The Volga basin occupies a third of the area of ​​the European part of Russia. It is home to 59.6 million people, that is, more than 40% of the population of the Russian Federation. About 50% of its industrial and more than 40% of agricultural products are produced here. The Volga and its tributaries account for over 70% of the cargo turnover of Russian river transport. In the Volga basin, more than half of the fish catch in the inland waters of our country is caught (including 90% of sturgeons). Even these figures alone show the great importance of the Volga basin for the Russian Federation.

The reverent attitude towards the Volga has deep historical roots. In ancient times, it was called Ra, which means "generous", as well as Itil - "river of rivers". They also called her a saint and a mother.

Until the 30s. of our century, the Volga was practically used only as a transport route and a fishing basin. The main organic shortcomings of the Volga trade route for many centuries were the lack of water connections with the World Ocean and the gradation of the depths. The first shortcoming was once tried to be overcome by the organization of portages. But only very small ships could be dragged across the watersheds. Peter I organized work to connect the Volga with the Don and the Baltic Sea. However, due to the lack of equipment that corresponded to the scale of the work, the efforts expended to connect the Volga with the Don were not crowned with success. The fate of the work on the Upper Volga was different. In 1703, they began and in 1709 completed the construction of the Vyshnevolotsk system. Through the rivers Tvertsa, Tsna, Meta, Volkhov, Lake Ladoga and Niva, goods transported along the Volga got access to the Baltic Sea. The limited capacity of this water system made it necessary to look for other ways of developing water links between the Volga basin and the Baltic.

In 1810, the Mariinsky water system came into operation, connecting the Volga with the Baltic through the rivers Sheksna, Vyterga, Lake Onega, the river. Svir, Lake Ladoga and the Neva, and in 1811 - the Tikhvin water system, which did the same through the rivers Mologa, Chagodoma, Syas and the Ladoga Canal.

In 1828, the construction of the Württemberg (North-Dvinsk) system was completed, connecting the Volga basin through the Sheken River, Toporninsky Canal, Siverskoye and Kubenskoye Lakes with the river. Sukhona, Northern Dvina and the White Sea.

In the first half of the XIX century. work began to actively develop and to overcome another major drawback of the Volga transport route - the gradation of the depths.

Along with shipping, fishing has been of great importance in the Volga basin since ancient times. The Volga has always been abundant in non-water, semi-anadromous and anadromous fish. Sharp fluctuations in catches in the Volga basin were also noted in those times when the impact of human economic activity was practically insignificant.

Mills were built on small tributaries of the Volga even in pre-Petrine times. During the time of Peter I, the energy of water began to be used for metallurgical plants created in the Urals.

At the end of the XIX-beginning of the XX century. it became clear that the exceptionally favorable position of the Volga in the very center of the European part of Russia, the richest land, water and mineral resources, the huge fish wealth of the Volga basin, the availability of qualified workers in the industrial regions - Moscow, Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Ural - cannot be used in fully without developing a proper energy base.

Many people ask how people influence the Volga River. Before answering it, let's figure out what the Volga is and how it is used. This is one of the largest rivers in Russia and the largest river in Europe. It flows through the east of the European territory of Russia from north to south. The river has been actively used and is used for navigation, fishing, hydropower and recreational activities. The economic load on this river is very high, which leads to pollution and depletion of fish stocks. Only drastic measures can change the situation.

How Volga is used

The Volga River has been used for various human needs since ancient times. Previously, it was the most important transport artery, through which goods and food were transported. Fisheries also flourished. During the Soviet period, the Volga found another use - as a source of renewable electricity. For this, a whole cascade of hydroelectric power stations was built on it. At present, human use of the Volga River is also great. It is also actively used for recreational tourism. Many come to the banks of the Volga to relax and go fishing.

The value of the Volga River for a person

The Volga is a very significant river. In its lower reaches, unique large delta ecosystems are formed, which are called floodplains. There you can find a large number of aquatic and marsh plants and animals, a lot of fish. And all this in the middle of endless steppes and semi-deserts.

The Volga provides great opportunities for the development of the river fleet and recreational tourism. Its fish stocks are also significant. The waters can be and are being used for irrigation and power generation. The Volga is a kind of core of the entire Volga region. Cities were built on it, which became the administrative centers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

The importance of the Volga also lies in the fact that it supplies water to the Caspian Sea, maintaining a balance between water inflow and evaporation, as a result of which the water level in the Caspian Sea does not fall. If in the future, due to global warming, the climate in the river basin dries up (and its first signs are already there), then the Volga may become shallow, and the remaining water will go to irrigate drought-dried farmlands. In this case, the Caspian Sea will experience a strong shallowing, and, in the end, it may repeat the fate of the Aral Sea, which will lead to negative and unpredictable environmental consequences.

