Lake Ladoga: description, depth, relief, fish

Ladoga Lake is one of the largest fresh water reservoirs in Europe. In this article we want to talk about where Lake Ladoga is located, what nature and climate on its coast. It has enough interesting characteristics. The nature here is very special.

Location of the lake

Where is Lake Ladoga? Partially it is located in Karelia (eastern and northern coast) and in the Leningrad Region (southern, southeastern, western). On its shores are such cities as Novaya Ladoga, Priozersk, Shlisselburg, Sortavala, Lahdenpohja, Pitkyaranta.

Lake Ladoga on the map is located simultaneously in the Leningrad region, and in Karelia. It's big enough. In addition, it also has islands. The area of Ladoga Lake is 17.9 square kilometers excluding island areas. It extends from north to south for two hundred and nineteen kilometers. Its most wide place is one hundred and thirty-eight kilometers. Agree, the sizes are impressive. According to these parameters it is possible to estimate the area of Lake Ladoga.

The depth of the reservoir in the northern region ranges from seventy to two hundred and thirty meters, and in the southern part from twenty to seventy meters. As we can see, the depth of Lake Ladoga is very heterogeneous, and the most important is in the northern part of the reservoir. And the volume of water mass is nine hundred and eight meters cubic.

The rivers of Lake Ladoga and the islands

Thirty-five rivers flow into the reservoir. But it takes from him the beginning of only one - the Neva. On the southern coast of the lake there are three large gulfs: Volkhovskaya, Svirskaya and Shlisselburgskaya Bay.

The largest river that flows into Ladoga is Svir. She brings the waters of Lake Onega to it . Even in the pond flow such rivers as Avloga, Morye, Burnaya, Airajoki, Vidlitsa, Obzhanka, Syas, Olonka and others.

It should be noted that in Lake Ladoga the water level is not a constant. It constantly vibrates, and it is remarkable to see through the white stripes on the rocks that go under the water.

The islands of the Ladoga Lake are quite numerous. They number about 660. Their total area is four hundred and thirty-five kilometers square. I must say that more than five hundred islands are located in the northern part of the reservoir. This is the Scherny district.

The largest islands are:

1. Riekkalansari - 55.3 km. Sq. M.
2. Mantsinsaari - 39.4 km. Sq. M.
3. Kilpola is 32.1 km away. Sq. M.
4. Tulolansari - 30.3 km. Sq. M.
5. Valaam is 27.8 km away. Sq. M.

The most famous on the lake are the Valaam Islands. They represent an archipelago of fifty islands with a total area of about thirty-six kilometers square. They became famous due to the Valaam Monastery, located on the main island, and the Nativity-Theotokos Monastery on the island of Konevets.

History of the Lake

Lake Ladoga is located in the basin, which has a glacial tectonic origin. Three hundred or four hundred million years ago the entire territory of the lake and its basin was covered by the sea.

The modern relief was formed as a result of the activity of the glacier. The main factor was the change in the ocean level, there was a rise in the land. After the glacier retreated, the Baltic glacial lake was formed. Later, the waters of this reservoir went to the territory of modern Switzerland. And there formed the Ioldic Sea.

Nine and a half thousand years ago, due to the rise of the land, Anzilov Lake appeared. On the Karelian Isthmus it was connected with the help of the strait with Lake Ladoga. And eight and a half thousand years ago, the ongoing tectonic processes opened the Danish straits, and the Litor Sea was formed. This, in turn, led to the emergence of the Karelian Isthmus and, in fact, the formation of Lake Ladoga. Over the past two and a half thousand years, the relief in these places has not changed much.

The northern part of the lake is on the Baltic Shield, the southern part is on the East European Platform. It is at the junction of these surfaces that the greatest depth of Lake Ladoga is observed.

Climatic conditions

Lake Ladoga has a temperate climate, as it were a transitional form from moderately marine to moderately continental. Such climatic conditions are explained very simply. The geographical position of Lake Ladoga and the atmospheric circulation of this region determined such a climate.

I must say that in these places there are not many sunny days in the year. So, the amount of solar heat entering the earth is not so great. Therefore, moisture evaporates extremely slowly. For 12 months there can only be sixty-two sunny days. For most of the year, days with cloudy, cloudy weather, scattered lighting prevail in this region.

Rest on the Ladoga Lake is better planned from May 25 to July 17, then you can see the white nights here. These days the sun does not fall over the horizon, the morning and evening twilight merge into a single whole. In general, the white nights last about fifty days.

It should be noted that Lake Ladoga itself also has an effect on the local climate, smoothing out extreme characteristics. Throughout the year, south-west and west winds dominate here. Quiet and windless weather is extremely rare. Sometimes the wind has storm indicators.

On all coast there are breezes in summer days and nights. They begin at about nine in the morning and last until eight in the evening. Breezes penetrate deep into the land for fifteen kilometers. Fogs here are observed most often in spring, autumn and summer.

Lake shoreline

The shoreline of Ladoga is more than a thousand kilometers. The northern shores are rocks, strongly indented, forming many peninsulas and narrow bays, as well as small islets separated by straits.

The southern coastline is low. It is less rugged and often flooded with water. The coast is full of stony reefs, banks, banks. Volkhov, Svir and Shlisselburg lips are the largest bays of the Ladoga Lake.

The eastern coast is very small. There are two gulfs here: Uksunlahti and Lunkulanlahti. It is in this part that there are wide beautiful beaches of sand.

