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. Before Kazan, it carries its waters to the southeast, then turns to the south, and from Samara - to the southwest. In the Volgograd region, it changes direction again and flows southeast to the Caspian Sea, where the Volga River flows at a distance of 60 km from Astrakhan.
The Volga flows through the densely populated regions of the European part of Russia, on the territory of which there are 4 republics and 11 regions. Many cities and towns are concentrated on its banks. There are large cities on the river, including four millionaires: Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, Volgograd.
Several reservoirs have been built on the Volga, the most famous of which are: Upper Volga, Rybinsk, Gorky, Kuibyshev, Volgograd. Thousands of rivers and streams carry their waters to the mighty Volga. There are especially many left tributaries near the river. 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. Area from source toKazan is occupied by forests, further to Saratov the forest-steppe extends, in the lower reaches the steppes predominate and in the very south - 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 channels, where the unique nature has been preserved in its original form.
In the delta there is the Astrakhan Nature Reserve, which has the status of a biosphere reserve. More than 250 species of birds live here, including 70 rare ones. During the flight to the nesting sites in the reserve, the rarest white crane in the world, the Siberian Crane, makes a stop. 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 reaches of the Volga, there are about 50 species of fish, including sturgeon, beluga, stellate sturgeon, asp, carp, pike perch. In the Astrakhan Reserve, you can find plants listed in the Russian Red Book: lotus, white water lily, yellow water pod, water chestnut.
The Volga River is not only a symbol of Russia, but also the main water artery, the basin of which is a large industrial zone of the country.
Hydro and power plants, oil refineries, machine-building, chemical oil, gas, and coal mining enterprises have been built here. In addition, passenger and cargo shipping is developed on the river.
During navigation from May to September, the Volga River is the place of motor ship cruises, duringduring 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 under the protection of 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 paintings were painted. Volgograd with Mamaev Kurgan, on which one of the highest statues in the world is installed - Motherland
