Average speed of the Volga current. Where does the Volga River originate?
The beautiful Mother Volga is glorified in many works of famous writers and poets, many wonderful Russians have written about her folk songs. This amazing river delights not only with its spacious blue waters and fabulous banks. Almost all Russian cities on the Volga and villages attract attention for their amazing story, majesty and beauty.
Volga River, geography
The largest river in Europe is the Volga. Throughout its course, various settlements have been built since ancient times. Cities located on the Volga are quite significant in all respects both for their regions and for the country as a whole.
The length of the river before the creation of reservoirs and a cascade of hydroelectric power stations was 3690 km, today it is 3530 km. According to some unspecified data, the length of the Volga has become much shorter - 3430 km. In the general list of the length of all Russian rivers, the Volga ranks sixth, and 16th among all rivers on Earth.
A territory of 1 million 360 thousand km² is occupied by the area of its basin, which is about a third of the entire European part of Russia.
This amazing river begins on the Valdai Hills near the village of Volgo-Verkhovye (Tver region). The Volga flows from the west from the Valdai and Central Russian Uplands to the Urals in the east (European part of the Russian Federation).
Near the basin of the largest river there are many big cities. On the Volga, sailing along it, you can see many amazing natural landscapes with cities and villages that fit perfectly into them. Moreover, each has its own unique story, its own cultural values and unique attractions.
The generally accepted division of the Volga regions. Cities located on the Volga
1. The Upper Volga represents the territory from the source of the river to the place where the Oka River flows ( Nizhny Novgorod).
2. From the place where the Oka flows into the Volga to the place where the Kama flows into it - the territory of the Middle Volga.
3. The Lower Volga covers the zone from the confluence of the Kama to the Caspian Sea itself. Now (after the construction of the Kuibyshev reservoir) the border between the Lower and Middle Volga is the Zhigulevskaya Hydroelectric Power Station (area of the cities of Tolyatti and Zhigulevsk).
Let's look at some Largest cities located on the Volga, worthy of attention in terms of history and attractions.
Yaroslavl
This ancient city on the Volga has a population of more than 590 thousand people.
Almost the entire historical center of Yaroslavl, protected by UNESCO, is a tourist attraction.
In total, the city has 785 cultural and historical monuments. In one of them, the amazing Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, a historical collection of ancient manuscripts and books has been preserved.
In the 16th century, the state treasury was moved to Yaroslavl. There is also a large state museum-reserve (historical, architectural and artistic) with a rich collection of icons.
This settlement, like other cities on the Volga River, has a rich historical heritage of ancient times. It is impossible to describe it in full.
Samara
Samara is located between the mouths of the Samara and Sok rivers, in the very place where they flow into the Volga. The city's population is more than 1,100 thousand people. During Soviet times, the city was called Kuibyshev.
The very first mentions of the city in historical chronicles date back to 1361.
The most interesting sights: Stalin's bunker, built in less than a year in 1942; the legendary Revolution Square (the oldest street in the city); bell tower of the women's Iversky Monastery (building of 1850, 70 meters high).
It should be noted that the above-mentioned bell tower stood for about 80 years without repair. Only in the 90s of the last century this historical building was reconstructed.
Many cities on the Volga also have similar historical buildings that have survived to this day.
Saratov
On the right bank of the Volgograd reservoir is the beautiful city of Saratov. The date of its foundation is 1590, when a guard fortress was built on this site.
The population of Saratov is more than 830 thousand people.
Sights: “Saratov Arbat” is located on Kirov Avenue; monument to flying cranes (Sokolova Gora); Nikitin Brothers Circus; Conservatory named after L.V. Sobinova; monument in honor of Yu.A. Gagarin (Cosmonauts embankment); national village (national houses of all peoples of the Saratov region).
In this unusual village you can not only find yourself in the atmosphere of the cultural heritage of Dagestan, Uzbekistan, Tatarstan, etc., but also try dishes of a variety of national cuisines.
