Volga River

Introduction
Physical features
- Physiography
- Hydrology
- Climate
The economy
- Dams and reservoirs
- Navigation
- Environmental changes
Study and exploration

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

The Dnieper, Don, and Volga river basins and their drainage network.

A large cargo barge travels along the Volga-Don Canal in southwestern Russia, with a steel arch bridge and lock structure visible in the background.

At a Glance

Rybinsk Reservoir on the upper Volga River, northwestern Russia.

Volga River summary

Quizzes

Tower Bridge over the Thames River in London, England. Opened in 1894. Remains an Important Traffic Route with 40,000 Crossings Every Day.

Guess the City by Its River Quiz

water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)

Water and its Varying Forms

Related Questions

How did Russian navigators survey the Volga River in the late 1700s?
How did reservoirs change the natural water-level changes of the Volga River?
How do groundwater and rain contribute to the Volga River’s flow?
How do reservoirs affect ice conditions on the Volga River?
How does the Akhtuba River reach the Caspian Sea?
How does the Moscow Canal connect Moscow to the Volga River waterway system?
How does the Volga-Baltic Waterway connect the Volga River to the Baltic Sea?
How does the Volga-Don Canal connect the Volga River to the Sea of Azov?
How does the Volga River change after the Kama River joins it?
How does the Volga River’s flow increase between Tver and its mouth?
How does the climate change from the upper Volga River to Astrakhan?
How far above sea level is the source of the Volga River?
How far below sea level is the mouth of the Volga River?
How has water diversion from the Volga River contributed to changes in the Caspian Sea level?
How have dams affected beluga sturgeon in the Volga River?
How have dams changed the Volga River and the Kama River?
How have industrial pollution and agricultural runoff affected Volga River fisheries?
How is the Volga River divided into upper, middle, and lower sections?
How large is the Volga River basin?
How large is the Volga River delta?
How long is the Volga River?
How many hydroelectric stations were built on the Volga River?
How many tributaries flow into the Volga River?
What cargoes were transported on the Volga River?
What kinds of landscapes occur from the upper Volga River to the Caspian Sea?
What percentage of the Volga River’s water comes from melting snow?
What role did Volzhsky play in the construction of a Volga River hydroelectric station?
When does ice break up on the Volga River near Astrakhan?
When does the Volga River usually freeze in its upper reaches?
Where does the Akhtuba branch away from the Volga River?
Where does the Kama River join the Volga River?
Where does the Volga River begin?
Where does the Volga River empty?
Which branches make up the Volga River delta?
Which parts of European Russia are drained by the Volga River basin?
Which smaller tributaries enter the Volga River between the Samara Bend and Volgograd?
Which tributaries enter the Volga River between Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan?
Which tributary is the largest tributary of the Volga River?
Which waterways connect the Volga River to the White Sea?
Who first measured the flow of the Volga River near Kamyshin?
Why did the Volga River have major spring floods before reservoirs were built?
Why does the Volga River lose water below Volgograd?
Why has caviar-producing sturgeon breeding shifted to artificial methods in the Caspian region?
Why has the Volga River been important for transportation in Russia?
Why is the Volga River considered the longest river in Europe?
Why is the Volga River important to Russia?
Why were locks built at Volga River reservoir complexes?
Where does the Yenisey River begin and end?
What animals live in the Yenisey River?
Where does the water for the Yenisey River come from?
Who won the Battle of Stalingrad?
When was the turning point of the Battle of Stalingrad?
Where did the Ottoman Empire start?
How did the Ottoman Empire start?
Why was the Ottoman Empire called “the sick man of Europe”?
How did the Ottoman Empire end?
What happened to Russia after the Soviet Union dissolved?

Geography & Travel Physical Geography of Water Rivers & Canals

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External Websites

University of Glasgow - The Origins of Russian Scenery: Volga River Tourism and Russian Landscape Aesthetics (PDF)

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Volga River - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Volga River - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Volga River

river, Russia

Also known as: Etil, Itil, Ra, Reka Volga

Written by

Philip P. Micklin

Professor of Geography, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo.

Philip P. MicklinAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Sep. 20, 2026 •History

Volga River, river of Europe, the continent’s longest, and the principal waterway of western Russia and the historic cradle of the Russian state. Its basin, sprawling across about two-fifths of the European part of Russia, contains almost half of the entire population of the Russian Republic. The Volga’s immense economic, cultural, and historic importance—along with the sheer size of the river and its basin—ranks it among the world’s great rivers. Rising in the Valdai Hills...

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