Zhiguli Mountains, Zhigulyovsk

The Zhiguli Mountains or simply Zhiguli, are a range of wooded mountains located in Russia on the right bank of the Volga River, inside the Samara bend. The mountains are an important source of limestone and oil and are also popular as a scenic area for local and regional tourism. Their altitude reaches a maximum of c. 1,240 ft. The range is named for a nearby town Zhigulyovka, itself probably named for an early inhabitant, Zhegul. Formerly, the range was known as the Lada, after the river pirates who used to hide out in its wooded valleys, a name which is still in popular local usage today. ()