The Volga is the longest river entirely in Europe, flowing about 3,530 kilometres through Russia into the Caspian Sea.
It rises in the Valdai Hills northwest of Moscow and travels generally southward through European Russia. Along its course, the river passes or connects with important cities including Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara and Volgograd.
The Volga has major economic importance. Dams and reservoirs support hydroelectric power, navigation, irrigation and industry, while canals connect the river system with other seas. Its broad drainage basin covers a substantial part of western Russia.
The Danube is Europe’s second-longest river and crosses more countries than any other river, but it is shorter than the Volga. The Volga’s delta spreads into the northern Caspian Sea, one of the world’s largest inland bodies of water.