How do people influence the Volga River

The Volga flows through a fairly populated area with a large number of industrial cities and agricultural land. Therefore, the negative environmental impact on the river is very high. Naturally, the further downstream, the higher the water pollution. Pollution affects the abundance of fish and its quality.

Another significant negative factor is the massive catch of fish for the purpose of its industrial processing. According to the head of the information department of the fishing agency, Alexander Savelyev, massive fishing leads to the depletion of the already disturbed populations of commercial fish. He also noted that, along with industrial fishing, poaching and other violations of fishing legislation take place. Most of all bream, pike, zander and carp are caught.

Another problem is violation of fishing regulations. A large number of abandoned nets become a trap for fish and other aquatic animals. Thus, people influence the Volga River, as a rule, very negatively and significantly.

Volga security

To the question of what people are doing to protect the Volga River, it is impossible to give a clear and itemized answer. Since systemic measures in this direction are practically not taken. There are separate measures in separate administrative entities. So, in Tatarstan, Chuvashia and the Samara region, a ban on mass fishing was introduced. Similar measures can be introduced in the Ulyanovsk region.

The Fisheries Agency proposes to introduce such a ban along the entire length of the Volga. This could enable fish to breed and replenish river stocks. In some places, its breeding is practiced for subsequent release into a natural reservoir.

Conclusion

In this article, we considered the question of how people influence the Volga River. We also slightly touched on the topic of the use of this river by man. And of course, we tried to answer the question of what people are doing to protect the Volga River.

The Volga is the largest and deepest river in Europe. It ranks sixteenth among the longest rivers on the planet. The Volga was first mentioned in the works of Ptolemy under the name Ra, later it was called Itil. This river played an important role in the relations between the Slavic, Finnish and Turkic peoples.

Geographical characteristic

To date, the length of the Volga is 3530 km, the basin area is 1360 square km. Covering a huge area of ​​Russia, it flows into the Caspian Sea, connects with three more seas: the Black and Azov Seas, flowing through the Volga-Don Canal; the Baltic Sea through the Volga-Baltic waterway; and the White Sea, flowing through the Severodvinsk river network and the White Sea-Baltic Canal.

The Volga originates on the territory of the Valdai Upland, fed from a small stream at an altitude of 228 m above sea level. Its rather slow course is due to several factors:

• the width of the channel reaches 2500 m;
• the height of the mouth of the river - below sea level by 28 m;
• the average current speed does not exceed 1 m / s (2-6 km per hour);
• slope - 256 meters, fall - 0.07%;

Despite its area, the river itself is quite shallow: its maximum depth is only 18 meters, the average one varies from 8 to 11 meters. The full-flowing Volga is fed from three sources: melted water, groundwater, and rain. Melt water accounts for 60% of nutrition, groundwater - 30% (support the river in winter), rain - 10% (mainly in summer). From the source to the territory of Saratov, the Volga is fed by 200 tributaries, but starting from the Saratov region and all the way to the Caspian Sea, it flows without the support of other water bodies.

The main direction of the water artery is east, despite the sufficient sinuosity of the channel, the river retains its direction until it meets the Ural Mountains. At Kazan, it turns sharply to the south, at Samara it breaks through numerous hills, forming the so-called Samara bow. At the mouth of the Caspian Sea, it spills into dozens of full-flowing branches.

The spring flood begins in April, is characterized by a rather sharp rise in water level, and ends in June. At this time, the Volga floods for 10 km, and in the lower reaches of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, the flood reaches 30 km. A slight increase in the water level is also typical for the autumn season during the flood period. The rest of the time, the river is quite homogeneous: in the summer months due to the high temperature, in the winter months - thanks to the only source of food - groundwater.

In winter, almost the entire Volga is covered with ice, this is due to the geographical features of each region and the slow water flow. In the period from November to March, almost the entire surface of the river is covered with a dense layer of ice. Only near Astrakhan the ball of ice does not cover the water surface, here the most active ice drift was recorded during the spring melting of ice.

