Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Volga River shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Volga River offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Volga River at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Volga River? Wrong! If the Volga River is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Volga River then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Volga River? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Volga River and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Volga River wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Volga River then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Volga River site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Volga River, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Volga River, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
{{Geobox River| name = Volga River| native_name = Peка Волга| other_name =| other_name1 =| image = Russia_River_Volga.jpg| image_size = 300| image_caption = Volga in
Yaroslavl (autumn morning)]| country1 =| state =| state1 =| region =| region1 =| district =| district1 =| city =
Astrakhan| city2 = [Samara, Russia| city3 = Kazan| city5 = [Yaroslavl| discharge = 8060| discharge_max =| discharge_min =| discharge1_location =| discharge1 =| source_name =| source_location = [Valdai Hills| source_state =| source_country =| source_lat_d =| source_lat_m =| source_lat_s =| source_lat_NS =| source_long_d =| source_long_m =| source_long_s =| source_long_EW =| source_elevation = 225| source_length =| mouth_name = [Caspian Sea| mouth_state =| mouth_country =| mouth_lat_d =| mouth_lat_m =| mouth_lat_s =| mouth_lat_NS =| mouth_long_d =| mouth_long_m =| mouth_long_s =| mouth_long_EW =| mouth_elevation = -28| tributary_left = [Kama River| tributary_right1 =| free_name =| free_value =| map = volgarivermap.png| map_size = 300| map_caption = Map of the Volga watershed-->The
Volga (, ) is the largest river in [Europe in terms of length,
Discharge (hydrology), and Drainage basin. It flows through the western part of
Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. In fact, eleven out of the twenty List of cities and towns in Russia by population, including its capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga basin. Some of the largest
reservoirs in the world can be found along the Volga.
Nomenclature
The Russian hydronym "" is akin to the Slavic word for "wetness", "humidity" (влага, волога). The Russian name is transliterated as
Volga in English and
Wolga in
German language. Another possibility is that the river's name has
Finnic languages derived from Karelian Valkia / Valgia (White) River.
The Turkic peoples living along the river formerly referred to it as
Itil or
Atil (probably the origin of Attila's name). In modern Turkic languages, the Volga is known as
İdel (Идел) in Tatar language,
Idyll in ancient Chuvash-Bolgar, Атăл (
Atăl) in Chuvash language and
İdil in
Turkish language. Another version of the same root is represented by Mari language Юл (
Jul). Under the Mongols, the river was known by its other Turkic name
Sarı-su ("yellow water") but Mongols used also their own name
Shar mörön ("yellow river").
The ancient and modern Mordvin language name for the Volga, Рав (
Rav)
Erzya (
Rava)
Moksha comes from
Merdi (Russian Mordva) mythology where Rav / Rava is the named fairy of the Great Water. Some western cources have suggested that the name reflect the ancient
Scythian hydronym
*Rhā, supposedly cognate with the ancient Avestan and
Sanskrit names
Rañha and
Rasah for a mythical river supposed to flow around the earthLebedynsky, Iaroslav.
Les Sarmates : Amazones et lanciers cuirassés entre Oural et Danube. Paris: Editions Errance, 2002.. These words are all connected in their primary meaning of "dew, liquid, moisture".
Description
The Volga belongs to the Endorheic basin of the
Caspian Sea. Rising in the
Valdai Hills above sea level north-west of
Moscow and about south-east 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, Russia, Saratov and Volgograd, and discharges into the Caspian Sea below Astrakhan at below sea level. At its most strategic point, it bends toward the
Don River, Russia ("the big bend"). Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, is located there.
The Volga has many tributaries, most importantly the
Kama River, the
Oka River, the
Vetluga River, and the
Sura River rivers. The Volga and its tributaries form the Volga river system, which drains an area of about 1.35 million square kilometres in the most heavily populated part of Russia. The Volga Delta has a length of about 160 kilometres and includes as many as 500 channels and smaller rivers. The largest estuary in Europe, it is the only place in Russia where
pelicans,
flamingoes, and
Nelumbo nuciferaes may be found. The Volga freezes for most of its length during three months of each year.
