The Volga is the source. The Volga is the source and the mouth. The Volga River Basin

The 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 importance of the river is great, 8 hydroelectric power stations are built on it, shipping and fishing are well developed. In the 1980s, a bridge was built across the Volga, which is considered to be the longest bridge in Russia. Its total length from the source to the mouth is about 3600 km. But due to the fact that it is not customary to take into account those places that refer to reservoirs, the official length of the Volga River is 3530 km. Among all the water currents in Europe, it is the longest. It has 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 more than 1 million km ² is the river basin. Volga Occupies a third of the European part of Russia.

Briefly about the river

The food of the Volga is due to snow, soil and rainwater. It is characterized by spring floods and autumn floods, as well as low water content in summer and winter.

The Volga River freezes , the source and mouth of which are covered with ice practically simultaneously, in October-November, and in March-April it begins to thaw.

Earlier, back in the ancient centuries, it was called Ra. Already in the Middle Ages there were mentions of the Volga under the name of Itil. The current name of the water flow came from the word in the Proto-Slavonic language, which in Russian translates as "moisture". There are also other versions of the emergence of the name of the Volga, but it is not yet possible to confirm or deny them.

The source of the Volga

The Volga, whose source originates in the Tver region, begins at an altitude of 230 m. In the village Volgoverkhovye there are several springs that have been merged into a reservoir. One of them is the beginning of the river. In its upper reaches, it flows through small lakes, and a few meters later passes through the Upper Volga (Peno, Vselug, Volgo and Sterzh), currently united in the reservoir.

A tiny swamp, which hardly attracts tourists with its appearance, is the source of the Volga. The map, even the most accurate, will not have specific data on the beginning of the water flow.

The mouth of the Volga

The mouth of the Volga is the Caspian Sea. It is broken into hundreds of sleeves, due to which a wide delta is formed, the area of which is about 19,000 km ² . Because of the large amount of water resources, this area is the richest plants and animals. The fact that the mouth of the river takes the first place in the world in terms of the number of sturgeon, already speaks volumes. This river has a sufficient influence on the climatic conditions that have a beneficial effect on the plant and animal world, as well as on man. The nature of this area fascinates and helps to spend time pleasantly. Fishing here is best from April to November. The weather and the number of species of fish will never allow them to return empty-handed.

Vegetable world

In the waters of the Volga, such plant species grow:

• Amphibians (shrimp, reed, cattail, lotus);
• Water immersed (naiad, hornwort, elodea, buttercup);
• Water with floating leaves (water lily, duckweed, rdest, walnut);
• Seaweed (hari, kladofora, hari).

The greatest number of plants is represented in the mouth of the Volga. Most common sedge, wormwood, rdest, spurge, hogweed, astragalus. In meadows in large quantities grow wormwood, sorrel, reed and bedridden.

The river delta named Volga, whose source is also not particularly rich in plants, has 500 different species. Here, sedge, spurge, altea, wormwood and mint are not uncommon. You can find thickets of blackberries and reeds. On the shores of the water flow, the meadows grow. Stripes is a forest. Of trees, there are often willows, ash and poplars.

Animal world

The Volga is rich in fish. It is home to a variety of aquatic animals, differing from each other way of existence. In total there are about 70 species, 40 of which are commercial. One of the smallest fish in the pool is the head, whose length 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 legend fish: it can live up to 100 years and weigh more than 1 ton. The most important are vobla, catfish, pike, sterlet, carp, pike perch, sturgeon, bream. Such wealth not only ensures the production of nearby areas, but is also successfully exported to other countries.

Sterlet, pike, bream, carp, catfish, ruff, perch, burbot, asp - all these fish representatives live in the opening stream, and the Volga River is considered their permanent residence. The source, unfortunately, can not boast of such a rich variety. In places where the water flow is calm and has a small depth, the southern stickleback lives - the only representative of sticklebacks. And in those areas where the Volga has the most vegetation, you can find a carp, preferring quiet waters. Stelluga, herring, sturgeon, lamprey, beluga come into the river from the Caspian Sea. Since ancient times the river is considered the best for fishing.

You can also meet frogs, birds, insects and snakes. On the banks very often there are curly pelicans, pheasants, white herons, swans and white-tailed eagles. All these representatives are quite rare and listed in the Red Book. On the banks of the Volga there are many protected areas, they help protect rare species of animals from extinction. Here geese, ducks, teals and mallards nest. Wild boars live in the delta of the Volga, and saiga in the nearby steppes. Very often on the seashore you can meet Caspian seals, which are quite freely located by the water.

The importance of the Volga for Russia

The Volga, whose source is in the village of Tver region, flows throughout Russia. By its waterway the river connects with the Baltic, Azov, Black and White Seas, as well as the Tikhvin and Vyshnevolotsky systems. In the Volga basin, you can find large forests, as well as rich adjacent fields, sown with various technical and grain crops. The lands in these areas are fertile, which contributed to the development of horticulture and melon growing. It needs to be clarified that there are deposits of gas and oil in the Volga-Ural zone, and salt deposits near Solikamsk and the Volga region.

One can not argue with the fact that the Volga has a big and rich history. She is a party to many important political events. It also plays a huge economic role, being the main water artery of Russia, thereby uniting several regions into one. It houses administrative and industrial centers, several millionaire cities. This is why this water flow is called the great Russian river.