Lake Ladoga is one of the largest fresh water reservoirs in Europe. In our article we want to talk about where Lake Ladoga is located , what nature and climate is on its coast. It has enough interesting characteristics. Nature here is particularly beautiful.
Lake location
Where is Lake Ladoga located? It is partially located in Karelia (east and north coast) and in the Leningrad region (south, southeast, west). On its shores are cities such as Novaya Ladoga, Priozersk, Shlisselburg, Sortavala, Lahdenpohja, Pitkäranta.
Lake Ladoga on the map is located simultaneously in the Leningrad Region and in Karelia. It is big enough. In addition, there are also islands on it. The area of Lake Ladoga is 17.9 square kilometers excluding island sites. It extends from north to south for two hundred and nineteen kilometers. Its widest place is one hundred thirty-eight kilometers. Agree, the dimensions are impressive. By these parameters, you can assess what is 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 you can see, the depth of Lake Ladoga is very heterogeneous, and is of greatest importance in the northern part of the reservoir. And the volume of the mass of water is nine hundred and eight cubic meters.
Ladoga Lake Rivers and Islands
Thirty-five rivers flow into the body of water. But only one originates from it - Neva. On the southern coast of the lake there are three large gulfs: Volkhovskaya, Svirskaya and Shlisselburgskaya Bay.
The largest river flowing into Ladoga is the Svir. She brings into it the waters of Lake Onega. Still such rivers as Avloga, Morye, Burnaya, Arayoki, Vidlitsa, Obzhanka, Syas, Olonka and others flow into the reservoir.
I must say that in Lake Ladoga, the water level is not a constant value. He constantly fluctuates, and this is remarkably visible in the white stripes on the rocks that go under the water.
The islands of Lake Ladoga are quite numerous. There are about 660 of them. Their total area is four hundred thirty-five square kilometers. I must say that more than five hundred islands are located in the northern part of the reservoir. This is the skerry district.
The largest islands:
- Riekkalansari - 55.3 km. sq.
- Mantsinsaari - 39.4 km. sq.
- Kilpola - 32.1 km. sq.
- Tulolansari - 30.3 km. sq.
- Baalam - 27.8 km. sq.
The most famous on the lake are the Valaam Islands. They are an archipelago of fifty islands with a total area of about thirty-six square kilometers. They became famous thanks to the Valaam Monastery, located on the main island, and the Nativity of the Virgin Monastery on the island of Konevets.
The history of the lake
Lake Ladoga is located in a hollow that 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 ocean level, there was a rise in land. After the glacier retreated, a Baltic fresh glacial lake was formed. Later, the waters of this reservoir went into the territory of modern Switzerland. And there the Yoldian Sea was formed.
Nine and a half thousand years ago, due to the rise of land appeared Antsilovoe lake. On the Karelian Isthmus, it connected with the help of the strait to Lake Ladoga. And eight and a half thousand years ago, ongoing tectonic processes discovered the Danish straits, and the Litorin Sea was formed. This, in turn, led to the appearance 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 located on the Baltic Shield, the southern - 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 temperate to temperate continental. Such climatic conditions are explained very simply. The geographical location of Lake Ladoga and the atmospheric circulation of this region led to such a climate.
I must say that in these places there are not many sunny days in a year. This means that 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. Most of the year in this region is dominated by days with cloudy, cloudy weather and diffuse lighting.
Holidays on Lake Ladoga are better planned in the period from May 25 to July 17, then you can watch white nights here. These days, the sun does not fall below the horizon, morning and evening twilight merge into a single whole. In general, white nights last about fifty days.
It should be noted that Lake Ladoga itself also influences the local climate, smoothing out extreme characteristics. Throughout the year, southwest and west winds dominate here. Quiet and calm weather is extremely rare. Sometimes the winds have storm indicators.
On the coast, breezes are observed in summer days and nights. They begin at about nine in the morning and last until eight in the evening. Breezes penetrate inland for fifteen kilometers. Fogs are observed most often in spring, autumn and summer.
Lake coastline
The coastline of Ladoga is more than a thousand kilometers. The northern shores are cliffs, heavily indented, forming many peninsulas and narrow bays, as well as small islands separated by straits.
The southern coastline is low. It is less indented and is often flooded with water. The coast entirely has rocky reefs, banks, shallows. Volkhovskaya, Svirskaya and Shlisselburgskaya lips are the largest bays of Lake Ladoga.
The eastern shores are very slightly indented. There are two bays here: Uksunlahti and Lunkulanlahti. It is in this part that there are wide beautiful beaches of sand.
