Delta of the Volga River, including the Astrakhan State Biosphere Reserve. Volga depth, width, location and other features
On the territory of our vast country there is a unique region, a real fishing Eldorado. There is more water here than land. Here, reeds stand in a thick wall along the banks, and lotus blooms in the backwaters. Here is the realm of waterfowl and fish. Here, the waters of the mighty Volga River meet the gray waves of the Caspian Sea, and more than 120 species of fish inhabit them. It always bites here... Below Astrakhan, the Volga overflows with numerous channels, and only one of the watercourses, and far from being the most full-flowing, continues to bear the name of the great Russian river.
Channels washing countless islands, eriki, as well as lakes, ilmen, rivers occupy an area of more than 2.5 thousand square meters. km. and stretch from Astrakhan to the Caspian Sea itself.
The Volga Delta is inhabited by more than 120 species of fish. Among them: catfish, asp, pike perch, pike, bream, carp, crucian carp, rudd, roach, vobla, blue bream, silver bream, tench, sabrefish, silver carp, sturgeon, beluga, stellate sturgeon and others. Season fishing begins from the first days of April, when the pre-spawning run of the famous Volga roach is underway. They catch it on a worm, maggot and corn with fishing rods or a donkey. Together with vobla they take silver bream, bream, rudd, crucian carp and carp. Spinners at this time are hunting for a large asp, a catfish that has just emerged from a winter stupor, a thick roe perch. At the very edge of the reed stands a pike, heavy before spawning.
The climate of the delta, due to its geographical location and proximity to the sea, is warm and humid, but sharply continental. In summer, the thermometer reaches +40°C. In winter - sometimes it drops below -20-25°С. At the end of March, the channels of the delta are completely free of ice. A little later, the "upper" Akhtuba and Volga ice passes through them, coming from Volgograd itself.
At the end of April, the landscape of the delta is changing every day - century-old willows are turning green, hanging with branches over the yellowish-gray wall of last year's reeds, and young shoots of fresh emerald growth are already breaking through from below. Life is waking up, picking up the pace. Winter is gone, and a whole long summer lies ahead.
In early May, the flood begins. In Volgograd, the wings of a huge dam are opened, and millions of cubic meters of melt water, gathered from the very sources of Mother Volga, gushed down to the expanses to go out to the peals along one of the channels of the delta, merge with the salty waters of the Caspian Sea and finish their almost four-year run.
There were times when the Volga water traveled many kilometers from source to mouth in just forty days. Caspian sturgeon and beluga went up to Tver and entered the Moskva River, and near Kuzminki they caught Caspian salmon - white salmon. Much water has flown under the bridge since that time. Covered by numerous dams great river turns the turbines of power plants. The famous Russian sturgeon is no longer near Tver, nor near Moscow, not even beyond Volgograd, behind the first dam from the mouth, it is a rarity.
Only in the Volga delta you can see nature in its original form. Two-meter sturgeons come across here, and two-hundred-kilogram beluga sturgeons fatten their sides on the peals. Having reached a noticeable weight, this sturgeon fish becomes an active predator. In the spring, she will not miss either a large roach or a small asp impaled on a powerful donkey hook. The fight with the beluga will remain in my memory for a long time. Beluga fishing is licensed, carried out according to the “caught and released” principle, but it’s not a pity to let such a king fish go. Enough of those unique gambling minutes when the heart sank and the hands numb in the fight against the river giant.
In May, during the high water - the very move of the fish. Fishers have a hot time - Putin. There is the famous Caspian herring (Zolom), sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, roach, bream. Sport fishing in May is not easy, but very interesting. In just a day or two, the water can rise several meters, in the morning you can hardly recognize the outlines of yesterday's shores. By the end of May, the water rises at one, high, but still constant level, and then, already in June, it begins to gradually fall. This is where the main trouble awaits fishermen: in the lakes, swamps, backwaters and even puddles left from the flood, myriads of bloodsucking mosquitoes and midges are born - there is nothing to do on the river without mosquito nets and repellents. In June, asp, perch, zander, and catfish are perfectly caught by spinning. If you settle with a donkey equipped with a feeder, somewhere at the exit of a pit with a snag or under the edge of a reed-covered shore, you can get a large carp.
