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'{{expand Russian|Ладожское озеро|topic=geo|date=August 2012}} {{Infobox lake |lake_name = Lake Ladoga |image_lake = Laatokka Sortavalan edustalla.jpg |caption_lake = Northern shore |image_bathymetry = |caption_bathymetry = |location = [[Northwestern Federal District|Northwestern Russia]] ([[Leningrad Oblast]] and [[Karelia]]) |coords = {{coord|61|00|N|31|30|E|type:waterbody_region:RU_scale:2500000|display=inline,title}} |type = |inflow = [[Svir River|Svir]], [[Volkhov River|Volkhov]], [[Vuoksi River|Vuoksi]] |outflow = [[Neva River|Neva]] |catchment = {{convert|276000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} |basin_countries = [[Russia]], [[Finland]] |length = {{convert|219|km|mi|abbr=on}} |width = {{convert|138|km|mi|abbr=on}} |area = {{convert|17700|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} |depth = {{convert|51|m|ft|abbr=on}} |max-depth = {{convert|230|m|ft|abbr=on}} |volume = {{convert|837|km3|cumi|abbr=on}} |residence_time = |shore = |elevation = {{convert|5|m|ft|abbr=on}} |islands = about 660 (including [[Valaam]]) |cities = ''see [[#Towns upon the Ladoga|list]]'' }} '''Lake Ladoga''' ({{lang-rus|Ла́дожское о́зеро|r=Ladozhskoye ozero|p=ˈladəʂskəjə ˈozʲɪrə}} or {{lang-rus|Ла́дога|r=Ladoga|p=ˈladəgə}}; {{lang-fi|Laatokka}} [earlier in Finnish ''Nevajärvi'']; {{lang-krl|Luadogu}}; [[Veps language|Veps]]: ''Lagod'', ''Ladoganjärv'') is a [[Fresh water|freshwater]] [[lake]] located in the [[Republic of Karelia]] and [[Leningrad Oblast]] in northwestern [[Russia]] just outside the outskirts of [[Saint Petersburg]]. It is the largest lake in [[Europe]], and the [[list of lakes by area|15th largest freshwater lake by area]] in the world. ==Geography== The lake has an average surface area of 17,891&nbsp;km² (excluding the islands). Its north-to-south length is 219&nbsp;km and its average width is 83&nbsp;km; the average depth is 51&nbsp;m, although it reaches a maximum of 230&nbsp;m in the north-western part. Basin area: 276,000&nbsp;km², volume: 837&nbsp;km³<ref>Sorokin, Aleksander I. et al. (1996). [http://www.springerlink.com/content/h2q32590g1218861/fulltext.pdf New morphometrical data of Lake Ladoga]. ''[[Hydrobiologia]]'' 322.1-3, 65-67.</ref> (earlier estimated as 908&nbsp;km³);. There are around 660 islands, with a total area of about 435&nbsp;km². Ladoga is, on average, 5&nbsp;m above sea level.<ref>Калесник С.В. Ладожское озеро. Л.: Гидрометеоиздат, 1968.</ref> Most of the islands, including the famous [[Valaam]] archipelago, [[Kilpola]] and [[Konevets]], are situated in the northwest of the lake. Separated from the [[Baltic Sea]] by the [[Karelian Isthmus]], it drains into the [[Gulf of Finland]] via the [[Neva River]]. Lake Ladoga is navigable, being a part of the [[Volga-Baltic Waterway]] connecting the [[Baltic Sea]] with the [[Volga River]]. The [[Ladoga Canal]] bypasses the lake in the southern part, connecting the Neva to the Svir. The basin of Lake Ladoga includes about 50,000 lakes and 3,500 rivers longer than 10&nbsp;km. About 85% of the water inflow is due to tributaries, 13% is due to [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]], and 2% is due to underground waters. ''Ladoga Lacus'', a [[methane]] [[lakes on Titan|lake]] on [[Saturns]] [[Moon]] [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] is named after the lake. ===Maps=== <gallery widths="185" heights="210"> Image:la2-demis-ladoga.png|Map of Lake Ladoga File:Lake Ladoga location.jpg|Location File:Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary b33 242-0.jpg|Brockhaus and Efron </gallery> ==Geological