The west coast of the reservoir is even less indented. It is completely overgrown with dense mixed forests and shrubs, which closely approached the water. The coast is strewn with placers of boulders. Stone ridges sometimes go far from the cape deep into the lake, thereby forming dangerous shallows.
Lake bottom relief
As we noted earlier, the topography of the lake bottom is heterogeneous and has a clear increase in depth from south to north. We can say that the average depth of the reservoir is about fifty meters, and the largest is two hundred thirty-three meters (towards the north of the island of Valaam). Lake Ladoga in the northern part has a very uneven bottom. It is dotted with hollows. And in the southern region the bottom is smoother and more even. Lake Ladoga is in eighth place of the deepest lakes in Russia.
The transparency of lake water is different at different coasts. Its smallest indicators are observed in the Volkhov Bay, and the largest - in the western direction from the Valaam Islands.
During a severe storm, the water in the lake, as they say, boils and boils, it is completely covered with foam.
Only the central part of the reservoir can be covered with ice and only in very severe winters. A long cold period leads to a strong cooling of the water, for this reason the water in the lake remains cold even in summer. It manages to warm up only in a thin upper layer and a narrow coastal strip. The 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 stock pollution by industrial waste takes place.
The economic importance of the lake
The place where Lake Ladoga is located has 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 to be one of the parts of the water main included in the Volga-Baltic route, as well as the White Sea-Baltic canal.
The most navigable is the southern part of Ladoga from the Neva to Svir. Since the reservoir is of serious size, there are often storms, especially in autumn. During such periods, all shipping is stopped for the safety of passenger ships.
Since the founding of St. Petersburg, the lake has become part of the unified water transport system of northern Russia. For safe navigation along the southern coast, the Staroladozhsky Canal was laid. As soon as it was not enough, the Novoladozhsky Canal was also laid one hundred and sixty-nine kilometers long.
The Staroladozh Canal is now almost completely dry and overgrown. And the second channel is still navigable to this day. Up to eight million tons of cargo are transported over the lake per year. Oil, chemical raw materials, building materials, timber are transported to the Baltic from the Volga. In addition, tens of thousands of passengers are transported annually in Ladoga.
From Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities cruises are made (tourist) to the islands of Konevets and Valaam. Vessels enter the Valaam archipelago, pass through the central water area of the lake, where no coasts are visible. And with strong winds you can feel a significant roll.
There are no regular passenger traffic in Ladoga. However, twice a day, tourist boats go to certain directions in the navigation periods.
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 vendace, smelt, ripus. Quite a lot of zander and whitefish are found in the lake.
Rest on Ladoga
Despite the fact that the water in Lake Ladoga remains cold even in the summer, it attracts a large number of vacationers. As we said earlier, there are beautiful sandy beaches on the coast. Among the tourists, the northern islands are especially popular. The best period for kayaking on the lake is June and July. A little closer to autumn, storms begin, in which the excitement of water, like in the sea.
There is also a Lower Svir Nature Reserve on the lake. It is located on the right bank of the Svir River. The protected area is a wetland of international importance. They are interesting in that they are a nesting site for water and migratory birds. There are 256 different species of birds recorded in this area.
Of particular interest to tourists is the island of Valaam. It is completely covered with coniferous forest. The island has an old monastery, which was founded in the ninth to eleventh centuries.
Also, vacationers love to visit Konevsky Island, on which there is a monastery. The island received its name from the Kon-Kamen boulder 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 Mary, located on the territory of the monastery.
Historical excursion
For several centuries, Novgorodians had a military and merchant fleet 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, a drawing of Russia was compiled by Fedor Godunov. On it the lake was plotted with fairly high 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
Novaya 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. A large number of historical architectural monuments have been preserved here, which may be of interest to guests and tourists.
Shlisselburg
The city is located on the shore of Lake Ladoga. It was founded by Novgorod Prince Yuri Danilovich in 1323, who laid a wooden fortress on the island of Oreshek. Later it was captured by the Swedes, who renamed it 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 attractions: Staroladozhsky Canal, Oreshek Fortress, a monument to Peter the Great, Annunciation Cathedral, St. Nicholas Church.
Priozersk
The Karelian settlement lived on this place already in the twelfth century. And in 1310, Novgorodians at the mouth of the Vuoksa River built a capital fortress called Korela. Later, the Swedes conquered it. But in 1710 she again passed to the Russian Empire.
Lake Ladoga and its environs are quite interesting places for tourists. Here you can not only admire the beauties of nature, take boat trips, visit the islands, but also see historical monuments preserved to our time.