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 currently give cause for environmental concern.
The fertile river valley provides large quantities of wheat, and also has many mineral riches. A substantial petroleum industry centres on the Volga valley. Other minerals include natural gas, salt, and potash. The Volga Delta and the nearby
Caspian Sea offer superb fishing grounds.
Astrakhan, at the delta, is the centre of the caviar industry.
Confluents (downstream to upstream)
is the uppermost town situated on the Volga (early part of 20th century).
, running across the Volga, used to be the longest in Europe.
Reservoirs (downstream to upstream)
A number of large hydroelectric reservoirs were constructed on the Volga during the
Soviet Union. They are:
Human history
The ancient scholar
Ptolemy of Alexandria mentions the lower Volga in his
Geography (Book 5, Chapter 8, 2nd Map of Asia). He calls it the
Rha, which was the Scythian name for the river. Ptolemy believed the Don and the Volga shared the same upper branch, which flowed from the Hyperborean Mountains.
The downstream of the Volga, widely believed to have been a cradle of the Proto-Indo-European civilization, was settled by Huns and other Turkic peoples in the first millennium AD, replacing Scythians.
Subsequently the river basin played an important role in the movements of peoples from Asia to Europe. A powerful polity of
Volga Bulgaria once flourished where the
Kama River joins the Volga, while
Khazaria controlled the lower stretches of the river. Such Volga cities as
Atil,
Saqsin, or
Sarai (city) were among the largest in the medieval world. The river served as an important Volga trade routeconnecting Viking Age,
Rus' (people), and Volga Bulgaria with Khazaria and Iran. and Mologa, were flooded by Soviet authorities in the 1940s.
Khazars were replaced by
Kipchaks, Kimeks and
Mongols, who founded the Golden Horde in the lower stream of Volga. Later the Empire broke into the Khanate of Kazan and
Khanate of Astrakhan; subsequently they were conquered by Russians in the 16th century.
In modern times, the city on the big bend of the Volga, currently known as Volgograd, witnessed the Battle of Stalingrad, the bloodiest battle in human history. The Russian people's deep feeling for the Volga often finds echoes in their songs and literature (see The Volga Boatmen's Song for one conspicuous example).
Ethnic groups
The indigenous population of Upper course of Volga were Finnic (Valtai, Rehevä and Tihveri) Karelians, known also by the Russians as Wild Forest and Tver Karielas followed by
Meri Russian Merya, that were later partly assimilated to Russians. Other Finnic ethnic groups are
Mari people and
Mirdes /
Merdis Russian
Mordvins of middle Volga. Turkic populations appeared in the
600s and assimilated some Finnic and Indo-European population at the middle and lower Volga, later they were transformed to Christian
Chuvash and
Muslim Tatars; also to Nogais, which were supplanted to
Daghestan later. Mongolian Buddhists
Kalmyks resettled to Volga in the 17th century.
The Volga region is home to a German minority group, the
Volga Germans. Catherine the Great had issued a Manifesto in 1763 inviting all foreigners to come and populate the region, offering them numerous incentives to do so. This was partly to develop the region but also to provide a buffer zone between the Russians and the Mongol hordes to the east. Because of conditions in German territories, the Germans responded in the largest numbers. Under the
Soviet Union a slice of the region was turned into the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic to house many of the Volga Germans. Others were executed or dispersed throughout the Soviet Union prior to and after World War II.