All currents of the Volga are divided into 3 parts:

• Upper Volga (from the source to the confluence of the Oka River). There are four reservoirs along the entire length of this section. The most full-flowing tributaries of the upper part of the river are Mologa, Selizharovka, Unzha, Tvertsa.
• The Middle Volga is a full-flowing part of the reservoir, some sections are characterized by a width of up to 2 km, especially near the city of Cheboksary. The main tributaries of this section are the rivers Sura, Vetluga, Sviyaga, Oka.
• The Lower Volga begins after the confluence of the Kama. Near the city of Togliatti, the largest reservoir in Russia, the Kuibyshevskoye, was built. The main tributaries (not full-flowing) are the rivers Samara, Big Irgiz, Eruslan, Sok.

Tributaries of the Volga

Among the 200 tributaries flowing into the river, the largest are the Kama and Oka, other smaller ones include: Medveditsa, Tvertsa, Unzha, Sura, Kerzhenets, etc. There are still disputes regarding the accuracy of the classification of the Kama as a tributary of the Volga, for several reasons . Firstly, the Kama was formed much earlier than the Volga. Secondly, the number of tributaries of the Kama exceeds the number of rivers feeding the Volga. Thirdly, the area of ​​the Kama water basin is several times larger than the area of ​​the Volga. Considering that all the characteristics of the Volga are inferior to those of the Kama, some geographers propose to classify the Volga as a tributary of the Kama.

The Kama is a left tributary of the Volga. The length of the river is 2030 kilometers, the coverage area is 522 thousand square kilometers. The river originates in the northern part of the High Trans-Volga region, within the Upper Kama plateau. Initially, the river flows to the north, then sharply at a right angle turns to the east and, having reached the foothills of the Urals, turns to the south. On the map, the upper channel of the river is a giant loop with a length of more than 2000 km, while the distance from the source to the mouth in a straight line is only 475 km. This form of flow is due to the period of formation of the river during icing, which greatly affected the river channels of this region.

It should be noted that the Kama is a flat river, its slope is slightly higher than the Volga - 0.11%. In sections of the upper reaches, the river is shallow, only after replenishment with the waters of the Vishera, it becomes full-flowing and flows until the confluence of the next tributary in a deep valley with relatively high banks. The water system of the Kama is one of the most difficult among the water arteries of Russia due to the regular replenishment of the water supply from mountain tributaries, which affects the increased frequency of floods and the manifestation of instability in the annual water level. Also, the water reserve is replenished due to melt water (more than 50%), groundwater and rainwater.

The Oka is a right tributary of the Volga. Its length is 1498 km, the basin area is 245 thousand square kilometers. It is one of the lowland rivers and forms many branches and oxbow lakes throughout its course, which is a plus for many anglers. The source of the river is located in the Orel region in the village of Aleksandrovka - a small spring, then the channel passes through the Central Russian Upland. The upper channel is narrow with a large slope, further expanding under the influence of inflowing tributaries from 15 regions of Russia. The main tributaries of the waterway are Protva, Moscow, Ugra, Moksha, Zhizdra and more than a hundred small rivers. The average depth of the river is 3 meters, the maximum width of the channel is 400 meters. During spring floods, the water level rises to 8-10 meters. The most frequent and rather high floods are observed in summer and autumn, which is explained by the structural features of the river basin. Basically, the water supply of the Oka comes from melt water. The freezing period lasts from December to early April. In the region of Nizhny Novgorod, the Oka flows into the Volga.

The role of the Volga in the life of the country

The Volga plays an important role in the life of Russia, as a transport route for easy movement between the cities of the Volga region and beyond. No less important is the contribution to the sphere of fishing and tourism, however, today a high level of pollution of the waterway has been recorded, which in the future can fundamentally change the life of not only coastal areas, but also large cities. The impact on the country's economy is expressed primarily with the possibility of access to the sea and established sea routes. The economic parties of Russia in which the Volga participates include:

• Hydro stations and reservoirs. Starting from the 30s of the last century, hydroelectric power stations began to be actively built on all the channels of the Volga. To date, 9 hydroelectric power stations operate in the riverbeds, which provide 40% of the electricity of all of Russia.
• The industrial complex of the Volga basin makes up 45% of the entire Russian one. Of these, 90% - auto production, 75% - the manufacture of steel pipes, 70% - oil products, 60% - oil production.
• The agricultural complex covers more than half of the all-Russian. This includes catching fish (20%) for the food industry. The cultivation of grain crops is located in the middle Volga region, in the lower part of the river, the cultivation of horticultural and horticultural crops is especially widespread.
• The logging complex and the production of lumber are concentrated in the upper part of the Volga. As a water transport artery, the Volga is an important object for the development of the economy and trade in particular. So, upstream ships transport oil and oil products, salt, metal, food products, cement and gravel. Logging and lumber, industrial raw materials and finished products are usually transported down.