Volgograd
Which city on the Volga had several names? From 1589 to 1925, Volgograd was called Tsaritsyn, and then until 1961 - Stalingrad. The city's population is more than 1 million people. The hero city is the largest historical and cultural center of the region.
A majestic memorial monument (symbol of the Motherland) was erected in it in honor of the famous Battle of Stalingrad.
Nizhny Novgorod
At the confluence of two large rivers, the Volga and Oka, the ancient city of Nizhny Novgorod is located. It is not only one of the oldest cities in Russia on the Volga, but also one of the largest. Its population is more than 1200 thousand people.
The date of foundation of the city is calculated from the founding of the Novgorod fortress of the Nizovsky land (hence its name) - this is 1221. This fortress is the main attraction of Nizhny Novgorod.
Church of the Sovereign Icon Mother of God is located not far (7.5 kilometers) from Sennaya Square.
Kazan
Kazan is a city that relatively recently celebrated its millennium (2005), although exact year the grounds are not fully understood. It is located on the banks of the Volga River at the confluence of the Kazanka River. The city is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, and is very often called the “third capital of Russia.” The population is more than 1,100 thousand people.
Almost all cities on the Volga have preserved unique historical ensembles in their architecture, perfectly combined with modern buildings.
The most important attraction of Kazan is located in the historical center of the city: the Kremlin with the Kul Sharif mosque and the Syuyumbike tower.
Modern buildings also fit perfectly into the numerous ancient historical ensembles of the city: the Pyramid cultural center, the state circus, modern hotels, etc.
Also in Kazan, the following attractions are very memorable and beautiful: a fabulous-looking children's puppet theater, the pedestrian cultural street of Bauman (similar to Arbat in Moscow), beautiful embankments, on one of which there is a wedding palace in the shape of a bowl, etc.
Astrakhan
This city, by its location, is the last of the regional centers located on the banks of the Volga. It is inhabited by more than 500 thousand people.
On the site of Astrakhan in the 8th-10th centuries there was the city of Itil, which at that time was the capital of the ancient Khazar Khaganate.
Here you can see the Kremlin, famous for its unprecedented beauty, built at the beginning of the 17th century.
Smaller notable cities on the Volga
Along the banks great river There are also smaller cities along the Volga River, which are historical and architectural monuments.
Tolyatti is second in Samara region by population size. It was founded in 1737. Population: more than 720 thousand people.
The city of Syzran is also located in the Samara region near the Saratov reservoir. It was founded by Grigory Kozlovsky in 1683. Population: more than 170 thousand people.
The administrative and cultural center of the Kostroma region is Kostroma. The date of its foundation is 1152. Population: more than 260 thousand people.
Tver (formerly Kalinin) is located at the confluence of the Tvertsa and Tmaka rivers into the Volga. The city was founded in 1135. Population: more than 400 thousand people.
The capital of Chuvashia is Cheboksary. Population: more than 450 thousand people.
The city of Mologa was once located not far from Yaroslavl, at the confluence of the Mologa and Volga rivers. It was located on a flat hill and stretched along the right bank of the Mologa and along the left bank of the Volga.
Its population was more than 7,000 people.
During the Soviet Union in 1935, a government decree was adopted on the construction of a hydroelectric power station (Rybinskaya). According to the project, the area of the reservoir was to be 2.5 thousand. square meters, and the height of the surface of its waters above sea level is 98 m. The elevation of the city is 98-101 m.
However, in 1937, the famous five-year plans of those times forced a revision of the project to increase the power of the hydroelectric station. In this regard, it was decided to raise the water level to 102 meters. As a result, the area of flooded areas almost doubled.
In April 1941, after the resettlement of people, the filling of the reservoir began. So the ancient original city of Mologa (800 years old), which once was appanage principality with numerous villages.
The flooded city on the Volga is a victim of the country's electrification.
Amazing nature of the Volga basin, beautiful cities with distinctive historical architectural and cultural attractions attract attention huge amount tourists to travel to these places.
Many people know that the world-famous Russian river, which has long become a symbol of Russia, flows into the Caspian Sea. But not everyone can tell where the Volga River begins.