Navigation
The Volga is of great importance to inland shipping and transport in Russia: all the dams in the river have been equipped with large (double) Canal lock, so that vessels of considerable dimensions can actually travel from the Caspian Sea almost to the upstream end of the river. Connections with the Don River, Russia and the Black Sea are possible through the Volga-Don Canal. Connections with the lakes of the north (Lake Ladoga,
Lake Onega),
Saint Petersburg and the Baltic Sea are possible through the
Volga-Baltic Waterway; and a liaison with Moscow has been realised by the
Moscow Canal connecting the Volga and the Moskva River rivers. This infrastructure has been designed for vessels of a relatively large scale (lock dimensions of 290 x 30 meters on the Volga, slightly smaller on some of the other rivers and canals) and it spans many thousands of kilometers.
Until recently access to the Russian waterways was only granted on a very limited scale. The increasing contacts between the European Union and Russia have led to new policies with regard to the access to the Russian inland waterways. It is expected that vessels of other nations will be allowed on the Russian rivers soon. (Source: NoorderSoft Waterways Database)
See also
References
External links
- short video of a cruise on the stunning Volga
- Information and a map of the Volga's watershed
- Volga Delta from Space
- Photos of the Volga coasts
- "CABRI-Volga": EU-Russian project on environmental risk management in the Volga Basin
{{Geobox River| name = Volga River| native_name = Peка Волга| other_name =| other_name1 =| image = Russia_River_Volga.jpg| image_size = 300| image_caption = Volga in
Yaroslavl (autumn morning)]| country1 =| state =| state1 =| region =| region1 =| district =| district1 =| city =
Astrakhan| city2 = [Samara, Russia| city3 = Kazan| city5 = [Yaroslavl| discharge = 8060| discharge_max =| discharge_min =| discharge1_location =| discharge1 =| source_name =| source_location = [Valdai Hills| source_state =| source_country =| source_lat_d =| source_lat_m =| source_lat_s =| source_lat_NS =| source_long_d =| source_long_m =| source_long_s =| source_long_EW =| source_elevation = 225| source_length =| mouth_name = [Caspian Sea| mouth_state =| mouth_country =| mouth_lat_d =| mouth_lat_m =| mouth_lat_s =| mouth_lat_NS =| mouth_long_d =| mouth_long_m =| mouth_long_s =| mouth_long_EW =| mouth_elevation = -28| tributary_left = [Kama River| tributary_right1 =| free_name =| free_value =| map = volgarivermap.png| map_size = 300| map_caption = Map of the Volga watershed-->The
Volga (, ) is the largest river in [Europe in terms of length,
Discharge (hydrology), and
Drainage basin. It flows through the western part of
Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. In fact, eleven out of the twenty
List of cities and towns in Russia by population, including its capital
Moscow, are situated in the Volga basin. Some of the largest reservoirs in the world can be found along the Volga.
Nomenclature
The Russian hydronym "" is akin to the Slavic word for "wetness", "humidity" (влага, волога). The Russian name is transliterated as
Volga in English and
Wolga in German language. Another possibility is that the river's name has Finnic languages derived from Karelian Valkia / Valgia (White) River.
The
Turkic peoples living along the river formerly referred to it as
Itil or
Atil (probably the origin of Attila's name). In modern Turkic languages, the Volga is known as
İdel (Идел) in Tatar language,
Idyll in ancient Chuvash-Bolgar, Атăл (
Atăl) in
Chuvash language and
İdil in
Turkish language. Another version of the same root is represented by Mari language Юл (
Jul). Under the Mongols, the river was known by its other Turkic name
Sarı-su ("yellow water") but Mongols used also their own name
Shar mörön ("yellow river").
The ancient and modern
Mordvin language name for the Volga, Рав (
Rav) Erzya (
Rava) Moksha comes from
Merdi (Russian Mordva) mythology where Rav / Rava is the named fairy of the Great Water. Some western cources have suggested that the name reflect the ancient
Scythian hydronym
*Rhā, supposedly cognate with the ancient
Avestan and Sanskrit names
Rañha and
Rasah for a mythical river supposed to flow around the earthLebedynsky, Iaroslav.
