Sheksna River

Coordinates: 60°04′N 38°00′E / 60.067°N 38.000°E / 60.067; 38.000

The Sheksna (Russian: Шексна́) is a river in Belozersky, Kirillovsky, Sheksninsky, and Cherepovetsky Districts of Vologda Oblast in Russia. It is a left tributary of the Volga River. It is 139 kilometres (86 mi) long, and the area of its basin 19,000 square kilometres (7,300 sq mi). The principal tributaries of the Sheksna are the Sizma (left) and the Kovzha (right).

According to the Max Vasmer's Etymological Dictionary, the origin of the name of the river is unclear, but it may originate from a Uralic language. The urban-type settlement of Sheksna and Sheksninsky District are named after the river.

The source of the Sheksna is in the southeastern end of Lake Beloye. The river flows south and subsequently turns east. It joins the northern part of the Rybinsk Reservoir of the Volga near the city of Cherepovets. Cherepovets, as well as the urban-type settlement of Sheksna, are located on the Sheksna.

Most of the present course of the river was accommodated as the Sheksna Reservoir, with the dam constructed in Sheksna. Previously, the length of the Sheksna was some 400 kilometers (250 mi), and the mouth of the river was located in the city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast. The part of the river between Cherepovets and Rybinsk disappeared when the Rybinsk Reservoir was constructed between 1935 and 1947. Currently, the only natural stretch of the course of the Sheksna is located between the urban-type settlement of Sheksna and the city of Cherepovets.

Lake Beloye (Vologda Oblast)

Lake Beloye (Russian: Бе́лое о́зеро; IPA: [ˈbʲɛləjə ˈozʲɪrə], Veps: Vaugedjärv or Valgjärv, in both languages the meaning is White lake), is a lake in the northwestern part of Vologda Oblast in Russia. Administratively, the lake is divided between Belozersky District (south) and Vashkinsky District (north) of Vologda Oblast. The town of Belozersk, is located on its coast. In terms of area, Lake Beloye is the second natural lake of Vologda Oblast (behind Lake Onega), and the third lake also behind the Rybinsk Reservoir. It is one of the ten biggest natural lakes in Europe.

Geography

The basin of the lake includes parts of Belozersky, Vashkinsky, Babayevsky, and Vytegorsky Districts of Vologda Oblast, as well as minor areas in Kargopolsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast. Most of the basin lies north of the lake, in the Andoma Hills, and includes smaller lakes, many of them being of glacial origin. These lakes include Lake Kovzhskoye, Lake Kemskoye, Lake Kushtozero, Lake Sholskoye, Lake Druzhinnoye, and, south of Lake Beloye, Lake Lozskoye.

Vologda Oblast

Vologda Oblast (Russian: Вологодская область, tr. Vologodskaya oblast; IPA: [vəlɐˈɡotskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ]) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is Vologda. Population: 1,202,444 (2010 Census). The largest city is Cherepovets, the home of the Severstal metallurgical plant, the largest industrial enterprise of the oblast.

Vologda Oblast is rich in historic monuments, such as the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Ferapontov Monastery (a World Heritage Site) with the frescoes of Dionisius, medieval towns of Velikiy Ustyug and Belozersk, and baroque churches of Totma and Ustyuzhna.

Large reserves of wood and fresh water are the main natural resources.

History

The area of Vologda Oblast was settled by Finno-Ugric peoples since prehistory, and most of the toponyms in the region are in fact Finno-Ugric. Vepsians still living in the west of the Oblast are the descendants of that population. Subsequently, the area was colonized. Belozersk has been mentioned in chronicles in 862 as one of the oldest towns in Russia. Much of the area was controlled by the Novgorod Republic, in particular, Totma was founded in 1152. Veliky Ustyug and the west of the current territory of the Oblast, with Belozersk and Ustyuzhna, belonged to the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality and were constantly threatened by Novgorod. Not later than in the 13th century the Novgorod merchants already reached the White Sea. They penetrated the area using the waterways. The main waterway to the White Sea was the Northern Dvina, and Novgorod merchants used the Volga and its tributary, the Sheksna, along the Slavyanka River into Lake Nikolskoye, then the boats were taken by land to Lake Blagoveshchenskoye, from there downstream along the Porozovitsa River into Lake Kubenskoye and further to the Sukhona and the Northern Dvina.

Lake

A lake is an area of variable size filled with water, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land, apart from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean (except for sea lochs in Scotland and Ireland), and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are also larger and deeper than ponds, though there are no official or scientific definitions. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams, which are usually flowing. However most lakes are fed and drained by rivers and streams.

Natural lakes are generally found in mountainous areas, rift zones, and areas with ongoing glaciation. Other lakes are found in endorheic basins or along the courses of mature rivers. In some parts of the world there are many lakes because of chaotic drainage patterns left over from the last Ice Age. All lakes are temporary over geologic time scales, as they will slowly fill in with sediments or spill out of the basin containing them.

Many lakes are artificial and are constructed for industrial or agricultural use, for hydro-electric power generation or domestic water supply, or for aesthetic or recreational purposes.

Volga–Baltic Waterway

The Volga–Baltic Waterway, formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System (Russian: Мариинская водная система), is a series of canals and rivers in Russia which link the Volga River with the Baltic Sea. Its overall length between Cherepovets and Lake Onega is 368 kilometres (229 mi).

Originally constructed in the early 19th century, the system was rebuilt for larger vessels in the 1960s, becoming a part of the Unified Deep Water System (UWDS) of European Russia.

The original name "Mariinsky" is the credit to Empress Maria Feodorovna, the second wife of Emperor Paul I of Russia.

History

After Peter the Great wrested the Gulf of Finland from Sweden, it was necessary to provide a secure means of river transport with the Russian hinterland. The earliest Vyshny Volochyok canal system, completed by 1709, was intended to provide for this. It was followed by the ambitious project of the Ladoga Canals.

Under Alexander I of Russia, the traditional waterway through Vychny Volochyok was complemented by the Tikhvin canal system (1811) and the Mariinsk canal system (1810), the latter becoming by far the most popular of the three.