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Neva River

 
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Neva River
 
 
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The Neva is a river
River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
 in northwestern Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
 flowing from Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga

Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the list of lakes by area in the world....
 through the western part of Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast

Leningrad Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1945 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position....
 (historical region of Ingria
Ingria

Ingria is a historical region within Russia, comprising the southern bank of the river Neva, between the Gulf of Finland, the Narva River, Lake Peipus in the west, and Lake Ladoga and the western bank of the Volkhov river in the east....
) and the city of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia and a federal subjects of Russia of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea....
 to the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland

The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea that extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it....
. Despite its modest length, it is the third largest river in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 in terms of average discharge (after the Volga and the Danube
Danube

The Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg River rivers which join at the eponymously named German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows eastwards for a distance...
).

Geography
The length of the Neva is . of these are within the city boundaries of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia and a federal subjects of Russia of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea....
, while the rest are within Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast

Leningrad Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1945 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position....
.






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Encyclopedia


The Neva is a river
River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
 in northwestern Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
 flowing from Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga

Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the list of lakes by area in the world....
 through the western part of Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast

Leningrad Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1945 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position....
 (historical region of Ingria
Ingria

Ingria is a historical region within Russia, comprising the southern bank of the river Neva, between the Gulf of Finland, the Narva River, Lake Peipus in the west, and Lake Ladoga and the western bank of the Volkhov river in the east....
) and the city of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia and a federal subjects of Russia of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea....
 to the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland

The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea that extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it....
. Despite its modest length, it is the third largest river in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 in terms of average discharge (after the Volga and the Danube
Danube

The Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg River rivers which join at the eponymously named German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows eastwards for a distance...
).

Geography


The length of the Neva is . of these are within the city boundaries of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia and a federal subjects of Russia of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea....
, while the rest are within Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast

Leningrad Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1945 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position....
. It flows southwest from Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga

Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the list of lakes by area in the world....
, reaches its southernmost point near its confluence with the Tosna River
Tosna River

Tosna River is a river in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, a left tributary of Neva River. The towns of Tosno, Nikolskoye, Leningrad Oblast, and Otradnoye, Kirovsky District, Leningrad Oblast are located along the Tosna ....
, and turns northwest into the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland

The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea that extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it....
. Average width is , maximum width: . Average depth is , maximum depth: (it is in the middle part of the stream, not too far from Liteyny Bridge
Liteyny Bridge

The Liteyny Bridge is the second permanent bridge across the Neva River in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It connects Liteyny Prospekt with Vyborgsky district....
 ). The Neva basin includes Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega
Lake Onega

Lake Onega is a lake in Russia. Its surface area is 9,894 km?, its volume is 280 km?, its maximum depth is 120 m. It has 1,369 islands with a total area of 250 km?....
, the two largest lakes in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, and spans a large area of Northwestern Russia
Northwestern Federal District

Northwestern Federal District is one of the seven federal districts of Russia. It consists of the northern part of European Russia. Its population was 13,974,466 in the Russian Census , living on an area of 1,677,900 km? ....
 and southern Finland
Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
.

Neva delta

Nevariverlabelled
The islands in the Neva delta formed by both natural armlets and artificial canals are occupied by the historical part of Saint Petersburg. The largest armlets are
  • Bolshaya Neva
    Bolshaya Neva

    Bolshaya Neva is the largest armlet of Neva river. It starts near the Vasilievsky Island's Strelka .The length of Bolshaya Neva is 3.5 km, the width is from 200 to 400 meters, depth up to 12.8 meters....
  • Malaya Neva
    Malaya Neva

    Malaya Neva is the second largest distributary of the Neva River. The Neva splits into Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva near the Vasilievsky Island's Strelka , in the historic center of the city of Saint Petersburg....
  • Bolshaya Nevka
  • Srednaya Nevka
  • Malaya Nevka
    Malaya Nevka

    Malaya Nevka is the southern distributary of the Bolshaya Nevka. The Bolshaya Nevka splits into Malaya Nevka and Srednaya Nevka near the Kamenny Island's easternmost tip....
    .
The most significant canals and small rivers are
  • Morskoy Canal
  • Obvodny Canal
    Obvodny Canal

    Obvodny Canal is the longest canal in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which in the 19th century served as the southern limit of the city. It is 8 km long and flows from the Neva River near Alexander Nevsky Lavra to the Yekaterinhofka not far from the sea port....
  • Griboyedov Canal
  • Kryukov Canal
  • Fontanka
    Fontanka

