The New International Encyclopædia/Ladoga

LADOGA, lä′dō̇-gȧ. The largest lake of Europe, situated in the northwestern part of Russia, its southwestern corner being 40 miles east of Saint Petersburg (Map: Russia, D 2). It is bounded by Finland and the governments of Saint Petersburg and Olonetz. It is 129 miles from north to south, 81 miles from east to west, 585 miles in circumference, and covers an area of somewhat over 7000 square miles. The shores are mostly low and sandy, rocks appearing only in the northwestern part. The depth in the southern and central parts is less than 300 feet, while in the north it is mostly over 400 feet, and occasionally reaches about 800 feet. Its water is cold, but abounds in fish. It is fed by a number of streams, the chief of which are the Svir, the outlet of Lake Onega, and the Volkhov from Lake Ilmen, and has for its outlet the Neva. Navigation on the lake is attended with considerable danger, owing to the numerous shallows, sand-banks, and hidden rocks. Its position at the northern terminal of the great water system which connects the Caspian Sea with the Gulf of Finland through the Volga, and the three feeders of the Ladoga, the Volkhov, the Sias, and the Svir, gives the lake great commercial importance, and, in order to make it available for navigation, a number of canals have been constructed along its southern and southeastern shores. The chief of these are the Ladoga Canal, about 70 miles long (1718-31), connecting the Neva with the Volkhov; the new Ladoga Canal, running parallel to the former; and the Sias and the Svir canals, connecting the mouths of these two rivers with the Ladoga Canal. These canals are navigated annually by thousands of vessels and rafts. The lake is also connected by water with the White Sea, and is ice-free on the average for 191 days in the year, from May to October, The most interesting of its numerous islets are Valaam and Konevetz, both occupied by monasteries, the former being among the most popular places of pilgrimage in Russia. The chief towns on the lake are the famous fortress of Schlüsselburg, at the entrance to the Neva and Novaya Ladoga, at the mouth of the Volkhov.