The largest waterways are the Volga and Oka rivers. Three shipping companies and one fleet service provider are based in the region. The largest regional telecommunications provider is Nizhegorodsvyazinform. In addition to basic telecommunications, cellular and paging services as well as Internet access are offered by a several firms. The Nizhny Novgorod Oblast ranks the seventh in Russia in terms of industrial output.
Manufacturing dominates the local economy.
Industry accounts for 83 percent of the oblast's gross domestic product. Key industrial sectors include machinebuilding, metalworking, chemicals and petrochemicals, lumber and paper production, and woodworking. In addition, the region has a number of companies engaged in radioelectronics, light manufacturing, the production of building materials, and agribusiness and food processing. Machinebuilding includes several important motor-vehicle manufacturers, shipbuilding, aircraft, and machine tool manufacturing. The automotive sector plays a major role in the regional economy.