Volga is one of the most important rivers in the world. It carries its waters through the European part of Russia and flows into the Caspian Sea. The industrial significance of the river is great, 8 hydroelectric power stations have been built on it, navigation and fishing are well developed. In the 1980s, a bridge was built across the Volga, which is considered the longest in Russia. Its total length from source to mouth is about 3600 km. But due to the fact that it is not customary to take into account those places that relate to reservoirs, the official length of the Volga River is 3530 km. Among all the water streams in Europe, it is the longest. It contains such large cities as Volgograd, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan. That part of Russia, which is adjacent to the central artery of the country, is called the Volga region. A little over 1 million km2 makes up the river basin. The Volga occupies a third of the European part of the Russian Federation.
Briefly about the river
The Volga is fed by snow, ground and rain waters. It is characterized by spring floods and autumn floods, as well as low water in summer and winter.
The Volga River freezes, the source and mouth of which are covered with ice almost simultaneously, in October-November, and in March-April it begins to thaw.
Earlier, in ancient times, it was called Ra. Already in the Middle Ages there were references to the Volga under the name of Itil. The current name of the water stream comes from the word in the Proto-Slavic language, which is translated into Russian as “moisture”. There are also other versions of the origin of the name of the Volga, but so far it is impossible to confirm or refute them.
Source of the Volga
The Volga, whose source originates in the Tver region, begins at an altitude of 230 m. In the village of Volgoverkhovye there are several springs that were combined into a reservoir. One of them is the beginning of the river. In its upper course, it flows through small lakes, and after a few meters it passes through the Upper Volga (Peno, Vselug, Volgo and Sterzh), currently united in a reservoir.
A tiny swamp, which hardly attracts tourists with its appearance, is the source of the Volga. A map, even the most accurate, will not have specific data on the beginning of the water flow.
Mouth of the Volga
The mouth of the Volga is the Caspian Sea. It is divided into hundreds of branches, due to which a wide delta is formed, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich is about 19,000 km2. Due to the large amount of water resources, this area is the richest in plants and animals. The fact that the mouth of the river ranks first in the world in terms of the number of sturgeons is alreadysays a lot. This river has a sufficient influence on climatic conditions, which have a beneficial effect on the flora and fauna, as well as on humans. The nature of this area fascinates and helps to have a good time. Fishing here is best from April to November. The weather and the number of fish species will never allow you to return empty-handed.
Plant world
The following types of plants grow in the waters of the Volga:
- amphibians (susak, reed, cattail, lotus);
- aquatic submerged (naiad, hornwort, elodea, buttercup);
- water with floating leaves (water lily, duckweed, pondweed, walnut);
- algae (hari, cladophora, hara).
The largest number of plants is represented at the mouth of the Volga. The most common are sedge, wormwood, pondweed, spurge, s altwort, astragalus. Wormwood, sorrel, reed grass and bedstraw grow in large quantities in the meadows.
The river delta called the Volga, the source of which is also not very rich in plants, has 500 different species. Sedge, spurge, marshmallow, wormwood and mint are not uncommon here. You can find thickets of blackberries and reeds. Meadows grow on the banks of the water stream. The forest is located in stripes. The most common trees are willow, ash and poplar.
Animal world
Volga is rich in fish. It is inhabited by many aquatic animals that differ from each other in the way of existence. In total, there are about 70 species, of which 40 are commercial. One of the smallest fish in the pool -pugolovka, the length of which does not exceed 3 cm. It can even be confused with a tadpole. But the largest is the beluga. Its dimensions can reach 4 m. It is a legendary fish: it can live up to 100 years and weigh more than 1 ton. The most important are roach, catfish, pike, sterlet, carp, pike perch, sturgeon, bream. Such we alth not only provides products to nearby areas, but is also successfully exported to other countries.
Sterlet, pike, bream, carp, catfish, ruff, perch, burbot, asp - all these representatives of fish live in the introductory stream, and the Volga River is considered to be their permanent place of residence. Istok, unfortunately, cannot boast of such a rich diversity. In places where the water flow is calm and has a shallow depth, the southern stickleback lives - the only representative of sticklebacks. And in those areas where the Volga has the most vegetation, you can meet carp, which prefers quiet waters. Stellate sturgeon, herring, sturgeon, lamprey, beluga enter the river from the Caspian Sea. Since ancient times, the river has been considered the best for fishing.
You can also meet frogs, birds, insects and snakes. Dalmatian pelicans, pheasants, egrets, swans and white-tailed eagles are very often located on the banks. All these representatives are quite rare and are listed in the Red Book. There are many protected areas on the banks of the Volga, they help protect rare animal species from extinction. Geese, ducks, teals and mallards nest here. Wild boars live in the Volga Delta, and saigas live in the nearby steppes. Very often on the seashore you can meet Caspian seals, whichquite freely located near the water.
The importance of the Volga for Russia
The Volga, whose source is located in a village in the Tver region, flows throughout Russia. With its waterway, the river connects with the B altic, Azov, Black and White seas, as well as the Tikhvin and Vyshnevolotsk systems. Large forests can be found in the Volga basin, as well as rich adjacent fields sown with various industrial and grain crops. The lands in these areas are fertile, which contributed to the development of horticulture and melon growing. It should be clarified that there are gas and oil deposits in the Volga-Ural zone, and s alt deposits near Solikamsk and the Volga region.
It is impossible to argue with the fact that the Volga has a long and rich history. She is a participant in many important political events. And it also plays a huge economic role, being the main water artery of Russia, thereby uniting several regions into one whole. It has administrative and industrial centers, several cities with a population of one million. That is why this water stream is called the great Russian river.