Bird's-eye
The source of the river originates on the slope of the Valdai Hills, or more precisely, in the village of Volgoverkhovye, Ostashkovsky district, Tver region, at an altitude of 228 meters above sea level. The coordinates of the source of the largest water stream in the European part of Russia: 57°15`07" north latitude and 32°28`24" east longitude.
At the entrance to the village The village of Volgoverkhovye arose in the 17th century, people assigned to of people. Now in the Volgoverkhovye there are less than a dozen houses in which about a dozen people live permanently.
In this place, several small springs make their way from the swamp to the surface of the earth, which unite into a small reservoir; one of these springs is considered to be the source of the Volga River.
Are you weak..? I stand with both feet on different banks of the Volga It is here, on the largest water stream in the European part of Russia, that you can easily take a photo with one foot standing on the left bank of the Volga and the other on the right, because in its narrowest place, with a width of about 50 centimeters, the stream is only 30 centimeters deep. The water in this place has a characteristic dark red hue. Sometimes in a dry summer the spring dries up, which, however, does not in the least prevent the Volga River from peacefully carrying its waters along the high banks of the Valdai and Central Russian Uplands towards the Urals, receiving over two hundred tributaries on its more than 3,500-kilometer route to the Caspian Sea.
Chapel over the source of the Volga. Photo by Evgeny Petrovich Vishnyakov 
A chapel was built near the spring, to which a small bridge was laid. In general, the river begins not from a spring, as is commonly thought, but from a wetland swamp. In this place of the swamp there is a deep and clean “window”, and from there the water visually flows out.
Memorial stone at the entrance to the chapel Later, in 1995, a wooden chapel on stilts was installed here, and in 1999, Patriarch Kirill performed the rite of blessing of water here, and since then this source of the Volga has been considered holy. The chapel can be reached across the swamp via a narrow bridge. The length of this first Volga “crossing” is three meters.
A chapel was built around the spring, to which a bridge leads A small window is cut out in the center of the chapel floor. It is located right above the source itself, and visitors can even get some clean water.
There is a wooden platform around with steps going down to the water. There is popular belief that this source has the ability to heal many diseases.
The water is cold! The fact that this is where the Volga River originates is suggested by the text carved on granite stone. It was laid on the forty-eighth anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War(June 22, 1989).
The stone looks majestic and impressive, as it should be next to such a mighty river. The inscription on the memorial stone reads:
“Traveler! Turn your gaze to the source of the Volga. The purity and greatness of the Russian land is born here. Here are the origins of the people's soul. Keep them. This stone was laid on June 22, 1989 to the living and future children of Russia. Pray for them."
Approximately 300 meters below the beginning of the current are the remains of the first stone Volga dam. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century during the years of the existence of the Olginsky Monastery here.
The first Volga dam Initially, this place was Volgoverkhovsky monastery, which was founded by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1649, but in 1727 there was a fire and it burned down. In 1897, donations began to be collected for the construction of a temple in the Volgoverkhovye region. The consecration of the Transfiguration Church took place on May 29, 1912. Volgoverkhovsky was founded at the same time convent Holy Equal to the Apostles Grand Duchess Olga.
St. Nicholas Church is currently part of the complex of buildings of the Olga Monastery, and every year hundreds of believers gather here for the festival of the consecration of the waters of the Volga. After the solemn bishop's service, believers procession they go to the Source of the Volga, where a water blessing prayer takes place. And in 2001, a monument to St. Nicholas was solemnly opened next to the temple. 
Monument to St. Nicholas. A sculptural image of St. Nicholas near the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of the Olga Monastery in the Volgoverkhovye Ostashkovsky district of the Tver region. Its authors are St. Petersburg residents Boris Sergeev and Olga Pankratova The wooden St. Nicholas Church, which is one of the most interesting sights of the village of Volgoverkhovye, was brought here from the village of Svyatoe. In 1907, the temple was assembled in a new place under the leadership of the Tver architect Viktor Nazarov, who connected the creation of the peasant Vasily Zabelkin from the village of Zentsovo, Khotoshinsky volost, log by log. In 1908, the wooden church was consecrated.
