Neva river

The Neva river which has its source in Lake Ladoga, is 72 km long and empties in the Gulf of Finland. The river’s name is derived from the Finnish word nevo “swampy’; it is a suitable description of the river estuary. The Neva which is the first claimed by the principality of Novgorod during 9-th century, has always been a bone of contention between Sweden and Russia. Peter the Great secured Russia’s claim to the river by defeating the Swedes in the Northern War (1700-1721). To strengthen his claims and the victory he founded his new capital city, St Petersburg, on the river estuary.

The Neva is an important part which was built on over 42 islands lying in the river and which has been divided up by the system of waterways and its tributaries. Apart from Lake Ladoga the Neva also supplies St Petersburg with drinking water. But just like many other rivers in the world that flow through the capital cities, the Neva has lately become very polluted and the supply of clean water has become a growing problem. The journey by ship from St Petersburg to Lake Ladoga passes through beautiful landscapes. The raised riverbank (between 3 and 9) is very impressive, as is the width of the river (between 250 and 1,300). On the 23 km long stretch within the boundaries of the city of St Petersburg, the suburbs and villages lie on the banks if the river. The further away one goes form St Petersburg the more natural the scenery becomes.

The water is between 8 and 24 m deep and the average velocity of flow is 4 km/h.

Because of the proximity to the Baltic Sea the climate is damp and wet. In mid-summer temperatures can rise to 30o C