Les Sarmates : Amazones et lanciers cuirassés entre Oural et Danube. Paris: Editions Errance, 2002.. These words are all connected in their primary meaning of "dew, liquid, moisture".
Description
The Volga belongs to the
Endorheic basin of the Caspian Sea. Rising in the Valdai Hills above sea level north-west of
Moscow and about south-east 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, Russia, Saratov and
Volgograd, and discharges into the Caspian Sea below
Astrakhan at below sea level. At its most strategic point, it bends toward the
Don River, Russia ("the big bend"). Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, is located there.
The Volga has many tributaries, most importantly the
Kama River, the Oka River, the Vetluga River, and the
Sura River rivers. The Volga and its tributaries form the Volga river system, which drains an area of about 1.35 million square kilometres in the most heavily populated part of Russia. The Volga Delta has a length of about 160 kilometres and includes as many as 500 channels and smaller rivers. The largest estuary in Europe, it is the only place in Russia where pelicans, flamingoes, and
Nelumbo nuciferaes may be found. The Volga freezes for most of its length during three months of each year.
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 currently give cause for environmental concern.
The fertile river valley provides large quantities of wheat, and also has many mineral riches. A substantial petroleum industry centres on the Volga valley. Other minerals include natural gas, salt, and potash. The Volga Delta and the nearby
Caspian Sea offer superb fishing grounds.
Astrakhan, at the delta, is the centre of the
caviar industry.
Confluents (downstream to upstream)
is the uppermost town situated on the Volga (early part of 20th century).
, running across the Volga, used to be the longest in Europe.
Reservoirs (downstream to upstream)
A number of large hydroelectric reservoirs were constructed on the Volga during the
Soviet Union. They are:
Human history
The ancient scholar Ptolemy of Alexandria mentions the lower Volga in his
Geography (Book 5, Chapter 8, 2nd Map of Asia). He calls it the
Rha, which was the Scythian name for the river. Ptolemy believed the Don and the Volga shared the same upper branch, which flowed from the Hyperborean Mountains.
The downstream of the Volga, widely believed to have been a cradle of the Proto-Indo-European civilization, was settled by Huns and other Turkic peoples in the first millennium AD, replacing Scythians.
Subsequently the river basin played an important role in the movements of peoples from Asia to Europe. A powerful polity of
Volga Bulgaria once flourished where the
Kama River joins the Volga, while
Khazaria controlled the lower stretches of the river. Such Volga cities as Atil,
Saqsin, or Sarai (city) were among the largest in the medieval world. The river served as an important
Volga trade routeconnecting
Viking Age,
Rus' (people), and Volga Bulgaria with Khazaria and Iran. and Mologa, were flooded by Soviet authorities in the 1940s.
Khazars were replaced by
Kipchaks, Kimeks and
Mongols, who founded the
Golden Horde in the lower stream of Volga. Later the Empire broke into the Khanate of Kazan and Khanate of Astrakhan; subsequently they were conquered by Russians in the 16th century.
In modern times, the city on the big bend of the Volga, currently known as Volgograd, witnessed the Battle of Stalingrad, the bloodiest battle in human history. The Russian people's deep feeling for the Volga often finds echoes in their songs and literature (see
The Volga Boatmen's Song for one conspicuous example).
Ethnic groups
The indigenous population of Upper course of Volga were Finnic (Valtai, Rehevä and Tihveri)
Karelians, known also by the Russians as
Wild Forest and Tver Karielas followed by Meri Russian
Merya, that were later partly assimilated to Russians. Other Finnic ethnic groups are Mari people and Mirdes /
Merdis Russian Mordvins of middle Volga. Turkic populations appeared in the
600s and assimilated some Finnic and Indo-European population at the middle and lower Volga, later they were transformed to Christian
Chuvash and
Muslim Tatars; also to Nogais, which were supplanted to
Daghestan later. Mongolian Buddhists Kalmyks resettled to Volga in the 17th century.