history== [[Image:Baltic History 7500-BC.svg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Ancylus Lake]] around 7,000 BC.]] Deglaciation following the [[Weichsel glaciation]] took place in the Lake Ladoga basin between 12,500 and 11,500 [[Before Present|radiocarbon years BP]]. Lake Ladoga was initially part of the [[Baltic Ice Lake]] (70–80 m. above present [[sea-level]]), a historical [[freshwater]] stage of [[Baltic Sea]]. It is possible, though not certain, that Ladoga was isolated from it during [[regression (geology)|regression]] of the subsequent [[Yoldia Sea]] [[brackish]] stage (10,200–9,500 BP). The isolation threshold should be at [[Heinjoki]] to the east of [[Vyborg]], where the [[Baltic Sea]] and Ladoga were connected by a strait or a river outlet at least until the formation of the River Neva, and possibly even much later, until 12th century AD or so.<ref>{{Cite journal | author = Ailio, Julius | year = 1915 | title = Die geographische Entwicklung des Ladogasees in postglazialer Zeit | url = | journal = Bull. Comm. Géol. Finlande | volume = 45 | issue = | pages = 1–159 }}</ref><ref name="davydova">Davydova, Natalia N. et al. (1996). [http://www.springerlink.com/content/m5423367j2p82762/fulltext.pdf Late- and postglacial history of lakes of the Karelian Isthmus]. ''[[Hydrobiologia]]'' 322.1-3, 199–204.</ref> At 9,500 BP, [[Lake Onega]], previously draining into the [[White Sea]], started emptying into Ladoga via the [[River Svir]]. Between 9,500 and 9,100 BP, during the transgression of [[Ancylus Lake]], the next freshwater stage of the Baltic, Ladoga certainly became part of it, even if they hadn't been connected immediately before. During the Ancylus Lake subsequent regression, around 8,800 BP Ladoga became isolated. Ladoga slowly [[transgression (geology)|transgressed]] in its southern part due to uplift of the [[Baltic Shield]] in the north. It has been hypothesized, but not proven, that waters of the [[Litorina Sea]], the next brackish-water stage of the Baltic, occasionally invaded Ladoga between 7,000 and 5,000 BP. Around 5,000 BP the waters of the [[Saimaa Lake]] penetrated [[Salpausselkä]] and formed a new outlet, [[River Vuoksi]], entering Lake Ladoga in the northwestern corner and raising its level by 1–2 m.<ref>Saarnisto, Matti (1970). The Late Weichselian and Flandrian history of the Saimaa Lake complex. ''Societas Scientiarium Fennicae. Commentationes Physico-Mathematicae'' 37.</ref> The [[River Neva]] originated when the Ladoga waters at last broke through the threshold at Porogi into the lower portions of [[Izhora River]], then a tributary of the [[Gulf of Finland]], between 4,000 and 2,000 BP. According to some new data, it happened at 3,100 [[Before Present|radiocarbon years BP]] (3,410–3,250 calendar years BP).<ref>Saarnisto, Matti & Tuulikki Grönlund (1996). [http://www.springerlink.com/content/j5148205236j4710/fulltext.pdf Shoreline displacement of Lake Ladoga – new data from Kilpolansaari]. ''[[Hydrobiologia]]'' 322.1-3, 205–215.</ref> ==Wildlife== The Ladoga is rich with fish. 48 forms (species and infraspecific taxa) of fish have been encountered in the lake, including [[Rutilus|roach]], [[carp bream]], [[zander]], [[European perch]], [[ruffe]], endemic variety of [[smelt (fish)|smelt]], two varieties of ''[[Coregonus albula]]'' (vendace), eight varieties of ''[[Coregonus]] lavaretus'', a number of other ''[[Salmonidae]]'' as well as, albeit rarely, endangered [[European sea sturgeon]]. Commercial fishing was once a major industry but has been hurt by overfishing. After the war, between 1945–1954, the total annual catch increased and reached a maximum of 4,900 tonnes. However, unbalanced fishery led to the drastic decrease of catch in 1955–1963, sometimes to 1,600 tonnes per year. [[Trawling]] has been forbidden in Lake Ladoga since 1956 and some other restrictions were imposed. The situation gradually recovered, and in 1971–1990 the catch ranged between 4,900 and 6,900 tonnes per year, about the same level as the total catch in 1938.