7 amazing facts about the Volga

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The Volga River for every Russian person is one of the main elements of the "Russian code". She is written by artists, films are made about her, she was a border in the Russian wars.

Volga does not flow into the Caspian Sea?

The question of whether the Volga flows into the Caspian Sea is controversial, since at the confluence of the Volga and Kama, the Kama carries 1200 cubic meters of water more than the Volga, so we can say that this Kama flows into the Caspian Sea, and the Volga flows into the Kama.

By the way, there is an opinion that the Caspian Sea is a lake.

Volga is not a river?

From the point of view of hydrogeology, the Volga today is not a river, but a cascade of reservoirs, a flowing lake.

Volga and Herodotus

The Volga was already known to ancient historians. Herodotus mentions her, he calls her Oar. Also, the historian Diodorus wrote about the Volga (60s BC), he called the river Tanais, the Arabs called the Volga Itil, which means "river of rivers". A part of the route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" passed along the Volga. On many maps, the Volga river has the name "RA", more about this in the article Amazing map of Russia from 1614. River RA, Tartary and Piegaya Or da.

Volga and snow

The Volga is so deep, largely due to the melting of snow. 60% of the Volga's water is melted snow. 30% - groundwater, 10% - rainwater. Needless to say, floods on the Volga have become a problem more than once, causing destruction and loss of the economy. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, before the construction of the cascade of hydroelectric power plants, in Rybinsk during floods, it was possible to sail in boats along the streets.

Volga and barge haulers

The capital of the barge haulers was the city of Rybinsk. The barge haulers pulled ships and ferries along the Volga until 1929 (during the season the number of barge haulers could exceed half a thousand) until a decree was issued banning barge haulers. It is interesting that seething is not only about pulling cargo along the river. There is a use of this word in the meaning of "hunt", "get food", "work on a rotational basis."

Volga and Stalin

The Volga has played a decisive role in the history of Russia more than once. This is the most powerful commodity highway. During the Civil War, the Volga residents became a stronghold of Bolshevism. Stalin himself took part in the defense of Tsaritsyn, for which the city was named Stalingrad. During the Great Patriotic War, the Volga became a border, beyond which the Nazis could not pass. Access to Baku oil through the Volga became one of the main factors of the Victory.

Full-flowing Volga

The Volga is the largest river in Europe. Its length is 3530 kilometers, there are four cities with a population of one million and as many as 8 hydroelectric power plants have been built. At present, ecologists regret to note that the main river of Russia is in danger. 65 of the 100 most polluted cities in Russia are located in its basin. In a critical situation, the biosphere of the Volga: fish mutations, excessive reproduction of certain types of algae are noted.

The Volga itself can no longer cope with self-cleaning. The Volga ecosystem is in great danger.