due to the industrialization of the entire state, the importance of the Volga began to increase every year. Starting from the late 30s of the 20th century, the Volga began to be used as a source of hydropower. During the Great Patriotic War in the years 1941–1945, the largest Battle of Stalingrad(1942 - 1943). When the war ended, economic role The Volga River began to grow and strengthen to a large extent, especially when several large hydroelectric power stations and reservoirs were created. At the moment when the construction of the Volga-Kama cascade of hydroelectric power stations was completed, electricity production began to reach 40–45 billion per year.

The mirror area of the reservoirs began to amount to approximately 38,000 square kilometers, the full volume was 288 cubic kilometers, and the useful volume was 90 cubic kilometers. The Volga region, which contains 4 million hectares of land that are suitable for irrigation, is provided with water reserves from the Kuibyshev and Volgograd reservoirs. Work was carried out to water 9 million hectares and irrigate 1 million hectares of land in the Volga-Ural interfluve territory. In 1971, the Volga-Ural water canal was built with a length of 425 kilometers. The river system contains more than 41,000 kilometers of rafting routes and approximately 14,000 kilometers of navigable routes.

The Volga is connected to the Baltic Sea through the Volga-Baltic Waterway named after Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the Tikhvin and Vyshnevolotsk systems; through the Severodvinsk system, as well as through the White Sea - Baltic Canal with the White Sea; with Black and Seas of Azov‒ through the Volga-Don Canal named after Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.

In the upper Volga in the basin they settled large forests In the Middle and Lower Volga regions, vast territories are given over to the cultivation of grain and industrial crops. Gardening and melon growing are developed. The Volga-Ural territory has rich oil and gas fields. Not far from Solikamsk you can see large deposits potassium salts. In the Lower Volga region there are deposits of table salt. There are approximately 70 species of fish in the Volga, 40 of which are commercial (roach, bream, herring, pike perch, catfish, carp, pike, sturgeon, sterlet).

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 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 of ancient history it is known that the then famous 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 modern name The Volga acquired 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 those who lived on its banks Volga Bulgarians. 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 as “water” or “moisture”, so to speak, “big water” is also suitable, due 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 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 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 in 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 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. 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. The 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.

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 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 (on average 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 Athel - 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 - old name Valdai Upland. Khvalissky was the name given to the Caspian Sea.

The geographical position of the Volga and its large tributaries determined its importance as a trade route between East and West by the 8th century. 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, and the role of such centers as Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Astrakhan has grown. 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 major 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 of the power of the Committee in 1918 in a number of cities of the Volga region constituent assembly. Restoring Bolshevik control over the Volga is considered important turning point Civil War, so control over the Volga provided access to grain resources and Baku oil. An important role in Civil War played a role in 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 live here sturgeon fish- Russian sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, beluga, thorn and sterlet. The first four species are anadromous, and the sterlet is 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 white fish 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 cult 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 democratic art pre-revolutionary Russia. The Volga is identified with the Motherland, it is a symbol of freedom, space, breadth and greatness of spirit Soviet man. 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, another federal state nature reserve appeared in the Astrakhan region - 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 in 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 is under economic use is highly valued here, 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. In these areas, mainly water, will be tested modern methods economic activities that will not harm the unique environment. We are for openness environmental information and we always promptly respond to any signals about emergencies and problems.

The largest river valley 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 species composition flora. IN different times 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 nature of the 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, Lake Ladoga and Niva, cargo transported along the Volga gained access to the Baltic Sea. Limited throughput this water system forced us to look for other ways to develop water connections between the Volga basin and the Baltic.

The Volga originates on the Valdai Hills (height 228 meters), it flows into the Caspian Sea basin. The mouth of the river is located below ocean level - almost 28 meters, and the height of its total fall is 256 meters. In total, the Volga has 200 tributaries, the left ones of which are much richer and more numerous than the right ones. IN river system The Volga basin includes 151 thousand watercourses in the form of rivers, streams and temporary tributaries, the total length of which is 574 thousand kilometers. The river basin extends from the western (Central Russian and Valdai) hills to the eastern Urals.

At the Saratov latitude, the Volga basin narrows sharply and then flows from Kamyshin to the Caspian Sea with absolutely no tributaries. The main feeding part of the Volga river drainage area is the largest watercourse located in the forest zone extending to Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod. The middle part of the giant Volga basin flows through the forest-steppe zone, extending to Saratov and Samara, and its lower part flows to Volgograd in the steppe zone.

Main tributaries of the Volga

The Volga is conventionally divided into upper, middle and lower parts. The upper flows from the source to the mouth of the Oka River, the middle - from the place where the Oka flows into it and to the mouth of the Kama, the lower - from the place where the Kama flows to the Caspian Sea basin. The largest tributaries of the Volga in its upper reaches are Selizharovka (length 36 kilometers), Darkness (length 142 kilometers), Tvertsa (length 188 kilometers), Mologa (length 456 kilometers), Sheksna (length 139 kilometers) and Unzha (length 426 kilometers) .

After the construction of the Kuibyshev reservoir, the border between the lower and middle Volga is the Zhigulevsk hydroelectric power station.

The largest tributaries of the Volga in the middle reaches are the Sura (length 841 kilometers), Vetluga (length 889 kilometers) and Sviyaga (length 375 kilometers). In the lower reaches of the river flow such large tributaries as Sok (length 364 kilometers), Samara (length 594 kilometers), Bolshoi Irgiz (length 675 kilometers) and Eruslan (length 278 kilometers). In total, in the Volga River delta there are about 500 different tributaries, small rivulets and channels, the largest of which are the Old Volga, Kamyzyak, Bakhtemir, Akhtub, Buzan and Bolda. The river has enormous economic potential and irrigates many areas along its route that need additional recharge.