The Volga occupies a special place in the field of tourism. In particular, such areas as fishing, diving and cruises are developed. Increasingly popular, the so-called rest on - land near the river, prepared for the construction of estates for recreation on the river.

Fishing on the Volga is possible at any time of the year. The usual catch for a fisherman is catfish, walleye, perch and bream. For summer fishing, a fishing rod will be enough; in winter, ice fishing is especially relevant.

Diving offers the city of Volgograd, where there are a large number of diving centers. Despite the outdated technical base, sailing on motor ships on

The Volga and its tributaries is a fairly common practice. Only more than 30 routes run from Moscow to other regions.

Land plots near the river: Volga and tributaries

Another great opportunity that the Volga and its tributaries give is to relax in your own home among an incredibly rich and perfect nature. Recently, the purchase of land for the construction of estates and villas has become more and more relevant. Land plots on the Volga are, first of all, prestige, since almost all landscaped lands are located on the first line, which fundamentally affects the cost. In this case, there is the possibility of arranging your own berth and many other amenities.

Compared to land on the Volga itself, building plots near tributaries are a fairly profitable investment. And that's why:

• Relatively close location to settlements, which guarantees a sufficiently developed infrastructure. The absence of a large crowd of people and tourists, in contrast to the well-known areas on the Volga.
• Democratic prices. For example, land plots on the Medveditsa River (15 km downstream to the Volga) 20 meters from the water are offered at an average price of $2,500 per hundred square meters, on the Volga itself from $3,500. Benefits from the acquisition of the site - in the future. Since recently there has been an increased interest in acquiring land in the countryside, the price of land near the Volga will increase, which will also affect the cost of plots on tributaries. In view of the lack of potentially comfortable areas near the Volga (directly by the river), many will begin to pay attention to the more distant and free lands of various tributaries of the water artery, which will automatically raise their cost at times.
• Comfortable rest. The opportunity to choose the right place is guaranteed by a large number of profitable offers. Thus, for secluded recreation, you can choose remote areas with a minimum number of passing ships or a closer location with increased activity and more developed infrastructure.
• Design project. The lower cost of the plots opens up the opportunity to create your own project with the maximum number of amenities, taking into account the wishes, using the saved funds.
• Recovery. The maximum remoteness from highways and the life of the metropolis guarantees the freshness and purity of nature. The scenery and the possibility of unhindered fishing and hunting means a quality holiday for the whole family. Regardless of the age of vacationers in such a place there is something for everyone, from exploring the territory to deep sea fishing.
• Perspectives. With the right investment and a competent approach, the land near the river will bring a stable income. For example, building an eco-base for outdoor recreation or promoting eco-tourism are some of the many options that can bring profitable profits.

The Volga is the main artery of the Volga region, which has formed the location of the country's major cities, has a huge impact on the economy and is directly involved in the life of Russia. Due to the rich flora and fauna, it is of interest for the tourism sector, including for the development of land. The acquisition of land on the Volga and its tributaries is a profitable investment not only in your own comfort, but also in the development of your own business.

II. Volga: its importance for Russia, problems, solutions

2.1. Meaning

The Volga basin occupies a third of the area of ​​the European part of Russia. It is home to 59.6 million people, that is, more than 40% of the population of the Russian Federation. About 50% of its industrial and more than 40% of agricultural products are produced here. The Volga and its tributaries account for over 70% of the cargo turnover of Russian river transport. In the Volga basin, more than half of the fish catch in the inland waters of our country is caught (including 90% of sturgeons). Even these figures alone show the great importance of the Volga basin for the Russian Federation.

The reverent attitude towards the Volga has deep historical roots. In ancient times, it was called Ra, which means "generous", as well as Itil - "river of rivers". They also called her a saint and a mother.