    Fontanka is a left branch of the river Neva, which flows through the whole of Central Saint Petersburg, Russia. Its length is 6,700 meters, its width is up to 70 meters, and its depth is up to 3,5 meters....
  • Moika
    Moika River

    The Moika River is a small river which encircles the Saint Petersburg downtown, effectively making it an island. The river, originally known as Mya, derives its name from the Ingrian language word for "slush, mire"....
Among the notable islands are
  • Dekabristov Island
  • Kamenny Island
    Kamenny Island

    Kamenny Ostrov, Kamenny Island, or Stony Island is one of the islands in the Neva delta. It is part of Saint Petersburg, Russia....
  • Krestovsky Island
    Krestovsky Island

    Krestovsky Island is a 3.4 km? island in Saint Petersburg, Russia, situated between several distrubutaries of the Neva: the Srednyaya Nevka, the Malaya Nevka and the Krestovka....
  • Petrogradsky Island
  • Vasilievsky Island
    Vasilievsky Island

    Vasilievsky Island is an island in Saint Petersburg, bordered by the rivers Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva from South and Northeast, and by the Gulf of Finland from the West....
  • Yelagin Island
    Yelagin Island

    Yelagin Island is an island at the mouth of the Neva River which is part of St. Petersburg, Russia. Yelagin Island is home to the Yelagin Palace but has few other buildings; the island initially served as a wooded retreat for the ruling class....


Tributaries

Strelka
The Neva has 26 tributaries. The major ones are:
  • Mga River
    Mga River

    Mga is a river in Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia. Mga is a left tributary of Neva River. The town of Mga is located along it....
     (left)
  • Tosna River
    Tosna River

    Tosna River is a river in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, a left tributary of Neva River. The towns of Tosno, Nikolskoye, Leningrad Oblast, and Otradnoye, Kirovsky District, Leningrad Oblast are located along the Tosna ....
     (left)
  • Izhora River
    Izhora River

    The Izhora , also known as Inger River, is a left tributary of the Neva River on its run through Ingria in northwestern Russia from Lake Ladoga to Gulf of Finland....
     (left)
  • Okhta River
    Okhta River, Neva basin

    Okhta River is a river in Leningrad Oblast and the eastern part of the city of Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the largest right tributary of the Neva river....
     (right)


Cities and towns along the Neva

  • Shlisselburg
    Shlisselburg

    Shlisselburg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated at the head of the Neva River on Lake Ladoga, east of Saint Petersburg....
     (at the source)
  • Kirovsk
    Kirovsk, Leningrad Oblast

    Kirovsk is a types of settlements in Russia in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Neva River, 33 km east of Saint Petersburg....
  • Otradnoye (at the confluence with the Tosna
    Tosna River

    Tosna River is a river in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, a left tributary of Neva River. The towns of Tosno, Nikolskoye, Leningrad Oblast, and Otradnoye, Kirovsky District, Leningrad Oblast are located along the Tosna ....
    )
  • Saint Petersburg
    Saint Petersburg

    Saint Petersburg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia and a federal subjects of Russia of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea....
     (in the delta)


Geological history

Neva River is a young river which originated between 4,000 and 2,000 BP
Before Present

Before Present years are a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other science disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the "present" time changes, standard practice is to use 1950 Common_Era as the arbitrary origin of the age scale....
, as the Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga

Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the list of lakes by area in the world....
 had transgressed
Transgression (geology)

A marine transgression is a geology event during which sea level rises relative to the land and the shoreline moves toward higher ground, resulting in flooding....
 and broken through the threshold at Porogi in the lower reaches of the River Izhora, which was a tributary of the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland

The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea that extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it....
 flowing through the lower portions of the present-day Neva valley. According to some newer data, it happened at 3,100 radiocarbon years
Radiocarbon dating

Radiocarbon dating, or carbon dating, is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to determine the age of carbonaceous materials up to about 60,000 years....
 BP (3,410-3,250 calendar years BP).

History

In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
 the wide and navigable river had great importance as a link between the Baltic
Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53?N to 66?N latitude and from 20?E to 26?E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Denmark islands....
s and the Volga portages leading to the Orient. The confluence of the Neva and Izhora
Ust-Izhora

Ust-Izhora is situated at the confluence of River Izhora into River Neva, approximately halfways between Saint Petersburg and Schlisselburg, Russia, some 30 km from both the Gulf of Finland in the west and Lake Ladoga in the north-east....
 was the site of the famous, although badly documented Battle of the Neva
Battle of the Neva

Battle of the Neva was fought between the Novgorod Republic and Sweden armies on the Neva River, near the settlement of Ust-Izhora, on July 15, 1240....
 (1240) between the Swedes and the Russians. Alexander Yaroslavich
Alexander Nevsky

Saint Alexander Nevsky was the Grand Prince of Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal during some of the most trying times in the country's history. Commonly regarded as the key figure of medieval Russia, Alexander was the grandson of Vsevolod the Big Nest and rose to legendary status on account of his military victories over the German invaders whi...
, Prince of Novgorod, won this battle, and took his title Nevsky (meaning "Of the Neva") from this event.

