Narva
Narva is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- 59.17°, 27.87°
About Narva
The Narva, formerly also Narwa or Narova, is a river in northeastern Estonia flowing 77 kilometres (48 mi) north from Lake Peipus to the Baltic Sea. It is the largest Estonian river by discharge and forms part of the Estonia–Russia border.
The river gives its name to the archaeological (Neolithic) Narva culture, as well as the city of Narva. Narva is the third most populous urban area in Estonia and faces the Russian town of Ivangorod across the river.
At the coast, the river passes part of the Estonian resort town of Narva-Jõesuu. Its mouth opens into WNW-facing Narva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. The Narva gives the second-greatest discharge into the Gulf of Finland after the Neva River.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Narva (river) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Narva in Depth
Geography
The Narva River has its source at the northeastern end of Lake Peipus, near the villages of Vasknarva (Estonia) and Skamya (Russia). There are a few more small villages on the upper section of the river, Permisküla and Kuningaküla on the Estonian side and Omuti on the Russian side, but up to the city of Narva the shores of the river are mostly forested or marshy land. The river is dammed entering Narva and Ivangorod, forming the Narva Reservoir, which extends up to 38 kilometres (24 mi) upstream. The Narva empties into Narva Bay near the Estonian town of Narva-Jõesuu, third largest settlement on the river after Narva and Ivangorod.
The Plyussa is the largest tributary, joining the Narva River at the reservoir from the right.
History
The Narva was used as a trade route during the Viking Age, from the 5th to 11th centuries. It was an offshoot of the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks.
The Narva has for centuries been an important border river. Beginning in the 13th century it was the border of Medieval Livonia and the Novgorod Republic. Though in earlier periods Narva was part of a larger buffer zone between the two territories, gradually the river emerged as the exact border. Castles built on the river banks (Narva Hermann Castle, founded at the beginning of the 14th century, Ivangorod fortress, established in 1492 and Vasknarva Castle, first built in the 14th century) were one of the main reasons behind this.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Narva (river) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Narva: Key Facts
| Length | 74 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 399 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 56,200 km² |
| Source | Lake Peipus |
| Mouth | Narva Bay |
| Drainage system | Narva basin |
| Tributaries | Rosson, Bolshaya Cheryomukha, Vtroya, Tõrvajõgi, Jaama River |
Facts from Wikidata Q209031 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Narva: Quick Answers
- Where is Narva?
- Narva is located in Russia and Estonia, at 59.1729° N, 27.8706° E.
- Are there dams on the Narva?
- No dam on the Narva is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.