Summer is in full swing in July. Roast southern sun heats everything around to enveloping nausea. There is no salvation either day or night, only at the very dawn in the evening and in the morning it becomes a little easier to breathe, and you can fish for an hour or two. But even she feels that lethargy and drowsiness that covers all living things in unbearable heat, when every movement turns into torture. It is at dawn that annoying mosquitoes, hiding somewhere from the heat of the day, appear and eat our brother fisherman with pleasure. Only the carp does not care. Even on a hot afternoon, when the sun goes off scale at 50 ° C, the carp splashes, frolics, and its appetite does not decrease at all - it pecks at the worm, and at the porridge, and at the cake.
On the peals there is a riot of greenery - lotus, reeds, water lilies, and among them flocks of golden rudd, striped perches, bronze carp, spotted pikes lurk in ambushes. All this can be seen if you have a mask and fins. The water is warm, 22-24°C, settled after the flood and visibility is already one and a half to two meters.
Closer to August, mosquitoes almost disappear, waiting for swimmers right at the exit from the water and harassing anglers. Although it is still very hot, a light breeze makes breathing easier every day, and by the end of the month the heat begins to subside.
In August, the bite of a predator is revived, large asp is activated, pike perch, large catfish are more often caught along the edges of the pits. Golden rudd is caught on a lure on peals. Often a carp sits on a small lure, and it is not only pleasant, but also honorable to defeat a strong man weighing about ten kilograms, with thin perch tackle. They still take large bream and carp for the bottom - for a worm, shell and cake. Exciting, exciting fishing!
Delta BOlie- unique geographical feature with great natural resources and rich history development and research, the "pearl" of Russian nature, an attractive place for tourists, hunters and fishermen.
Volga Delta, like the river itself, played a huge role in the history of settlement and development of the south of Russia. The appearance of the first settlements in the Volga delta was facilitated by the peculiarities of its geographical location between major river and the Caspian Sea: water and caravan routes passed through these places trade routes, connecting the lower reaches of the Volga with Persia and Arab countries. Khazar and Polovtsian settlements arose along these routes. It is believed that already in the XIII century. here appeared the Tatar settlement Ashtarkhan (Ashtarakhan), which later gave rise to Astrakhan. From the middle of the XV to the middle of the XVII centuries. Astrakhan was the capital of the Astrakhan Khanate, which in 1557 became part of the Russian state. The importance of this region increased especially during the reign of Peter I. The warm climate, the presence of fresh water, fertile silty soils, an abundance of fish in the river, delta arms and the sea.
The modern Volga delta has huge natural resources- water, land, biological. They are widely used water transport, industrial and agricultural water supply, agriculture, fisheries. IN Lately oil and gas production is actively developing. The Volga Delta is well developed. Most of areas of the delta are reserved for arable land, vegetable gardens, melons, orchards, hayfields, and spawning grounds.
Transit shipping routes river-sea and sea-river pass through the branches of the delta and the estuarine seaside. In the XVI century. the main navigable fairway went through the Bolshaya Bolda branch, in the 18th century. under Peter I - through the sleeve Old Volga starting from the 19th century. - through the Bakhtemir branch and the Volga-Caspian shipping channel. In the Volga Delta, local shipping is developed, connecting numerous settlements on the watercourses of the delta. The Volga-Caspian fishing region was considered the main one in the country in the USSR. He gave about 1 million centners of fish per year, which was equal to almost half of all fish production in the country. At the same time, the sturgeon catch was 90% of the total in the country.
At present, Astrakhan is a major administrative, scientific and Cultural Center, a junction of water, road, rail and air routes, an important river and sea port, a center for the oil, chemical, and fishing industries. The Astrakhan fish processing plant (operating since 1931) and the Astrakhan gas condensate field (discovered in 1976, put into operation in 1986) are widely known.
In Astrakhan and the entire delta, tourism and recreational business is developed. There are many in the delta tourist bases and recreation centers, hunting reserves, bases of hunters and fishermen. Thousands of tourists and lovers of hunting and fishing come to the delta every year.
