# Akhtuba

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{{short description|River in Russia}}
thumb|250px|Akhtuba River

The '''Akhtuba''' ({{langx|ru|А́хтуба}}); also transliterated ''Achtuba'' on some maps)  is a left [distributary](/source/distributary) of the [Volga](/source/Volga) in southern [Russia](/source/Russia).<ref>{{cite book | last=Golosov | first=V. | last2=Belyaev | first2=V. | last3=Walling | first3=D.E. | title=Sediment Transfer Through the Fluvial System: Proceedings of the International Symposium Held at Moscow, Russia, from 2 to 6 August, 2004 | publisher=IAHS | series=IAHS publication | year=2004 | isbn=978-1-901502-67-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SnRW2HWK8TgC&pg=PA303| page=303}}</ref>

The Akhtuba splits off the Volga shortly before the city of [Volgograd](/source/Volgograd) (at {{coord|48.8167|44.6880|region:RU_type:river_source:Wikimapia}}), and flows toward the [Volga Delta](/source/Volga_Delta) and [Caspian Sea](/source/Caspian_Sea). The old beginning of Akhtuba was blocked by the dam of the [Volga Hydroelectric Station](/source/Volga_Hydroelectric_Station); now it flows from the Volga via an artificial outtake canal {{convert|6.5|km|mi}} long that starts below the dam. The river is {{convert|537|km|mi}} long; the average water flow is {{convert|153|m3/s|cuft/s}}.

The following cities lie on or near the Akhtuba: [Volzhsky](/source/Volzhsky%2C_Volgograd_Oblast) (at the beginning of the river), [Leninsk](/source/Leninsk%2C_Volgograd_Oblast), [Znamensk](/source/Znamensk%2C_Astrakhan_Oblast), [Akhtubinsk](/source/Akhtubinsk), [Kharabali](/source/Kharabali) (within 5&nbsp;kilometres of the river). The capital of the [Golden Horde](/source/Golden_Horde), [Sarai Batu](/source/Sarai_(city)), was most likely located along the Akhtuba as well, not far from Kharabali.{{cn|date=July 2020}}

The area between the Volga and the Akhtuba is known as the Volga-Akhtuba plain, which is one of [Russia](/source/Russia)'s primary vegetable-growing regions. It is particularly well known as a major source of [watermelon](/source/watermelon)s consumed in Russia.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Volga River}}

{{Portal bar|Russia}}

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Category:Distributaries of Europe
Category:Rivers of Astrakhan Oblast
Category:Rivers of Volgograd Oblast
0Akhtuba

{{VolgogradOblast-geo-stub}}
{{AstrakhanOblast-geo-stub}}
{{South-Russia-river-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Akhtuba](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhtuba) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhtuba?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.