Until the 30s. of our century, the Volga was practically used only as a transport route and a fishing basin. The main organic shortcomings of the Volga trade route for many centuries were the lack of water connections with the World Ocean and the gradation of the depths. The first shortcoming was once tried to be overcome by the organization of portages. But only very small ships could be dragged across the watersheds. Peter I organized work to connect the Volga with the Don and the Baltic Sea. However, due to the lack of equipment that corresponded to the scale of the work, the efforts expended to connect the Volga with the Don were not crowned with success. The fate of the work on the Upper Volga was different. In 1703, they began and in 1709 completed the construction of the Vyshnevolotsk system. Through the rivers Tvertsa, Tsna, Meta, Volkhov, Lake Ladoga and Niva, goods transported along the Volga got access to the Baltic Sea. The limited capacity of this water system made it necessary to look for other ways of developing water links between the Volga basin and the Baltic.

In 1810, the Mariinsky water system came into operation, connecting the Volga with the Baltic through the rivers Sheksna, Vyterga, Lake Onega, the river. Svir, Lake Ladoga and the Neva, and in 1811 - the Tikhvin water system, which did the same through the rivers Mologa, Chagodoma, Syas and the Ladoga Canal.

In 1828, the construction of the Württemberg (North-Dvinsk) system was completed, connecting the Volga basin through the Sheken River, Toporninsky Canal, Siverskoye and Kubenskoye Lakes with the river. Sukhona, Northern Dvina and the White Sea.

In the first half of the XIX century. work began to actively develop and to overcome another major drawback of the Volga transport route - the gradation of the depths.

Along with shipping, fishing has been of great importance in the Volga basin since ancient times. The Volga has always been abundant in non-water, semi-anadromous and anadromous fish. Sharp fluctuations in catches in the Volga basin were also noted in those times when the impact of human economic activity was practically insignificant.

Mills were built on small tributaries of the Volga even in pre-Petrine times. During the time of Peter I, the energy of water began to be used for metallurgical plants created in the Urals.

At the end of the XIX-beginning of the XX century. it became clear that the exceptionally favorable position of the Volga in the very center of the European part of Russia, the richest land, water and mineral resources, the huge fish wealth of the Volga basin, the availability of qualified workers in the industrial regions - Moscow, Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Ural - cannot be used in fully without developing a proper energy base.

2.2. Problems

The problem of the "Great Volga" was interpreted as irrigation, transport and energy.

The main national economic tasks were:

providing electricity to the rapidly developing economy of the Central, Volga and Ural economic regions,

reconstruction of the Volga-Kama water transport main, the largest in Russia, and the creation on its basis of the Unified Water Transport System of the European part of the country,

water supply and irrigation of Moscow and other industrial areas,

development of land irrigation in the Trans-Volga region and the Caspian lowland.

Unfortunately, in the course of further designing, many negative environmental consequences of the reconstruction of the Volga basin were not studied, and, accordingly, taken into account. In some cases, there was not even a qualitative assessment of the possible impacts of hydrotechnical construction on the environment. The opinion of the largest scientists-geographers, ichthyologists, biologists L.S. Berg, N.M. Knipovich, N.I. Vavilov, A.A. Richter and others, who paid attention to the inadmissibility of building hydropower facilities on the Lower Volga, were not taken into account. This gave rise to many environmental problems in the future.

2.3. Solutions

On the example of the Volga, we see that nature is turning from the background of historical events into an acting character in a human tragedy. In the past, the results of the impact of human activity on the natural environment became noticeable only in the life span of many generations. Now, as we see it in the example of the Volga, - during the life of one generation. There is no doubt that humanity can end its earthly existence very soon if it does not find new ways of interacting with nature and influencing itself as soon as possible. Therefore, the environmental imperative, as rightly noted by N.N. Moiseev, requires a moral imperative.

To include a person in the natural cycles of the biosphere, it is necessary, according to some scientists, to reduce the anthropogenic load on the biosphere by about 10 times. This is absolutely unrealistic, since with the current technology it will require a reduction in the same number of human needs or a reduction in the number of inhabitants of the planet. The most acceptable way out of this situation is the immediate development and implementation of a transitional program, changes in the relationship between society and the environment. This requires not only technical and technological re-equipment, but also the establishment of a new morality in the minds of people.

I believe that the implementation of the proposed concept for the use of inland waters will make it possible to take a significant step towards more efficient use of water, land, biological, recreational and energy resources and significantly reduce the burden on the biosphere. The lands of 8 republics and 29 regions are located in the Volga basin, as well as the capital of Russia, Moscow, so the rational use of its water, land, biological, mineral, recreational and energy resources can only be carried out by coordinating water protection and water management activities. That is why now they attach great importance to the scientific support of the Volga Basin Agreement, which will contribute to the implementation of many organizational, design, technological, economic and other measures that ensure rational water and nature management in the basin of the great river of Russia.