The Volga Delta is one of the most studied deltas in the world. Its study began in the 19th century. in connection with the selection and maintenance of a navigable fairway from the Volga to the Caspian.
Large-scale integrated studies of the delta began in the 1950s; them in different years conducted by the State Oceanographic Institute (GOIN), (GGI), the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University, the Astrakhan Hydrometeorological Observatory (later the Astrakhan regional center on hydrometeorology and monitoring environment), (IWP RAS), Caspian Research Institute of Fisheries (CaspNIRKh), etc.
A great contribution to the study of the nature of the delta was made by the State Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve. The reserve was established back in 1919. Since 1975, it has been part of the Volga Delta wetlands, and since October 11, 1976, the Volga Delta and the Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve have been included in the list of wetlands of international importance Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention). The Volga Delta complies with the following convention criteria (for a description of the criteria, see the article Convention on Wetlands): 1c, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3c, 4a, 4b . In 1984, by decision of UNESCO, the Astrakhan Reserve was included in the number of international biosphere reserves. The main tasks of the reserve are to preserve and enrich the nature of the Volga delta; Special attention at the same time, it is given to the protection of nesting and stopping places for migratory waterfowl, spawning grounds, rare plants.
What is the uniqueness of the Volga Delta?
First, the Volga delta differs from other deltas in the world by its extremely dense and variable hydrographic network. In some periods of the "life" of the Volga delta, the number of mouths (outlets) of delta watercourses on the estuarine coast reached a thousand! Even such multibranch deltas as the deltas of the Lena, Orinoco, Niger, as the united delta of the Ganges and Brahmaputra cannot be compared in multibranch with the Volga delta. The number of mouths of branches on the sea edge of the Volga delta does not remain unchanged: during the lowering of the Caspian Sea level, their number decreases, during the rise - increases. The main reason for the exceptional multi-branching of the Volga delta is the shallow water of the coastal part of the delta and its strong overgrowth with aquatic vegetation. As a result, sea wind currents and waves do not reach the sea edge of the delta. Therefore, coastal sediments do not block the mouths of small watercourses, as usually happens in deltas with a shallow seashore.
The hydrographic network of the delta is dense and varied. First of all, large channel systems of five main main branches (from west to east) are distinguished: the main branch of the delta with the name Volga and its continuation Bakhtemir, Staraya Volga, Kizan (Kamyzyak), Bolshaya Bolda, Buzan. These arms break up into numerous smaller arms. Between the branches there are secondary streams - channels and very small streams - eriki. There are many large and small lakes inside the delta and on its periphery (here they are called ilmens). Part of the ilmens is heavily overgrown with aquatic vegetation. There are swamps (floodlands) and artificial watercourses in the delta - irrigation and watering canals.
Large branches (Bakhtemir, Belinsky Bank) continue on the seashore with shipping channels - respectively, the Volga-Caspian Marine Navigation Canal (VKMSK) and the Belinsky Shipping Canal. Small branches continue on the seashore with the so-called fish passages and swaths among aquatic vegetation; the purpose of such channels and swaths is to facilitate the passage of fish from the Northern Caspian to spawn in the delta and further to the Volga.
In the delta branch of the Volga (the continuation of the river within the delta) slightly below the top of the delta in 1966–1973. a unique and complex hydraulic structure was built - the Volga water divider. It was intended to partially block the flow in the Volga branch and redistribute it to the adjacent Buzan branch. The purpose of such a redistribution of runoff was to maintain sufficient watering of the eastern part of the delta (including the spawning grounds located here) in the conditions of the expected low water of the Volga due to natural and anthropogenic causes. However, the water divider operated only a few times in 1970–1980. One of the reasons for the low efficiency of the water divider is the unfulfilled forecasts of a significant decrease in the water flow of the Volga: the end of the 20th century. turned out to be abounding on the Volga.
At the same time, the water regime of the delta was noticeably affected by the regulation of the river flow by the Volga-Kama cascade of reservoirs. The volume of runoff during the flood period decreased on average from 130 to 100 km 3 . Levels in the delta increased from September to March and decreased from April to August. The flooding of the delta during the flood period decreased.
