Dwarf Galaxies in the Local Volume

Abstract

We review observational data about a sample of Local Volume objects containing about 1000 galaxies within 11 Mpc of the Milky Way. Dwarf galaxies with stellar masses $M_*/M_{\odot} < 9$ dex make up 5/6 of the sample. Almost 40% of them have their distances measured with high precision using the Hubble Space Telescope. Currently, the LV is the most representative and least selection-affected sample of dwarf galaxies suitable for testing the standard $\Lambda$CDM paradigm at the shortest cosmological scales. We discuss the H II properties of dwarf galaxies in different environments and the star formation rates in these systems as determined from $FUV$ - and H$\alpha$-survey data. We also pay certain attention to the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation for low-mass dwarf galaxies. We also point out that LV dwarfs are important `tracers' for determining the total masses of nearby groups and the nearest Virgo cluster.