The Volga region is home to a German minority group, the
Volga Germans.
Catherine the Great had issued a Manifesto in 1763 inviting all foreigners to come and populate the region, offering them numerous incentives to do so. This was partly to develop the region but also to provide a buffer zone between the Russians and the Mongol hordes to the east. Because of conditions in German territories, the Germans responded in the largest numbers. Under the Soviet Union a slice of the region was turned into the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic to house many of the Volga Germans. Others were executed or dispersed throughout the Soviet Union prior to and after World War II.
Navigation
The Volga is of great importance to inland shipping and transport in Russia: all the dams in the river have been equipped with large (double)
Canal lock, so that vessels of considerable dimensions can actually travel from the Caspian Sea almost to the upstream end of the river. Connections with the Don River, Russia and the Black Sea are possible through the Volga-Don Canal. Connections with the lakes of the north (Lake Ladoga,
Lake Onega),
Saint Petersburg and the Baltic Sea are possible through the Volga-Baltic Waterway; and a liaison with Moscow has been realised by the
Moscow Canal connecting the Volga and the
Moskva River rivers. This infrastructure has been designed for vessels of a relatively large scale (lock dimensions of 290 x 30 meters on the Volga, slightly smaller on some of the other rivers and canals) and it spans many thousands of kilometers.
Until recently access to the Russian waterways was only granted on a very limited scale. The increasing contacts between the European Union and Russia have led to new policies with regard to the access to the Russian inland waterways. It is expected that vessels of other nations will be allowed on the Russian rivers soon. (Source: NoorderSoft Waterways Database)
See also
References
External links
- short video of a cruise on the stunning Volga
- Information and a map of the Volga's watershed
- Volga Delta from Space
- Photos of the Volga coasts
- "CABRI-Volga": EU-Russian project on environmental risk management in the Volga Basin
Volga River - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Volga (Russian: Волга, Tatar Cyrillic: Идел, Latin: İdel) is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed.
Volga River Holidays & Cruises > Russia > Cosmos Tourama Holidays ...
Great value Volga River holidays and cruises with Cosmos Tourama Russia holidays, tours, breaks & cruises. Click for our latest Volga River offers.
River Cruises Danube Rhone Douro Elbe Rhine Russia Volga Yangtze Nile
Searching for river cruises online? Best value deals online from the UK for river & ocean cruising worldwide plus cruise & tour and cruise & stay holidays. Book direct with us - no ...
Volga River
The Volga River. The Volga River is the longest river in Europe, about 2,300 miles (3,700 km). It originates at an elevation of only 740 feet (225 m) in the Valday Hills northwest ...
Volga River definition of Volga River in the Free Online Encyclopedia.
Volga River. River, western Russia. Europe's longest river and the principal waterway of western Russia, it rises in the Valdai Hills northwest of Moscow and flows 2,193 mi (3,530 ...
Holidays in Russia - Volga River Cruise
A choice of 16 day or 22 day Volga River cruises from St Petersburg via Moscow to Astrakhan with several excursions en-route
Volga FM
Volga River Delta: Encyclopedia: Volga River: Home Page for Volga River: Lower Volga Villages Project ... Business Consumer Luxury Photos Russia : Russia attracts luxury brands
Amazon.co.uk: Volga, Volga: A Voyage Down the Great River: Lesley ...
Amazon.co.uk: Volga, Volga: A Voyage Down the Great River: Lesley Chamberlain: Books ... This item is not eligible for Amazon Prime, but millions of other items are.
Volga River Holidays & Cruises > Russia > Archers Direct Holidays ...
Great value Volga River holidays and cruises with Archers Direct Russia holidays, tours, breaks & cruises. Click for our latest Volga River offers.
BBC NEWS | Europe | Volga road trip: A Soviet icon
Rupert Wingfield-Hayes sets off in a Volga car along the Volga river to sample everyday life in President Putin's Russia.