St. Nicholas Church is a small one-domed and single-altar church with hipped roof and a small altar ledge. Interior decoration The temple completely corresponds to its external forms - it is a spacious cubic room with a choir located in the western part. At the end of the 1970s, the church was restored, during which it appearance changed quite significantly - the facades and roof were covered with paint, and the dome was replaced with a new, gilded one.
The first tributary of the Volga River is the Persyanka stream, which flows out of the swamps.
The first mountainous bank of the Volga About three kilometers from the beginning of the path, the river flows into the flowing lake Malye Verkhity, then through a swamp, where a stream named Krasny flows into it. Continuing its path, the Volga flows through Lake Bolshie Verkhity.
At the confluence of the Volga into the lake. Rod Further after eight km. its flow will flow in a small stream into more large lake Sterzh, which is part of the Upper Volga reservoir system. The river flow cuts through the waters of this reservoir, practically without mixing with them. Locals they say that in good weather, from the shores of the lake you can watch the Volga forcefully pass through it.
Where the river begins, the Volga is leisurely and calm. In the middle of the dense forests of the Tver region, the great Russian river, which has long become a symbol of Russia, is gaining its power and strength.
The answer to the question was vague: either near Lake Seliger, or it flowed out of this lake. Boyish curiosity drew us to maps, and we looked for a thin blue vein called Volga near Lake Seliger. But, surprisingly, we found it quite a distance from the lake, in the green flood of forests.
The vein at the beginning of the river was very short and immediately disappeared, flowing into the lakes: Maloe and Bolshoye Verkhity, then Sterzh, Vselug, Peno and Volgo. And only at the exit from the last lake did it receive lake water from Seliger - the water was brought by the Selizharovka river.
How much time has passed, but my childhood dream is to visit the source of the river where I lived most of life gave me no rest. And at the same time I wanted to comprehend the main mystery Volga - where does it originate?
The path to the source of the Volga today is not difficult. From Tver the highway will take you to Ostashkov, a town located on the banks of the Seliger, and there everyone will show you how to get to the source of the river, which in our area was already called “God’s free path.” You can’t just go into the lighthouse built above the source - the door is locked. If you want to open the canopy of the cradle and look into Volga’s baby face, look for the key...
From Ptolemy
It’s somehow unusual to call the people who live here, at the source of the Volga - in essence, at a stream - with the majestic word “Volgari”. But they are Volgars - the same river has brothered us. We were sent to the village of Voronovo to get the key. It was kept by a true Volgar, a man with a strange surname in these places - Marsov. Anatoly Grigorievich's house is far from the source. We visited him at the very end of the day.
Are you lazy? You are the first today. And who leaves without looking at the underground spring that begins the Volga.
Anatoly Grigorievich handed us the key:
I won't go with you. It broke while mowing, my back is buzzing. I'll wait here.
Here it is, an exact geographical mark in the floor of the light - a round window to the source of the Volga. We scoop up a full mug of original water and drink. And it’s even blasphemous to think that this is ordinary swamp water and that in the neighboring swamp it’s exactly the same! Here it is, the source... You can see how a fontanel bursting from the ground moves through the bottom sand and fills the well with a force that pushes out excess water and gives it the first acceleration. A leaf set adrift picks up speed. This is already the beginning of the river.
The Volga first appeared on the maps of the Alexandrian astronomer and geographer Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. It was noted that the Volga (then still Ra) began in the Alaun mountains. But where exactly was kept silent.
Whether such ancient geographers ever visited the source is unknown. Maybe they marked it this way on a whim, assuming that the rivers begin in the mountains and the Volga too.
Later, lakes were taken as the beginning of the Volga. In the middle of the 16th century it was stated quite accurately: “...The Volga flows out of a swamp, from under a birch tree as a spring and went into Lake Volgo.” Quite a lot of attempts were made to discover the original source, but Valdai tenaciously kept the secret, not giving away his bell key, and did not want everyone to admire his gift. From such hiding the key became saturated with holiness.
