Volga-Don Canal
Topic: World Transport and Communication · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 7 "Transport and Communication"
Meaning
The Volga-Don Canal is a canal of about 101 km in Russia. It was opened in 1952 and joins the Volga and Don rivers. The Volga flows into the Caspian Sea, which is closed off from the ocean. The Don flows into the Sea of Azov, which opens into the Black Sea. By joining the two rivers, the canal gives ships from the Caspian a way out to the Black Sea.
Example
A river barge loaded at a Volga port can go down the Volga, cross through the Volga-Don Canal into the Don, and reach the Sea of Azov. From there it can sail on into the Black Sea.
Don't confuse with
- Volga-Moscow Canal: it links the Volga with the city of Moscow. It does not join the Volga to another river system or sea.
Related concepts
- Rhine waterway
- Ruhr industrial region
- Danube waterway
- Volga waterway
- Great Lakes-St Lawrence Seaway
- Soo Canal
- Welland Canal
- Mississippi-Ohio waterway