The Volga (the nutrition of the river will be described later in the article) flows through the part of Russia, which belongs to Europe. Its delta is located in a neighboring state - Kazakhstan. This water stream is included in the list of the largest natural reservoirs in the world (and of course, the Russian Federation). The territory adjacent to the Volga is commonly called the Volga region.
The total length of the river was 3690 km. After the construction of the reservoirs, the length was 3530 km. On the banks of the water stream are several millionaire cities, in particular Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Volgograd and Samara. In the XX century, namely in the 30-80s, hydroelectric power plants were built. They all belong to the Volga-Kama cascade.
The source of the Volga is located in Valday (Alaun mountains). The mouth is considered to be the Caspian Sea.
River mode
The nutrition and regime of the Volga River is a very interesting question. The process of river glaciation begins in November-December. About 200-260 days, the water flow remains free of ice. An autopsy begins in the Astrakhan region in March; in mid-April, thawing ends near the mouth. Before the dam was built, the river constantly flooded at the end of spring, and in the summer it began to chalk. However, after the creation of reservoirs , the water level rises significantly. Therefore, it is often necessary to increase the dam.
Economic use of the river
The Volga (the river’s nutrition is heavily dependent on snow water) helps meet the needs of huge hydroelectric power plants. The flow allows you to transport huge loads and carry out passenger transportation. The fishing process suits everyone, both amateurs and professionals - you can catch roach, sturgeon, zander, etc. in a natural body of water. Liquid from reservoirs is usually taken for irrigation; and those waters that the hydroelectric power station consumes produce a fairly large amount of electricity.
Thanks to navigability, the Volga (river nutrition strongly affects its agricultural use) unites several seas at once. This is due to the fact that the state created a special Volga-Don canal. A huge amount of cargo is transported along it, including oil, salt, bread, firewood, etc.
River food
If we take into account the full annual regime, then we can say one hundred percent that a mixed type of flow supply prevails. The main power sources of the Volga are meltwater, groundwater and rainwater. More than 60% of the annual runoff is made up of snow compounds. From April to June you can observe the flood. In summer and winter, most often there is a low water, in which it is the groundwater that allows the Volga to remain intact. In the fall, small floods occur.
The depth of the river varies from 3 to 15 m, depending on the region and the type of food in it. In winter, as a rule, due to the large amount of meltwater, the level in the river rises significantly, but thanks to hydroelectric power stations, the Volga does not leave its banks. In reservoirs, often due to heavy rainfall and winds, waves can rise up to 1.5 meters.
Shipping
The calm regime of such a water stream as the Volga (the river’s nutrition allows it not to dry out and not to drop to a critical level), contributes to shipping. Back in the VIII century, a special Volga route was laid along which goods were transported. For the first time the ship appeared on the waters of the river in the 1820s.
During the war, the USSR used the stream as the location of the fleet, whose workers participated in the clearance of munitions and even played an important role in some battles.
At present, Russia only uses the route from Rzhev to Kolkhoznik (about 590 km), from Kolkhoznik to the Red Barricades (2605 km) and a small section (up to 40 km) in the river delta. Upstream supply products such as oil, vegetables, bread, gravel, fish, salt, etc. Down - timber and various industrial materials.