The Volga is the great river of western Russia. It rises in low hills northwest of Moscow, winds south and east for about 3,500 kilometres past cities such as Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara and Volgograd, and empties into the Caspian Sea. It is the longest river in Europe and the largest by the amount of water it carries.

The Volga isthe Volga（伏爾加河）是 the great river of western Russia俄羅斯西部的大河。 It rises in low hills northwest of Moscow它發源自莫斯科西北方的低矮丘陵, winds south and east for about 3,500 kilometres向南向東蜿蜒大約3500公里 past cities such as Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara and Volgograd流經下諾夫哥羅德、喀山、薩馬拉、伏爾加格勒等城市, and empties into the Caspian Sea最後注入裏海。 It is the longest river in Europe它是歐洲最長的河流 and the largest by the amount of water it carries以水量來算也是最大的。

Two things make it worth knowing beyond geography class. First, it has been a working river for centuries — a trade route, a line of dams and reservoirs, a fishing ground famous for sturgeon and caviar — so "the Volga" often stands in for the Russian heartland the way the Mississippi does for America. Second, Russians call it Mother Volga, and it fills their folk songs, novels and paintings; the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the turning points of the Second World War, was fought on its bank at the city now called Volgograd.

Two things make it worth knowing beyond geography class除了地理課本知識外，有兩點值得多認識一下。 First, it has been a working river for centuries第一，它幾百年來一直是條被人使用的河流 — a trade route, a line of dams and reservoirs, a fishing ground famous for sturgeon and caviar是貿易路線，也有一連串水壩水庫，還是以鱘魚和魚子醬聞名的漁場 — so "the Volga" often stands in for the Russian heartland所以「the Volga」常常用來代表俄羅斯的心臟地帶 the way the Mississippi does for America就像密西西比河之於美國一樣。 Second, Russians call it Mother Volga第二，俄國人稱它為「伏爾加母親河」, and it fills their folk songs, novels and paintings它大量出現在他們的民謠、小說和畫作裡; the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the turning points of the Second World War二戰的轉捩點之一史達林格勒戰役 was fought on its bank at the city now called Volgograd就是在它岸邊、現在叫做伏爾加格勒的城市打的。

In English it almost always takes the: the Volga, the Volga River. Note that the Caspian Sea has no outlet to the ocean, so unlike most great rivers the Volga never reaches the sea proper.

In English it almost always takes the在英文裡它幾乎總是要加 the: the Volga, the Volga River寫成 the Volga 或 the Volga River。 Note that the Caspian Sea has no outlet to the ocean要注意裏海並沒有出口通向大洋, so unlike most great rivers the Volga never reaches the sea proper所以跟大部分大河不同，伏爾加河其實從來沒有真正流進海洋。