It was difficult to get into these regions. This was once... And now an asphalt road leads to these places.
But we were warned:
This morning we saw a bear in the raspberry patch, so be careful.
Rune controversy
One of the first geographers to get here was academician N. Ozeretskovsky. In 1814, he wrote: “...The water in the well remained clean and so transparent that a pin or half-pin dropped into it in deliberate depth was visible...” It seems that everything is clear, the source has been found and described, but with this discovery it all just began.
Venerable geographers did not accept or approve this description as a basis. In the summer of 1880, a skeptical geographer came to the source. He didn't believe any of the statements. His statements were always ironic: “Don’t you think, venerable gentlemen, that first the monks built their monastery here, and only then, in order to attract believers, they named this Upper Volga stream the source of the Volga?!”
A young ambitious geographer, having measured the Runa River that flowed into Lake Sterzh, proposed to take it as a basis: “We come to the conviction that the Runa is much more satisfactory to our understanding of the words “upstream” and “source” than the Volga River, and therefore we take it as the beginning of the Volga Runa. Let us add that our great river not only loses nothing from this, but also gains by increasing in length.”
The troublemaker's name was Viktor Ivanovich Ragozin. He is better known to Nizhny Novgorod residents as the founder of the plant machine oils, which has spoiled the lives of townspeople with its disgusting odors even in our time. With the disappearance of the plant, the name of Ragozin went down in history, and the dispute about the Volga was forgotten.
Not a step from the cradle
And then young scientists liked a man who went contrary to established statements, and they accepted Ragozin’s hypothesis. The geographical dispute was heating up. Moscow University professor and famous geographer Dmitry Nikolaevich Anuchin undertook to reconcile everyone. He was smart and wise, and at first he brought the idea of the ambitious Ragozin to the point of absurdity: “Why is the Rune the beginning of the Volga? Here, for example, is the Oka, it is longer than the entire upper Volga. Why isn’t she the ancestor of the river?”
With his expedition, he carefully explores the upper reaches of the Volga, extracting local history material bit by bit from old books. Legends and traditions are written down, old maps are carefully studied. Everywhere and everyone called this particular stream near the village of Volgoverkhovye the Volga. And the geographer puts the final point in the dispute. It is he who turns the hypothesis into an axiom: “For a long time, the people believed that the beginning of the Volga was in the Volgoverkhovye, that one must look for the beginning in the springs, springs... and then spreading along its course, naturally, everything flowing into it (Volga. - Auth.) rivers should be considered its tributaries.”
Since then, we have not detected any timidity or doubt in any geographical publication. The people themselves chose the Volga cradle and, as best they could, long years guarded her. You can count - and it turns out that six lights stood above the source - for three centuries it was reliably covered. Posters along the road warn that the land is reserved. Here you cannot make fires, graze cattle, cut down forests, or plow up meadows. Voluntary teams of ecologists clean springs, plant willow trees along the tributaries and bed of the young Volga, shade the banks, and store moisture.
There is a sad example: the source of the Dnieper (a river that originates nearby) has retreated over the last century, the springs have become stale and do not give strength to the flow. The Volga has not taken a single step from its source; for centuries the fontanel has been gushing in one place, delighting us with such constancy. From afar for a long time...
Now you know where one of the great earthly rivers originates. The route to those parts is not forbidden - there would be a desire to be there. And remember: our ancestors called the Volga Mother.
The Volga River is one of the greatest rivers in Russia and the longest and deepest in Europe.
The length of the river is 3530 km, and at the same time it is the longest among Russian rivers.
Many events in the history of our country are connected with the Volga.
Geographical characteristics
The Volga is the central water artery of the country and flows through its European part through the East European (Russian) Plain. This is the largest river in the world that flows into inland body of water. The area of the delta formed by the Volga is 19,000 square meters. km.
The great river originates from a small source of groundwater, located near the village of Volgoverkhovye and located at an altitude of 229 meters above sea level.