The western shore of the reservoir is even less rugged. He completely overgrew with dense mixed forests and shrubs, which came close to the water. The shore is strewn with scattered boulders. Stone ridges sometimes go far from the headland to the lake, thus creating dangerous shoals.

The relief of the bottom of the lake

As we noted earlier, the relief of the bottom of the lake is non-uniform and has a pronounced increase in depth from south to north. We can say that the average depth of the pond is about fifty meters, and the largest - two hundred and thirty-three meters (towards the north from the island of Valaam). Lake Ladoga in the northern part has a very uneven bottom. It is full of depressions. And in the southern region the bottom is smoother and smoother. Lake Ladoga is on the eighth place of the deepest lakes in Russia.

The transparency of the lake water is different for different shores. Its lowest values are observed in the Gulf of Volkhov Bay, and the largest - in the west direction from the Valaam Islands.

During a severe storm, the water in the lake, as they say, boils and bubbles, it is completely covered with foam.

Ice can cover only the central part of the reservoir and only in a very severe winter. A prolonged cold period leads to a strong cooling of the water, for this reason the water in the lake remains cold even in the summer. She manages to warm up only in a thin upper layer and a narrow coastal strip. Maximum surface water temperature in August, when it is twenty-four degrees. The water in the lake is fresh and, in principle, quite clean, except for those areas where there is a runoff pollution with industrial waste.

The economic importance of the lake

The place where Lake Ladoga is located, determined its serious economic importance for the country. The fact is that the lake is navigable, which is important for the region. It is considered one of the parts of the waterway that is part of the Volga-Baltic Way, as well as the White Sea-Baltic Canal.

The most navigable is the southern part of Ladoga from the Neva River and to Svir. Since the reservoir is of a serious size, then there is often a storm, especially in the fall. In such periods, all shipping stops for the safety of passenger ships.

Since the founding of St. Petersburg, the lake has become part of a single water transport system in northern Russia. For safe navigation along the southern coast was laid Staroladozhsky Canal. As soon as it was not enough, they also built the Novoladozhsky Canal, one hundred and sixty-nine kilometers long.

The Channel of the Staraya Ladoga is now almost completely dry and overgrown. And the second channel to this day is navigable. For the year on the lake, up to eight million tons of cargo is transported. On the Baltic from the Volga transport oil products, chemical raw materials, building materials, timber. In addition, according to Ladoga, tens of thousands of passengers are transported annually.

From Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities cruises (tourist) are made to the islands of Konevets and Valaam. Vessels go to the Valaam archipelago, pass along the central water area of the lake, where you can not see the shores. And with strong winds you can feel a significant pitching.

There are no regular passenger transportations along Ladoga. However, two times a day in different areas in the navigation periods are motor ships tourist destination.

Fish living in the waters of the lake

The fish of Lake Ladoga is of industrial importance. Ten species are caught, among which the most popular are the vendace, smelt, ripus. There is a lot of pike-perch and whitefish in the lake.

Rest on the Ladoga

Despite the fact that the water in the Ladoga Lake remains cold even in the summer, it attracts a large number of holidaymakers. As we said earlier, the coast has beautiful sandy beaches. Among tourists, the northern islands are especially popular. The best period for kayaking on the lake is June and July. A little closer to autumn, a storm begins, in which the excitement of water, like in the sea.

Here on the lake there is the Nizhnesvirsky Nature Reserve. It is located on the right bank of the Svir River. The reserve zone is a wetland of international importance. They are interesting because they are a place of nesting of water and migratory birds. There are 256 different bird species registered in this territory.

Valaam Island enjoys special interest among tourists. It is entirely covered with coniferous forest. On the island there is an ancient monastery, which was founded in the ninth to eleventh centuries.

Also, vacationers like to visit Konevsky Island, which has a monastery. This name was given to the island by the boulder Kony-Kamen, located here. Until the end of the nineteenth century, this stone was a place of sacrifice. The main attraction is the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, located on the territory of the monastery.

Historical digression

Novgorodians for several centuries in a row had a military and merchant navy on Lake Ladoga. Geographic information came to Western cartographers in those days. Lake Ladoga on the map of the Moscow State appeared in 1544. It was made by the German scientist Sebastian Munster.

And in 1600 the drawing of Rus was written by Fedor Godunov. On it, the lake was applied with sufficient accuracy. In the middle of the eighteenth century, a map was made not only of Lake Ladoga itself, but also of an artificial canal.

New Ladoga

The new Ladoga is one of the towns on the shore of Ladoga. It is located on the left side of the Volkhov River in the place where it flows into the lake. The city was founded in 1704 by the Emperor Peter the Great himself. There are a lot of historical architectural monuments that can be of interest to visitors and tourists.

Shlisselburg

The city is located on the shore of Ladoga. He was founded by the prince of Novgorod, Yuri Danilovich in 1323, who laid a wooden fortress on the island of Oreshek. Later, it was captured by the Swedes, who renamed it to Noteburg. And in 1702 the fortress was conquered by Peter the Great. He then gave her the current name. The city also has its own sights: the Staraya Ladoga Canal, Oreshek Fortress, the monument to Peter the Great, the Annunciation Cathedral, and the St. Nicholas Church.

Priozersk

At this point the Karelian settlement lived already in the twelfth century. And in 1310 the Novgorod fortress at the mouth of the Vuoksi River was built a capital fortress, named Korela. Later, it was won by the Swedes. But in 1710 it again passed to the Russian Empire.

Lake Ladoga and its surroundings are quite interesting places for tourists. Here you can not only admire the beauty of nature, make water walks, visit the islands, but also see historical monuments that have survived to our time.