Secondly, an important feature of the Volga delta is that, unlike most large deltas on the coasts of the oceans and seas, the Volga delta is not a sea, but a lake. The Caspian Sea, into which the Volga flows, has no connection with the World Ocean in the modern geological era and therefore is not really a sea. The Caspian is an endorheic lake, and it is called the sea thanks to large sizes and a regime similar to the sea. Like all closed drainless water bodies, the Caspian Sea is very sensitive and quickly reacts to changes in moisture in its catchment area and, above all, in the Volga basin. During humid climatic periods, the water supply of the Caspian increased, the volume of its waters increased, and the level rose. In dry climatic periods, the level of the Caspian Sea, on the contrary, decreased.
These secular and long-term fluctuations in the level of the Caspian Sea were faster than in the ocean. They led not only to the flooding of the Volga delta and its retreat, or, conversely, to its advance into the sea, but also to a change in its geographical position. According to paleogeographers, the modern Volga delta began to form in the maximum stage of the sea, i.e., 5-6 thousand years ago.
We will not consider here the complex geological history of the evolution of the Volga delta, we will focus only on its changes in the last about 180 years. Since 1837, these changes in the delta have been studied using data from instrumental observations of the water level, delta maps, and since the 1970s. - and satellite images.
A significant drop in the level of the Caspian began in the 1880s. and amounted to about 4 m by 1977, when the sea level dropped to -29.01 m abs., the lowest in the last at least 400 years. This drop in the level of the Caspian was accompanied by a rapid advance of the Volga delta into the sea. This advance was especially intense during the period of rapid sea level fall in 1929–1940. At that time, the rate of protrusion of the sea edge of the delta into the sea reached 400–600 m/year. This nomination was mostly "passive", ie. due not to the deposition of river sediments, but to the drainage of the near-delta areas of the seashore. The protrusion of the delta, in turn, was accompanied by a slight decrease in water levels in the lower parts of the delta branches and their slight erosion.
Such processes proceeded until the early 1960s, when, despite the continuing drop in the level of the Caspian Sea, the protrusion of the delta on the seashore sharply slowed down, and then stopped altogether. This was unexpected and at first seemed inexplicable. And only new studies of the State Oceanographic Institute and the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University in 1970–1990. made it possible to explain such an unusual and anomalous "behavior" of the Volga delta.
The reason for this, as it turned out, is in the features of the huge and shallow estuarine coast of the Volga. At present, not a single delta on the oceanic and sea coasts has such a coastline. It was found that this shallow water at a low level of the Caspian (below -27.0 ... -27.5 m abs.) blocks the penetration into the delta of both long-term and short-term surge fluctuations in the Caspian level.
In the 1960s–1970s the estuary seashore became even more shallow and overgrown with aquatic vegetation. This required significant dredging of the shipping channels and the construction of fish channels to facilitate the passage of fish from the sea to the delta and river to spawn.
During the rise in the level of the Caspian Sea in 1978–1995. by 2.35 m to the mark of -27.66 m abs. the shallow zone of the seaside began to be gradually flooded by the sea. The connection of the delta with the sea began to recover and the levels in the lower reaches of the branches began to rise.
At present, the levels of the Caspian Sea and the lower part of the delta have begun to rise again.
And, finally, the third important feature of the Volga delta is an amazing combination of the great economic development of the delta and its huge natural biodiversity and high bioproductivity. The Volga Delta is a kind of oasis against the background of almost lifeless dry steppes and semi-deserts of the Caspian lowland.
The delta has an extremely rich flora and fauna. Willows (willow genus) grow along almost all branches and channels. The rest of the vegetation is characterized by some "zoning": it changes from the top of the delta to its seaside and estuarine coast. Poplar forests have been preserved in some areas.
The upper (near-top) zone of the delta is dominated by meadow vegetation - cereals, forbs. Of the wetland plants, there are rare thickets of reeds and cattails. In the middle zone of the delta, the nature of the vegetation is the same, but reed and cattail occupy a noticeably larger area. On hillocks in the middle zone, semi-desert vegetation, typical for landscape zone outside the delta. Irises and tulips bloom on hillocks in spring. The lower (coastal) zone of the delta is dominated by reeds, often forming dense thickets 4–4.5 m high (“krepi”), cattail (chakan), water chestnut (chilim), and nymphaeum. On the estuarine seaside, surface vegetation is represented by reeds, cattails, susaks, burrows, chilims, and underwater vegetation is represented by pondweed, vallisneria, and urutya.
