Sharanga

Sharanga stands on the river of the same name, a tributary of the Usta in the forested Vetluga country. The settlement is recorded in 1747 on lands inhabited by Mari communities. Its name is associated with a Mari word for willow, recalling the trees beside its river. The Usta and Vetluga carry the waters of this district toward the Volga, while the forests around Sharanga preserve many place names inherited from the region’s earlier inhabitants.