Conclusion

Whether we like it or not, we are forced to admit that humanity can have a future only if it finds ways to be in balance with the biosphere.

For this, a person is obliged, in the words of Academician N.N. Moiseev, to live within the framework of a certain ecological imperative, since it cannot exist outside the biosphere. Therefore, a person must fit into the framework that is established by nature itself.

It must be remembered that the degree of human impact on the environment must be strictly limited and controlled, since humanity has come to the threshold of what is acceptable.

Bibliography

The Caspian - the present and the future (abstracts) / Under the general editorship of Chuikov Yu.S. - Astrakhan, 1995. - 317 p.

Vernadsky V.I. Chemical structure of the Earth's biosphere and its environment. - M.: "Nauka", 1987. - 339 p.

Kurazhkovsky Yu.N. Introduction to ecology and nature management. - Rostov-on-Don, 1990. -157 p.

Chuikova L.Yu. General ecology: Textbook on ecology / Under the general editorship of Yu.S. Chuikov. - Astrakhan: Publishing house ITA "Interpress", 1996. -224 p.

Ecology of the Astrakhan region (information collection), issue 3. Astrakhan, 1994. -78 p.

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The Volga is the largest river in European Russia. It flows along its eastern part, mainly from north to south. It flows into the northern part of the Caspian Sea, forming a lowland. It is the longest river in Europe and one of the largest in the world. The total length of the Volga is 3530 km. There are 4 million-plus cities along its banks: Kazan, Samara, Volgograd, Nizhny Novgorod. Human use of the Volga River is quite versatile.

The history of the development of this huge river goes back many centuries. During the period of Soviet power, human use of the Volga River reached its maximum. In particular, eight hydroelectric power plants were built on the river. The river is also important for fishing and recreational fishing. Thus, human use of the Volga River is important in economic terms.

The value of the Volga

The waters of the Volga flow through 15 administrative regions of Russia. This river is connected by canals to the basins of the Baltic, White, Black and Azov seas. In the northern part of the Volga region (upper Volga), forests grow and forestry is developed. The rest of the Volga basin is steppe and forest-steppe regions occupied by agricultural land. In the northeastern part of the Volga basin, which belongs to the Cis-Urals, there are significant oil and gas reserves. There are also accumulations of potassium salts. In the lower Volga region there are deposits of table salt. Human use of the Volga River has a long history and is now developed in many directions.

The Volga is a navigable river and has great hydropower potential. A large number of fish species (70 species, including 40 commercial ones) live in the waters of the river.

Fishing on the Volga

The most important commercial fish species on the Volga are: bream, carp, pike perch, catfish, pike, sterlet, sturgeon. The best conditions for fishing are spring. In second place is autumn. And in winter, the chances of catching are the least. Previously, there were entire fish processing enterprises along the banks of the Volga. The length of the caught sturgeons reached 4 meters. One fish could contain up to 200 kg of caviar. However, starting from the end of the 19th century, the depletion of fish stocks began. It accelerated with the pollution of river water with hydrocarbons. Now massive fishing and water pollution have already led to a sharp depletion of the fish stocks of this mighty river.

Shipping on the Volga

The development of shipping began a very long time ago. In the 8th century, the famous Volga trade route arose. In the 1810s, steamboats began to ply along the river. A developed passenger fleet appeared on this river in the middle of the 20th century. River ports were considered the largest in Europe. The construction of giant reservoirs has limited the movement of small boats, which are sensitive to waves. On some Volga reservoirs, the wave height can sometimes reach one and a half meters.

Various products are transported along the Volga. Salt, oil and its products, coal, cement, metals, fish, vegetables, gravel, food and goods are transported upstream, and timber, coal, lumber, metals, oil and oil products, building materials, and mineral raw materials are transported downstream.

Tourism on the Volga

The most common type of tourism is cruise routes. The duration of one cruise can be from several days to one month. Along the way, tourists get acquainted with the cities and other objects located along the river. Usually cruises are made in the warm season. On one of the tributaries of the Volga, the Kama River, sailing competitions are organized every year.

The Volga Delta (floods) is a rather unique object and at the same time a favorite place for fishermen. Documentary films about nature are also filmed here.

Thus, the economic use of the Volga River is quite diverse and large. However, there are also environmental problems. In this regard, the possibilities of using the Volga River in the future will depend on how well thought out the policy in the field of nature management is.