Of the rare plant species at the mouth of the Volga (especially in the lower zone of the delta and in the coastal zone of the delta), the most remarkable is the walnut lotus. It is this type of lotus that is considered a sacred plant in India and China. In addition to the lotus, plants of rare species grow in the delta: bubbly aldrovanda, Egyptian marsilea.
The background species of ichthyofauna in the watercourses and reservoirs of the delta are freshwater fish, mainly cyprinids and perch: carp, bream, roach, tench, rudd, silver bream, asp, bleak, as well as pike, catfish, perch, pike perch, crucian carp, some species of gobies, more rare podust, sopa, sabrefish, bursh. A significant part of the fish population is made up of anadromous and semi-anadromous species that make spawning migrations to the delta, and marine fish species. Anadromous fish - sturgeon and herring - are found in the delta mainly during migration from the sea to spawning grounds in the Volga and return to the sea.
On the territory of the delta, the most numerous species of amphibians include the lake frog, which inhabits numerous channels, eriki, ilmeni, etc. Of the reptiles, the most widespread species in the delta are the common snake and the water snake, the patterned snake, the marsh turtle, and the nimble lizard.
There are 33 species of mammals in the fauna of the Volga delta, including insectivores (for example, the Russian muskrat is a rare relict species), bats (Mediterranean bat, Nathusius bat, etc.), hare-like (Russian hare), rodents (river beaver, muskrat, etc.). ), predatory (raccoon dog, wolf, fox, jackal, etc.), pinnipeds (Caspian seal) and artiodactyls (saiga, elk, wild boar).
The Volga Delta is the habitat and temporary residence of a number of rare and endangered bird species listed in the Red Books of the World Conservation Union (IUCN Red list–2006) and the Russian Federation. Birds of 27 species listed in the Red Book of Russia nest here, in particular, the curly pelican, spoonbill, Egyptian heron, osprey, white-tailed eagle, saker falcon, little bustard, stilt, sultan. During periods of seasonal migrations and wanderings, black-headed gull, small cormorant, lesser white-fronted gull, stilt, peregrine falcon, red-throated goose, golden eagle, steppe eagle, Siberian Crane, Avocet, Avdotka, bustard, pink pelican are common. Black stork, flamingos fly in. In the group of wetland birds, the most species-rich and numerous are Anseriformes. Many mute swans, gray geese, mallards and red-nosed pochards nest here.
V.N. Mikhailov, M.V. Mikhailova
Approximately 46 kilometers north of Astrakhan itself. It is the most extensive river lowland in Europe and covers an area of about 12,000 square kilometers.
The climate in the Volga delta is sharply continental. However, it softens a little due to the proximity of the Caspian Sea. The temperature in summer can reach +40, and in winter it can drop to almost -14 degrees. The Volga Delta (photo below) rarely freezes hard, and there is practically no snow in winter.
These places are characterized by a special diversity of the animal world. Here you can meet pelicans and even flamingos. Sturgeons are found in the water. Unfortunately, the lowering of the water level in the Caspian Sea is reflected in the river delta. It dries up, and in winter it began to freeze. Thus, the delta is no longer of such significance for nesting birds. Although it still retains its role during seasonal migrations.
Fauna and flora
The Volga Delta is a happy owner of one of the rarest plants - the lotus. No one can still say for sure where he came from. This area is considered the most northern place his habitat.
The diversity of fish is affected by the increase in commercial fishing in the delta. Because of it, the number of many species, such as sturgeon, herring, and vobla, is declining.
The Volga Delta, or rather its waters, are actively used for land irrigation, in the construction of power plants. In this regard, in order to restore the population, fish species that have never been in these parts are launched into it. It can be said that the delta ecosystem is becoming almost artificial.
reserves
The situation is saved by being located in the delta. It was opened in 1919 and was one of the first in Russia. The task of the reserve is to preserve the diversity of the animal and flora. Thanks to this, the Volga delta and the territory protected area inhabited by more than 280 species of birds and about 60 varieties of fish.