A small stream, receiving about 150,000 tributaries, including about 200 small and large rivers, gains power and strength and turns into a mighty river that flows into the Caspian Sea.
The fall of the river along its entire length does not exceed 250 meters, and the area of the basin is 1360 thousand square meters. km. The Volga River basin extends from the Urals on the eastern side to the Central Russian and Valdai Uplands in the west.
Hydrological regime
The reservoir receives its main nutrition from melted spring waters.
Summer rains And groundwater, feeding the river in winter period, play a slightly smaller role in her nutrition.
In connection with these features, three periods are distinguished in the annual river level: long and high spring floods, stable summer low water and low winter low water. The flood period averages 72 days.
The maximum rise in water is usually observed in the first half of May, that is, approximately two weeks after the spring ice drift. From June to October-November, summer low water is established, coinciding with the navigation period. It is at this time, when the river is free of ice, that navigation is possible. The Volga is one of the most important waterways in Russia.
Three sections of the river are conventionally distinguished:
- Upper Volga - from the source to Nizhny Novgorod (the mouth of the Oka).
- Middle Volga - from the mouth of the Oka to the mouth of the Kama.
- Lower Volga - from the mouth of the Kama to the Caspian Sea.
The Upper Volga extends mainly in the forest zone, flowing through large forests, while the route of the middle part of the river runs through the forest-steppe belt. The Lower Volga makes its way in the steppe and semi-desert zones. The bottom of the Volga in different places can be sandy or muddy, and muddy-sandy areas are often found. On the rifts the soil is mostly pebbly or gristly.
Maximum temperature The temperature of the river at the peak of summer reaches 20–25 degrees; in winter, the river along its entire length is covered with ice: the upper and middle parts freeze until the end of November, the lower Volga - at the beginning of December. The appearance of reservoirs on the river entailed a change in the thermal regime of the Volga. Thus, on the upper dams the period of ice captivity increased, and on the lower dams it decreased.
Nature of the Volga basin
The Volga floodplain is complex and varied. Its flora and fauna are most diverse in the area of the lower Volga, at the mouth of the reservoir, unique natural complex which is represented by 1500 species of insects, almost 50 species of fish, more than 900 species of plants, 3 species of amphibians, 33 species of mammals, 250 species of birds, 10 species of reptiles.
That is why the unique Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve was founded in the Volga delta, many rare animals, birds and fish of which are listed in the Red Book Russian Federation, as well as in the International Red Book.
White-tailed eagle, pelican, great egret, and mute swan are found here. In the thickets along the banks of the Volga you can see wild boar, seals are preserved on the seashore, and saigas are preserved on the steppe plains. One of the world's largest bird migration corridors runs through the Volga delta.
The Volga is one of the richest rivers in Russia, the waters of which contain about 80 species of fish: sturgeon, pike, burbot, beluga, catfish, carp, ruffe, bream, whitefish and many others. Commercial fishing for many species is widespread. Since ancient times, the Volga River was considered one of the best places For fishing.Due to its unique natural resources and geographical position, the river has long attracted people to its banks, where they built their settlements, which over time turned into large and small cities with surrounding villages. The development of shipping contributed to the emergence of trading cities - ports located along the entire course of the river. The largest of them are Volgograd, Samara, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod.
Since the 30s of the last century, the Volga began to be used as a source of hydropower. Nowadays, approximately 50% of the agricultural production of the Russian Federation is concentrated in the river basin. The Volga provides more than 20% of the country's entire fishing industry. 9 reservoirs and hydroelectric power stations were built here. Therefore, it becomes quite acute.
According to experts, the load on water resources rivers are eight times higher than the national average, and 65 of the 100 most polluted cities in Russia are located in the Volga basin.
Environmentalists are sounding the alarm: the waters of the Volga are seriously polluted. Monitoring data confirm that the water quality in the Volga and its tributaries and reservoirs does not meet the Russian quality standard for a number of parameters. The most serious ones arise in connection with:
- the presence of a large number of dams;
- work of large industrial enterprises and complexes;
- abundance of polluted wastewater from large cities;
- intensive navigation.