<ref>Kudersky, Leonid K. et al. (1996). [http://www.springerlink.com/content/v655136p1m1x87m2/fulltext.pdf Fishery of Lake Ladoga — past, present and future]. ''[[Hydrobiologia]]'' 322.1-3, 57–64.</ref> Fish farms and recreational fishing are developing. [http://ladoga.krc.karelia.ru/resources/fish/index.shtml] It has its own [[endemic (ecology)|endemic]] [[Ringed Seal]] subspecies known as the [[Ladoga Seal]]. Since the beginning of the 1960s Ladoga has become considerably [[eutrophic]]ated.<ref>Holopainen, Anna-Liisa et al. (1996) [http://www.springerlink.com/content/vr8x7882q7r16g71/fulltext.pdf The trophic state of Lake Ladoga as indicated by late summer phytoplankton]. ''[[Hydrobiologia]]'' 322.1-3, 9–16.</ref> [[Nizhnesvirsky Natural Reserve]] is situated along the shore of Lake Ladoga immediately to the north of the mouth of the [[River Svir]]. == History == [[File:Konevets Cathedral from east.JPG|thumb|Konevsky monastery]] In the [[Middle Ages]], the lake formed a vital part of the [[Trade Route from the Varangians to the Greeks]], with the Norse emporium at [[Staraya Ladoga]] defending the mouth of the Volkhov since the 8th century. In the course of the [[Swedish-Novgorodian Wars]], the area was disputed between the [[Novgorod Republic]] and [[Sweden]]. In the early 14th century, the fortresses of [[Korela Fortress|Korela]] (Kexholm) and [[Oreshek]] (Nöteborg) were established along the banks of the lake. The ancient [[Valaam Monastery]] was founded on the island of [[Valaam]], the largest in Lake Ladoga, abandoned between 1611–1715, magnificently restored in the 18th century, and evacuated to Finland during the [[Winter War]] in 1940. In 1989 the monastic activities in the Valaam were resumed. Other historic cloisters in the vicinity are the [[Konevets Monastery]], which sits on the [[Konevets]] island, and the [[Alexander-Svirsky Monastery]], which preserves fine samples of medieval Muscovite architecture. During the [[Ingrian War]], a fraction of the Ladoga coast was occupied by [[Sweden]]. In 1617, by the [[Treaty of Stolbovo]], the northern and western coast was ceded by Russia to Sweden. In 1721, after the [[Great Northern War]], it was restituted to Russia by the [[Treaty of Nystad]]. Later, in 1812–1940 the lake was shared between Finland and Russia. According to the conditions of the 1920 [[Treaty of Tartu (Russian-Finnish)|Tartu Peace Treaty]] militarization of the lake was severely restricted. However, both Soviet Russia and Finland had flotillas in Ladoga (see also [[Finnish Ladoga Naval Detachment]]). After the [[Winter War]] (1939–1940) according to the [[Moscow Peace Treaty]], Ladoga, previously shared with Finland, became an internal basin of the Soviet Union. During the [[Continuation War]] (1941–1944) not only Finnish and Soviet, but also German and Italian vessels operated there (see also [[Naval Detachment K]] and [[Regia Marina#Lake Ladoga|Regia Marina]]). Under these circumstances, during much of the [[Siege of Leningrad]] (1941–1944), Lake Ladoga provided the only access to the besieged city because a section of the eastern shore remained in Soviet hands. Supplies were transported into [[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]] with