Volga River

Volga (Волга)

The Volga at Ulyanovsk

Country Russia
Tributaries
- left Kama
- right Oka
Tver, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Ulyanovsk, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd,
Cities
Astrakhan

Source
- location Valdai Hills, Tver Oblast
- elevation 228[1] m (748 ft)
- coordinates 57°9′N 32°36′E
Mouth Caspian Sea
- elevation −28[1] m (−92 ft)
- coordinates 45°50′N 47°58′ECoordinates: 45°50′N 47°58′E [2]
Length 3,530[1] km (2,193 mi)
Basin 1,380,000 km2 (532,821 sq mi)
Discharge for Astrakhan
- average 8,060 m3/s (284,636 cu ft/s)
 Map of the Volga drainage basin
The Volga (Russian: Воолга, IPA: [ˈvoɫɡə] ( listen)) is the longest river in Europe. It is also Europe's
largest river in terms of discharge and drainage basin. The river flows through central Russia and into
the Caspian Sea, and is widely regarded as the national river of Russia.
Eleven of the twenty largest cities of Russia, including the capital, Moscow, are located in the Volga's
drainage basin.
Some of the largest reservoirs in the world are located along the Volga. The river has a symbolic
meaning in Russian culture and is often referred to as Волга-матушка Volga-Matushka (Mother Volga)
in Russian literature and folklore.

Nomenclature

Cruise ships on the Volga.

The Russian hydronym Volga (Волга) derives from Proto-Slavic *vòlga "wetness, moisture", which is
preserved in many Slavic languages, including Ukrainian volóha (волоога) "moisture", Russian vlaga
(влага) "moisture", Bulgarian vlaga (влага) "moisture", Czech vláha "dampness", Serbian vlaga (влага
) "moisture", Croatian vlaga "moisture" and Slovene vlaga "moisture" among others.[3]
The Slavic name is a loan translation of earlier Scythian Rā (Ῥᾶ) "Volga",[4] literally "wetness",
cognate with Avestan Raŋhā "mythical stream" (also compare the derivation Sogdian r’k "vein, blood
vessel" (*raha-ka),[5] Persian ‫ رگ‬rag "vein"[6]) and Vedic Sanskrit rasāā (रसस) "dew, liquid, juice;
mythical river".[7] The Scythian name survives in modern Mordvin Rav (Рав) "Volga".
The Turkic peoples living along the river formerly referred to it as Itil or Atil "big river". In modern
Turkic languages, the Volga is known as İdel (Идел) in Tatar, Атăл (Atăl) in Chuvash, Idhel in Bashkir,
Edil in Kazakh, and İdil in Turkish. The Turkic peoples associated the Itil's origin with the Kama. Thus,
a left tributary to the Kama was named the Aq Itil "White Itil" which unites with the Kara Itil "Black
Itil" at the modern city of Ufa. The name Indyl (Indɨl) is used in Adyge (Cherkess) language.
Among Asians,[clarification needed] the river was known by its other Turkic name Sarı-su "yellow
water", but the Oirats also used their own name, Ijil mörön or "adaptation river". Presently the Mari,
another Uralic group, call the river Jul (Юл), meaning "way" in Tatar. Formerly, they called the river
Volgydo, a borrowing from Old Russian.

Description
The Volga is the longest river in Europe.[1] It belongs to the closed basin of the Caspian Sea, being the
longest river to flow into a closed basin. Rising in the Valdai Hills 225 meters (738 ft) above sea level
northwest of Moscow and about 320 kilometers (200 mi) southeast of Saint Petersburg, the Volga heads
east past Lake Sterzh, Tver, Dubna, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan. From there it
turns south, flows past Ulyanovsk, Tolyatti, Samara, Saratov and Volgograd, and discharges into the
Caspian Sea below Astrakhan at 28 meters (92 ft) below sea level.[1] At its most strategic point, it
bends toward the Don ("the big bend"). Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, is located there.

The Saratov Bridge, Saratov Oblast

The Volga has many tributaries, most importantly the rivers Kama, the Oka, the Vetluga, and the Sura.
The Volga and its tributaries form the Volga river system, which flows through an area of about
1,350,000 square kilometres (521,238 square miles) in the most heavily populated part of Russia.[1]
The Volga Delta has a length of about 160 kilometres (99 miles) and includes as many as 500 channels
and smaller rivers. The largest estuary in Europe, it is the only place in Russia where pelicans,
flamingos, and lotuses may be found.[citation needed] The Volga freezes for most of its length for three
months each year.[1]
The Volga drains most of Western Russia. Its many large reservoirs provide irrigation and hydroelectric
power. The Moscow Canal, the Volga–Don Canal, and the Volga–Baltic Waterway form navigable
waterways connecting Moscow to the White Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Sea of Azov and
the Black Sea. High levels of chemical pollution have adversely affected the river and its habitats.
The fertile river valley provides large quantities of wheat, and also has many mineral riches. A
substantial petroleum industry centers on the Volga valley. Other resources include natural gas, salt, and
potash. The Volga Delta and the nearby Caspian Sea offer superb fishing grounds. Astrakhan, at the
delta, is the center of the caviar industry.