Impact of wastewater
The main cause of river pollution is the discharge of untreated and insufficiently treated Wastewater. The reason for this lies in physical and technological wear and tear and, as a consequence, inefficiency treatment facilities industrial and municipal enterprises.
The pollution of the Volga water directly affects the condition of its inhabitants. Data various studies showed the presence of mutations and congenital deformities in some fish populations.
water bloom
The appearance of blue-green algae in the river was also noted, capable of actively absorbing oxygen during decomposition and releasing environment up to 300 types of toxic substances, most of which have not yet been studied. About 20–30% of the water surface of the Kuibyshev reservoir annually in summer period covered with a film of these algae. After dying, the algae that fall to the bottom release phosphorus and nitrogen, thereby creating an ideal environment for self-reproduction, which results in secondary pollution of the reservoir.
Presence of dams
According to experts, the situation is complicated by the fact that after the construction of the dams the river lost its ability to cleanse itself.
Volga reservoirs They are virtually non-flowing, and 90% of the contaminants that enter them are not carried out by the current and settle at the bottom.
In addition, during the construction of these hydraulic structures,
Hazardous waste
A large share of pollution in the Volga basin comes from sunken and abandoned watercraft (oil tankers, cargo ships, passenger ships). Residues of fuel and other toxic substances washed out by the waters of the Volga pose a huge danger to the ecological situation of the river.
The solution to the problem of deteriorating ecology can be the development and implementation government programs aimed at modernizing and replacing outdated treatment facilities, as well as implementing a project to clean up the Volga basin from 2.4 thousand sunken watercraft.
Provided it with a significant role in the development of trade and the formation of large cities of Slavic tribes. The Volga is the largest river in Europe. It remains an important source today fresh water and electricity, a transport route, and also attracts to its shores a large number of vacationers and tourists. Where is it located and what are its features? This will be discussed below.
Volga: geographical location
The river adorns the European part of our country. A small branch of the main channel flows through the territory of Kazakhstan. The source of the Volga is located on the Valdai Hills (229 meters above sea level). As is commonly believed, the mighty river begins near the village of Volgoverkhovye, Tver Region. The Volga basin occupies approximately a third of the European territory of Russia. It extends from the Valdai and Central Russian Uplands all the way to the Urals.
The Volga is considered the largest river in the world that does not flow into the ocean. It carries its waters to the Caspian Sea, to the basin of which it belongs. The length of the river is 3530 km, the total fall is 256 m. The Volga basin covers an area of over a million square kilometers.
The great river is usually divided into three parts: upper (from the source to the mouth of the Oka), middle (from the mouth of the Oka to the confluence of the Kama), and lower (from the mouth of the Kama to the Caspian Sea).
Source
The river originates from a spring flowing from a swamp near the village of Volgoverkhovye. A temple was built nearby. The source of the Volga itself is located under the floor of a small wooden chapel on stilts. It is equipped with a special window through which you can scoop and drink water.
About three kilometers from the source, the Volga flows alternately into two lakes: first into Malye Verkhity, and then into Bolshiye Verkhity. Further, its path runs through the Upper Volga Reservoir. The first large lake belonging to it is Sterzh. Volga with great strength invades its waters, quickly, without mixing, overcomes them. They say that in sunny weather you can see the river flowing through the lake.
Upper Volga
Before the creation of reservoirs, the length of the river was greater and amounted to 3690 km. The first dam along the river is located after the Upper Volga lakes (Sterzh, Vselug, Peno, Volgo). It was built in 1843. There are several reservoirs located on the Upper Volga today: Ivankovskoye (also referred to as the hydroelectric power station in the area of the city of Dubna), Uglichskoye, Rybinskoye, Gorkovskoye (located near Gorodets, above Nizhny Novgorod).
The first large settlement from the source of the river is Rzhev. On the Upper Volga there are such ancient cities as Kostroma, Tver, Uglich and Yaroslavl. It flows through a picturesque area, sometimes spreading widely, sometimes narrowing between steep banks.