To visit the surroundings, you must first leave a request on the website or call the office Astrakhan Reserve by phone. It will be necessary to indicate the length of stay, the number of people, the presence or absence of transport for delivery. Also, after the dates of the visit are approved, it is necessary to come to the office, which is located in Astrakhan, and obtain special documents giving the right to be in a specially protected natural area.
Rules in the reserve
The reserve in the Volga delta also has strict rules, the implementation of which is necessary to preserve nature in its original form. For example, it is forbidden to catch or pick up baby animals that may be encountered on the way. Do not break bushes or tree branches, even if they seem to be already dried up. Silence is required so as not to disturb the peace of the surrounding world. Of course, it is forbidden to make fires and leave any garbage behind.
Short list of rules:
1. Stay on the trail.
2. Do not light fires.
3. Do not break trees, shrubs, do not pick flowers.
4. Take all rubbish from the trail with you.
Such rules will help not only show people natural beauty but keep it in its original state.
The Astrakhan nature reserve is not the only one in those parts. The area of the Volga delta is quite large. The closest neighbor of the first was the recently opened Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky Reserve. It was established in 1997. It includes Mount Bogdo, Lake Baskunchak and the Green Garden. The reserve was created to protect and preserve in its former form the unique salt lake Baskunchak and Mount Bolshoye Bogdo, highest point On its territory there are many unique species listed in the Red Book. For example, the steppe and curly pelican. There are 22 species of such birds in the reserve. 47 species of animals are also protected and a large number of plants.
Fishing
Fishing in the Volga River delta is allowed only within special bases. It is worth noting that there are a great many of them. Representatives of some meet the guest in Astrakhan, at the airport or train station, and from there they are taken to the territory. After the end of the tour, they are taken back to the city. Each guest's personal catch is offered to be smoked and given to him as a treat. Such services are provided, in particular, by the Delta-Volga fishing and hunting base. There are about fifty such places in total. Most of them are located in the Kamyzyak region.
Bases for anglers
Experienced fishing enthusiasts prefer to settle down on fishing complexes. As a rule, the main choice is the local base. The Volga Delta is located very close to it. This is mainly due to two things. First, the water lowland is included in nature reserve. Secondly, a special permit is required to stay there. A similar document is automatically issued to all visitors fishing base. While the "savages" get it with great difficulty. Also, when choosing a fishing base, we can say that fishermen are served there by well-trained huntsmen who know the area very well. They will help you choose the best place so that visitors get the most out of spending time with a fishing rod in their hands.
When is the best time to fish?
Fishing in the Volga delta is most successful in the lower reaches of the reservoir, mainly in spring or autumn. At this time, the most suitable weather for long and comfortable fishing. Moreover, the months that are better to choose for a trip are March-April or September-October. Why these particular dates? They were chosen due to the fact that at the end of April the water is already beginning to become cloudy, which negatively affects the bite. Spawning also begins, during which the huge ones pass through the delta. And predators are not up to bait. And in May, fishermen will begin to pester a myriad of midges, which can make any stay in nature almost unbearable.
Thus, in order to have a good time, it is better to book in advance the base you like for March or September and enjoy great views and an excellent catch in the delta of the Volga River.
It flows through the European part of the country, and its mouth is located in the Caspian Sea. Officially, it is believed that the length of the Volga is 3,530 km. But if we add some more reservoirs to this figure, it turns out that the length of the queen of Russian rivers will be 3,692 km. Volga is longest river throughout Europe.
The area of its basin is 1 million 380 thousand square meters. km. Interestingly, there are already mentions of the Volga in the writings of the ancient Greek scientist Ptolemy. He calls it "Ra" in his studies. And the Arabs once called the Volga the word "Itil", which means "river".
Burlaki and Volga
For all times, the Volga entered history due to the use of heavy barge work. It was necessary only at a time when the movement of ships turned out to be impossible against its current, that is, during floods. During the day, the burlatskaya artel could travel up to ten kilometers. And the total number of working barge haulers for the entire season could reach six hundred.
