In the center of the East European Plain is the beautiful city of Nizhny Novgorod. The Volga and Oka rivers are the main water arteries of this region. All reservoirs belong to the Zavolzhye (northern part) and Pravoberezhye (right bank of the Volga) regions. They have many differences, which can be easily explained by the difference in soil and terrain features.
Exploring the city
In the central part of Russia there is a unique city that many still remember as Gorky. He bore this name for almost 60 years. Currently, the settlement has been renamed Nizhny Novgorod. The Oka and Volga rivers unite their waters in this place. 1221 is considered the year of its foundation.
This is a millionaire city: the population in 2016 was almost 1.3 million people. It occupies the 5th place in Russia in terms of the number of inhabitants. It was built on an area of about 450 sq. km. Mostly Russians live here (94%), there are also Tatars, Armenians, Ukrainians, Mordovians, etc., but they are much smaller(each nationality within 0.5-1.5%).
Currently, Nizhny Novgorod is a major industrial and cultural center of the Russian Federation. It is the main transport hub. Excellent development in the tourist direction.
Volga
So, the above information briefly describes the city of Nizhny Novgorod. The Volga River flows throughout the region for about 260 km. It divides this territory along the left bank into lowlands, and along the right bank into highlands, the height of which is 247 m above sea level. After the installation of the dam, the water level increased, thanks to which reservoirs were formed: in the northern part - Gorky, and in the south - Cheboksary.
This artery is divided into three parts: Upper, Middle and Lower. It is the Middle Volga that flows through the region and the main city of this region, which is called Nizhny Novgorod. The rivers here are quite full-flowing. The Volga bed has a width of 500 m to 1.5 km. In winter, the river is covered with a thick layer of ice (maximum up to 1 meter). This period lasts from December to April. And the flood begins in mid-spring and ends in early summer, most often in June. In the warm season, the water in the river warms up to +26 °C. Therefore, you can often meet vacationers on the shore. On the Volga in the Nizhny Novgorod region, closer to the regional city, there are several islands, which include the following: Kocherginsky, Krasavchik, Shchukobor, Teply, Barminsky, Podnovsky, Pechersky Sands. Settlements on the river: Balakhna, Gorodets, Bor, Chkalovsk and, of course, the mostbig - Nizhny Novgorod.
The rivers in this region are used not only for industrial and transport purposes, but also for tourism purposes. For tourists, various recreation centers, boarding houses, and hotels have been built on the Volga. Also, some visitors prefer to spend the night in tents on the coast. Tourist bases offer their visitors boat trips downstream and upstream.
Oka River
Oka is a river in Nizhny Novgorod. It is the largest tributary of the river. Volga. It was at the place of their confluence that the city was formed. And the famous Volga-Oka landscape has the name "Arrow". In addition to Nizhny Novgorod, the Oka flows through Pavlovsk, Bogorodsk, Navashino and Dzerzhinsk, which belong to the Nizhny Novgorod region. The width of the channel within the city is about 800 m, the speed of the current is 1 m/s, the banks are high. 6 bridges were built through it within the city.
The Oka River is flat. Since it flows through clay soils, its waters are more turbid. It feeds mainly on melted snow and falling precipitation. In winter, the Oka is covered with a thick layer of ice. The duration of freeze-up is about 5 months (similar to the Volga).
Rest on the Oka
In the Avtozavodsky district on the river there are equipped beaches, which are often visited by tourists. The remaining sites, unfortunately, are more industrially equipped. Also, this river is popular with amateur fishermen, because more than 20 species of fish live in it. These include: perch, bream, roach, ide, pike perch, burbot and others. There are more than enough conditions for fishing here, because on the Okathere are various spits, cliffs, rocky and clayey areas. And you can fish while on the shore or from a swimming facility.
Small rivers of Nizhny Novgorod
Besides the Volga and the Oka, which river in Nizhny Novgorod still deserves attention? Only local residents can quickly answer this question. Pochaina is a water stream, which was enclosed in stone pipes in the 19th century. It is a tributary of the Volga, the place of confluence is the right bank. It flows around the walls of the Kremlin. Now the only reminder of Pochaina remains in the name of the street and the ravine.
Also, there are many small water streams in the city. These are Levinka, Rzhavka, Gremyachaya, Stark, and a whole microdistrict is named after the Black River.