The main tributaries of the river in this section: Selizharovka, Tma, Kotorosl, Tvertsa, Mologa, Sheksna, Unzha.
Middle Volga
After the confluence of the Oka, the river flows at the right edge of the Volga Upland. Here it becomes noticeably more full-flowing. The right bank of the Volga is high, while the left bank is low.
Near the city of Cheboksary there is a hydroelectric power station with a dam, above which there is a reservoir.
The main tributaries of the river in this section: Oka, Sura, Vetluga, Sviyaga.
Lower Volga
The river gains its full power and strength after the confluence of the Kama. In this section it flows along the Volga Upland. Rounding the Zhiguli Mountains, the Volga forms the Samara Luka. Somewhat higher than it is the Kuibyshev Reservoir (adjacent to it is the Saratov Hydroelectric Power Station on the river. Near Balakovo, the Saratov Hydroelectric Power Station stands. In the Volgograd region, the river approaches the Don. Just above the city, the left branch, Akhtuba, separates from it. Its length is 537 km. Between the river and its branch there is the so-called Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, consisting of large number ducts
Not far from Volgograd, on the section of the river between the city and the beginning of Akhtuba, there is the Volzhskaya Hydroelectric Power Station and
The tributaries in this section of the river are quite small. These are Sok, Samara, Bolshoi Irgiz, Eruslan.
Mouth of the Volga
In the area of approximation with the Don, the river turns and further flows to the southeast until it flows into the Caspian Sea. In the place where Akhtuba separates from the main channel, the Volga delta begins. It covers an area of approximately 19 thousand square kilometers. The delta consists of 500 branches. The largest of them are Akhtuba, Bakhtemir, Kamyzyak, Staraya Volga, Bolda, Buzan. The second branch of these is constantly maintained suitable for navigation and forms the Volga-Caspian Canal. Kigach, which is also one of the branches of the great river, crosses the territory of Kazakhstan.
It is considered the largest in Europe. Throughout history, it has changed its position and occupied area. Delta modern type formed around the 3rd century AD, when the old riverbed was unable to cope with the increased volume of water. Over the past 130 years, the level of the Caspian Sea has been falling. As a result, during this period the delta area increased approximately 9 times.
At the mouth of the Volga is the last city on this river - Astrakhan. It is located on eleven islands in the upper part of the delta.
Nutrition and regimen
Volga river, geographical position which is discussed above, before the construction of reservoirs, it was characterized by significant level fluctuations (below the mouth of the Kama they reached 17 m). Today such serious drops and spills are not observed.
Most of the river's nutrition comes from snow water (up to 60%). Rain (10%) and ground (30%) “receipts” also play a significant role in this process. Throughout the year, the Volga undergoes several successive transformations. In spring (from April to June) there is high water. In summer and winter, the level in the river decreases noticeably. In autumn (usually in October) rain floods occur.
In the hottest months, the water temperature in the river reaches 25º. The Volga freezes in the upper and middle sections, as a rule, in November, in the lower sections - not earlier than December. The river is cleared of ice first near Astrakhan (in March). The Upper Volga, as well as the area below Kamyshin, opens up in the first half of April. The rest of the river emerges from its winter slumber midway through this month.
Natural resources
The Volga on the map occupies a vast territory. It flows through the forest, forest-steppe zone and steppe. The river has been famous for its fish resources since ancient times. Bream, roach, sterlet, carp, catfish, and pike live here. Unfortunately, the construction of reservoirs and water pollution does not contribute to the preservation of all this diversity. A nature reserve has been created in the Volga delta. On its territory since 1919 there are unique plants and animals. Among them are lotus, sturgeon, pelicans, and flamingos.
The Volga (geographical location, feeding habits, unique flora and fauna) is well studied today. Along with an understanding of the changes occurring with the river throughout its existence, comes an awareness of the problems associated with them. Today, the great Russian river is in dire need of protecting its riches. Fortunately, everyone larger number people are beginning to realize the dangers of environmental problems. One can therefore hope that the unique nature and beauty of the Volga banks will remain for many centuries to come.