Sources of the great river
The river originates at Not far from the village of Volgoverkhovye, several springs spring from the ground. One of these springs is recognized as the source of the great Volga. This spring is surrounded by a chapel. All springs in this area flow into a small lake, from which, in turn, flows a stream no more than a meter wide. The depth of the Volga (if we conditionally designate this stream as the beginning of a great river) here is only 25-30 cm.
It is believed that the Volga exists mainly due to snow. About 60% of all its nutrition is due to melting snow. Another third of the Volga is provided groundwater. And rain food accounts for only 10%.
Upper Volga: depth and other characteristics
Moving further, the stream becomes wider and then flows into a lake called Sterzh. Its length is 12 km, width - 1.5 km. A total area is 18 km². The rod is part of the Upper Volga reservoir, the total length of which is 85 km. And already behind the reservoir begins called the Upper. The depth of the Volga here averages from 1.5 to 2.1 m.
The Volga, like most other rivers, is conditionally divided into three parts - the Upper, Middle and Lower. First Big city on the way of this river - Rzhev. It is followed by ancient city Tver. The Ivankovskoye reservoir, which stretches for 146 km, is located in this area. In its area, the depth of the river also increases to 23 m. The Volga in the Tver region stretches for 685 km.
There is a section of the river in the Moscow region, but on this territory it occupies no more than 9 km. Not far from it is the city of Dubna. And next to the Ivankovskaya dam, its largest tributary in the Moscow region, the eponymous one, also flows into the Volga. Here, in the 30s of the 20th century, a canal named after. Moscow, connecting the Moscow River and the Ivankovskoye reservoir, the waters of which are indispensable for the economy of the capital.
Further downstream is located. Its length is 146 km. The depth of the Volga Uglich reservoir- 5 meters. which is the most northern point Volga, has a depth of 5.6 m. Behind it, the river changes its direction from northeast to southeast.
The depth of the Volga and other indicators in the middle and lower sections
The section of the Middle Volga begins at the point where the Oka, the largest right tributary of the river, flows into it. At this place stands Nizhny Novgorod- one of the largest settlements Russia. The width and depth of the Volga are as follows:
- the channel width is from 600 m to 2 km;
- maximum depth - about 2 m.
After the confluence with the Oka, the Volga becomes more and more wide. Near Cheboksary, the great river meets an obstacle - the Cheboksary hydroelectric power station. The length of the Cheboksary reservoir is 341 m, the width is about 16 km. Its greatest depth is 35 m, the average - 6 m. And the river becomes even larger and more powerful when the Kama River flows into it.
From this point begins a section of the Lower Volga, and now it flows into the Caspian Sea. Even further upstream, after the Volga goes around the Togliatti mountains, the largest of all its reservoirs, the Kuibyshevskoye, is located. Its length is 500 m, width - 40 km, and depth - 8 m.
What is the depth of the Volga in its delta? Features of the great river delta
The length of the delta near the Caspian Sea is about 160 km. Width - about 40 km. About 500 canals and small rivers are included in the delta. It is believed that the mouth of the Volga is the largest in all of Europe. Here you can meet unique representatives of the animal and plant world - pelicans, flamingos, and even see a lotus. Here it is already difficult to talk about such a parameter as the depth of the Volga. Max Depth rivers in its delta is, according to various estimates, up to 2.5 m. The minimum is 1-1.7 m.
In size, this section of the Volga surpasses even the deltas of such rivers as the Terek, Kuban, Rhine and Maas. He, like the river itself, played a very important role in the formation of the first settlements in these territories. There were trade routes that connected Lower Volga with Persia and other Arab countries. The tribes of the Khazars and Polovtsy settled here. Presumably in the 13th century. here for the first time appeared a Tatar settlement called Ashtarkhan, which eventually became the beginning of Astrakhan.
What is unusual about the Volga Delta
The peculiarity of the Volga delta is that, unlike other deltas, it is not a sea, but a lake. After all, the Caspian Sea is inherently big lake, because it is not connected to the oceans. The Caspian is called the sea only because of its impressive size, which makes it look like a sea.
The Volga flows through the territory of 15 subjects Russian Federation and is one of the most important water arteries for industry, shipping, energy and other important areas of the state.
