Randy Jenks, age 10, of San Diego, California, for his question:

Where exactly is the Volga River?

The entire length of the Volga River flows through the part of Russia that is in Europe. From its source to its mouth, it winds along 2,290 miles. No other river in Europe can compare with its size and some of its tributaries are longer than all but the longest European rivers. The Volga begins about 200 miles southeast of the major city of Leningrad, in the Valdai Hills. After its long trip through fertile farmlands, it finally empties itself into the Caspian Sea. Its mouth is a muddy delta about 70 miles wide. Here the main river divides into more than 200 smaller channels and the trickling streams constantly change their paths through the shifting delta mud.

The course of the Volga has been changed and tamed with many dams and channels. One system of man made waterways connects the great river with the Baltic Sea, another connects it northward to the Arctic. Another connects it to the Don River that flows on through Moscow. Boats use the busy Volga and its waterways to transport goods for more than 20,000 miles. And its muddy delta is a famous fishing area where the Russians get much of their world famous caviar.