Volga River

Volga River, popularly known as River Volga, is the biggest river in Russia. It is also one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. The picturesque river draws significant numbers of domestic and international tourists round the year.

In terms of flow, stretch, and drainage basin, the Volga ranks as the biggest river in Europe. It runs across central Russia, and is broadly regarded as the national river of the country. Eleven cities among the 20 biggest cities of Russia, comprising its capital Moscow, are located in the drainage basin of Volga.
While you trip to Russia, you will see some of the biggest reservoirs in the world by the side of the Volga.

The longest river in Europe, the Volga stretches till the Endorheic basin (closed basin) of the Caspian Sea. The source of the river is the Valdai Hills, Tver Oblas, which is situated north-west of Moscow and around 320 km (199 mi) south-east of Saint Petersburg. The elevation here is 225 meters (738 ft) above sea surface. Subsequently, the Volga moves eastwards crossing Lake Sterzh, Tver, Dubna, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan. After that, it moves southward, running across Ulyanovsk, Tolyatti, Samara, Saratov and Volgograd. Finally, the river meets the Caspian Sea under Astrakhan at an elevation of 28 meters (92 feet) under sea surface. At its most strategic point, it turns in the direction of the Don ("the big bend"). Volgograd, erstwhile Stalingrad, is situated in this area.

The Volga River has a number of tributaries

and the most significant tributaries include the following:

• The Oka
• The Kama
• The Sura
• The Vetluga

The Volga along with its tributaries create the Volga river system that drains a region of approximately 1.35 million sq km in the most densely populated area of Russia. The Volga Delta has a span of around 160 km and incorporates 500 smaller rivers and canals. The biggest water body in Europe, it is the only area in Russia where you will get to see flamingoes, pelicans, and lotuses. The river becomes frosted for majority of its stretch for a period of three months every year.

Majority of Western Russia is drained by the Volga. Its various big reservoirs supply hydroelectric power and water for irrigation. The Volga-Don Canal, The Moscow Canal, and the Volga-Baltic Channel create passable shipping canals linking Moscow to the Baltic Sea, the White Sea, the Sea of Azov, the Caspian Sea, and the Black Sea. At present, soaring levels of toxic chemical wastes are becoming an ecological problem.

The productive river basin offers huge amounts of wheat, and is source to plenty of minerals. A significant petroleum industry depends on the river basin. Other minerals found in this basin include the following:

• Salt
• Natural gas
• Potash

The Volga Delta and the close by Caspian Sea provide excellent fishing areas. Astrakhan is a caviar industry hub at the delta.

Confluents of Volga River

(downstream to upstream)
Given below are the confluents of Volga river:

• Samara (in Samara)
• Akhtuba (close to Volzhsky), a distributary
• Kazanka (in Kazan)
• Kama (south of Kazan)
• Vetluga (close to Kozmodemyansk)
• Sviyaga (West of Kazan)
• Kerzhenets (close to Lyskovo)
• Sura (in Vasilsursk)
• Uzola (close to Balakhna)
• Oka (in Nizhny Novgorod)
• Kostroma (in Kostroma)
• Unzha (close to Yuryevets)
• Sheksna (in Cherepovets)
• Kotorosl (in Yaroslavl)
• Kashinka (close to Kalyazin)
• Mologa (close to Vesyegonsk)
• Medveditsa (close to Kimry)
• Nerl (close to Kalyazin)
• Shosha (close to Konakovo)
• Dubna (in Dubna)
• Vazuza (in Zubtsov)
• Tvertsa (in Tver)
• Selizharovka (in Selizharovo)

Reservoirs on the Volga River(downstream to upstream)

Many big hydroelectric reservoirs were built on the Volga River at the time of the Soviet era. They are as follows:

• Uglich Reservoir
• Ivankovo Reservoir
• Gorky Reservoir
• Rybinsk Reservoir
• Kuybyshev Reservoir – the biggest in Europe in terms of area
• Cheboksary Reservoir
• Volgograd Reservoir
• Saratov Reservoir

Ethnic Groups residing on the banks of Volga River

The following ethnic groups reside on the banks of the Volga river:

• Volga Germans
• The Chuvash People

You can reach the Black Sea and the Don River via the Volga-Don Canal. You can visit the lakes of northern Russia like Lake Onega, Lake Ladoga, the Baltic Sea, and Saint Petersburg via the Volga-Baltic channel. The Moscow Canal has established a link with Moscow by joining the Moskva and Volga rivers.