During the 16th century the mouth of the Neva was the site of the Swedish
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
 fortress Nyen
Nyen

Nyenschantz was a Sweden fortress built in 1611 at the mouth of the Neva river in Swedish Ingria."Nyen" was properly Swedish for the Neva river, and officially the fortress was always known as Nyenskans, even though the concepts were in flux in common parlance....
, and the inlet to the Ladoga of the Russian fortress Oreshek, later renamed Shlisselburg
Shlisselburg

Shlisselburg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated at the head of the Neva River on Lake Ladoga, east of Saint Petersburg....
. The Nyen fortress was destroyed by Peter the Great, after that he founded the Peter and Paul Fortress
Peter and Paul Fortress

The Peter and Paul Fortress is the original citadel of Saint Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740....
 in 1703. Standing on the Hare Island, the fortress is considered the first structure of present-day Saint Petersburg. It was also Peter who ordered construction of the Ladoga Canal
Ladoga Canal

Ladoga Canal is a historical water transport route, now situated in Leningrad Oblast, linking the Neva River and the Svir River so as to bypass the stormy waters of Lake Ladoga which lies immediately to the north....
 linking the Neva with the Volkhov
Volkhov River

Volkhov is a river in Novgorod Oblast and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia....
 and the Svir River
Svir River

Svir is a river in the north-east of Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It flows from Lake Onega west to Lake Ladoga, thus connecting the two largest lakes of Europe....
s several miles south of Lake Ladoga.
Neva Etching Large 1600

Navigation

The Neva is the most northwestern part of the Volga-Baltic Waterway
Volga-Baltic Waterway

The Volga-Baltic Waterway, formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System , is a series of canals and rivers in Russia which link the Volga River with the Baltic Sea....
, the connection between the Volga River
Volga River

The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, Discharge , and Drainage basin. It flows through the western part of Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia....
 and the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53?N to 66?N latitude and from 20?E to 26?E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Denmark islands....
. This waterway is navigable for even the largest inland vessels, and it is an important part of the inland shipping connection between Saint Petersburg and Moscow
Moscow

Moscow is the capital and the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia of the Russian Federation. It is also the largest European cities and metropolitan areas, with the Moscow metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world....
. Many passenger vessels share this waterway with large transport ships. During Mid-Winter, the river becomes unnavigable due to freezing over.

Historical references


  • Alexander Nevsky
    Alexander Nevsky

    Saint Alexander Nevsky was the Grand Prince of Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal during some of the most trying times in the country's history. Commonly regarded as the key figure of medieval Russia, Alexander was the grandson of Vsevolod the Big Nest and rose to legendary status on account of his military victories over the German invaders whi...
     took his name after the Neva river following the victory over Swedes
    Sweden

    Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
     in Battle of the Neva
    Battle of the Neva

    Battle of the Neva was fought between the Novgorod Republic and Sweden armies on the Neva River, near the settlement of Ust-Izhora, on July 15, 1240....
     in 1240
  • Neva was the first Russian ship to circumnavigate the globe in 1804 under the command of Lieutenant Commander
    Lieutenant Commander

    Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer military rank in many navy superior to a Lieutenant and subordinate to a Commander. The corresponding rank in most army, and air forces is Major, and in the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth of Nations air forces is Squadron Leader also....
     Lisianski.
  • Grigori Rasputin
    Grigori Rasputin

    Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was a Russians mysticism who is perceived as having influenced the later days of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, his wife the Tsaritsa Alexandra of Hesse, and their only son the Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia....
     drowned in the Neva in 1916.
  • Emma Goldman
    Emma Goldman

    Emma Goldman was an anarchism known for her political activism, writing and speeches. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century....
     has cited the Neva as a major part of her childhood.


See also

  • Bridges in Saint Petersburg
  • Saint Petersburg Dam
    Saint Petersburg Dam

    The Saint Petersburg Flood Prevention Facility Complex , unofficially the Saint Petersburg Dam, is a 25-kilometer complex of dams for flood control under construction near Saint Petersburg, Russia, from Lomonosov, Russia to Kronstadt and Sestroretsk....


Sources


External links