Volga-Don Canal

Volga-Don Canal, artificial waterway, southwestern Russia, linking the lower courses of the Volga and Don rivers. The canal extends 100 km (63 mi) from the eastern tip of Tsimlyansk Reservoir on the Don River to a point on the Volga River just south of Volgograd. The canal, which was constructed between 1950 and 1957, has 13 locks and effectively links the Caspian and Black seas. It is navigable to small oceangoing vessels.