trucks on winter roads over the ice, the "[[Road of Life]]", and by boat in the summer. After [[World War II]], Finland lost the [[Karelia]] region to the USSR, and all Finnish citizens were [[Evacuation of Finnish Karelia|evacuated from the ceded territory]]. Ladoga became an internal Soviet basin once again. The northern shore, [[Ladoga Karelia]] with the town of [[Sortavala]], is now part of the [[Republic of Karelia]]. The western shore, [[Karelian Isthmus]], became part of [[Leningrad Oblast]]. Since 1996 the [http://www.ladoga-trophy.ru/content/view/49/38/lang,english/ Lake Ladoga Challenge] is an annual competition for [[Off-road vehicle|4x4]] vehicles and [[All-terrain vehicle|ATVs]] that travels through over 1200 kilometers of the mud, swamp and bog that surround Lake Ladoga.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=4335 |title=Jeep Drivers Take on Lake Ladoga Challenge |publisher=St. Petersburg Times |accessdate=2009-07-02}}</ref> ==Lists== ===Tributaries=== :''(incomplete list)'' * [[Svir River]] from [[Lake Onega]] (south-east, discharge: 790 m³/s); * [[Volkhov River]] from [[Lake Ilmen]] (south, discharge: 580 m³/s); * [[Vuoksi River]] (and [[Burnaya River]]) from [[Saimaa|Lake Saimaa]] in [[Finland]] (west, discharge: 540 m³/s). * [[Syas River]] (south, discharge: 53 m³/s). * [[Olonka River]] from [[Lake Utozero]] ===Towns upon the lake=== * [[Shlisselburg]] (at {{coord|59|56|N|31|02|E|name=Shlisselburg}}) * [[Novaya Ladoga]] (at {{coord|60|06|N|32|18|E|name=Novaya Ladoga}}) * [[Syasstroy]] (at {{coord|60|08|N|32|34|E|name=Syasstroy}}) * [[Pitkyaranta]] (at {{coord|61|34|N|31|28|E|name=Pitkyaranta}}) * [[Sortavala]] (at {{coord|61|42|N|30|41|E|name=Sortavala}}) * [[Lakhdenpokhya]] (at {{coord|61|31|N|30|12|E|name=Lakhdenpokhya}}) * [[Priozersk]] (at {{coord|61|02|N|30|08|E|name=Priozersk}}) ==Gallery== <gallery widths="230" heights="160"> File:Gorskii 04417u.jpg|Rafts on the Peter the Great Canal. City of Shlisselburg Image:Konevets Sand beach.JPG|[[Konevets Island]] <!--File:Коневский монастырь зимой.jpg|Konevsky monastery during the winter ~ redundant --> File:Sortavala harbour.jpg|Sortavala harbour, Karelia <!--File:Мыс Раханиеми. Сияние 18 августа 2003 года.jpg|[[Northern Lights]] ~ non-existent--> File:Валун у Видлицы.jpg|Boulder on Vidlitsa, west shore <!--File:Lake Ladoga view from Oreshek Fortess.jpg ~ redundant, see last picture for view--> </gallery> <gallery widths="160" heights="220"> File:Ладожское озеро.Мыс Рихиниеми.jpg|Rocky shore Image:Priroda Valaamskogo arhipelaga.jpg|[[Valaam Archipelago]] <!--File:Ладожское озеро. Скальный берег.jpg|Rocky shore ~ redundant --> </gallery> <gallery widths="450" heights="170"> Image:Lake Ladoga - superior mirage 2.jpg|Superior [[mirage]] on Lake Ladoga Image:Shlisselburg.jpg|Oreshek Fortress on Ladoga shore in Shlisselburg </gallery> <gallery widths="900" heights="180"> File:Sortavalan saaristoa-2.jpg|View </gallery> ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons category|Lake Ladoga}} * Simola, Heikki et al. (eds), [http://www.springerlink.com/content/qkqm32886q58 Proceeding of The First International Lake Ladoga Symposium]. Special issue of ''[[Hydrobiologia]]''. Vol. 322, Issues 1-3. / April 1996. * [http://www.laatokka.info/translate/eng_photos.html Ladoga Lake (photos)] * [http://heninen.net/laatokka-war/english.htm War on Lake Ladoga, 1941-1944] * [http://www.clubneva.ru/lib.htm Maps] [[Category:Lakes of Russia]] [[Category:Lakes of Leningrad Oblast]] [[Category:Neva basin]] [[Category:Karelian Isthmus]] [[Category:Lakes of the Republic of Karelia]]'