Volga

Volga (Волга)
The Volga at Ulyanovsk
Country	Russia
Tributaries
- left	Kama
- right	Oka
Cities	Astrakhan, Volgograd, Saratov, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Tver
Source
- location	Valdai Hills, Tver Oblast
- elevation	225 m (738 ft)
- coordinates	57°9′N 32°36′E / 57.150°N 32.600°E / 57.150; 32.600
Mouth	Caspian Sea
- elevation	−28 m (−92 ft)
- coordinates	45°50′N 47°58′E / 45.833°N 47.967°E / 45.833; 47.967Coordinates: 45°50′N 47°58′E / 45.833°N 47.967°E / 45.833; 47.967
Length	3,692 km (2,294 mi)
Basin	1,380,000 km2 (532,821 sq mi)
Discharge	for Astrakhan
- average	8,060 m3/s (284,636 cu ft/s)
Map of the Volga watershed

The Volga (Russian: Во́лга; IPA: [ˈvolɡə]) is the longest river in Europe. It is also Europe's largest river in terms of discharge and watershed. The river flows through central Russia and into the Caspian Sea, and is widely regarded as the national river of Russia.

Eleven of the twenty largest cities of Russia, including the capital, Moscow, are located in the Volga's watershed.

Some of the largest reservoirs in the world can be found along the Volga. The river has a symbolic meaning in Russian culture and is often referred to as Волга-матушка Volga-Matushka (Mother Volga) in Russian literature and folklore.

The Russian hydronym Volga (Волга) derives from Proto-Slavic *vòlga "wetness, moisture", which is preserved in many Slavic languages, including Ukrainian volóha (воло́га) "moisture", Russian vlaga (влага) "moisture", Bulgarian vlaga (влага) "moisture", Czech vláha "dampness", Serbian vlȁga "moisture", and Slovene vlaga "moisture" among others.