Volkhov
Volkhov 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
- 59.29°, 31.86°
About Volkhov
The Volkhov ( VAWL-khov; Russian: Волхов [ˈvoɫxəf]; Veps: Olhav) is a river in Novgorodsky and Chudovsky Districts of Novgorod Oblast and Kirishsky and Volkhovsky Districts of Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia. The Volkhov, which forms part of the basin of the Neva, is the only outflow of Lake Ilmen, and connects it with Lake Ladoga. The length of the Volkhov is 224 kilometres (139 mi), and the area of its drainage basin is 80,200 square kilometres (31,000 mi2). The city of Veliky Novgorod, the towns of Kirishi, Volkhov and Novaya Ladoga, and the historically important village of Staraya Ladoga are located along the Volkhov.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Volkhov (river) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Volkhov in Depth
Geography
The Volkhov flows out of Lake Ilmen north into Lake Ladoga, the largest lake in Europe. It is the second largest tributary of Lake Ladoga. It is navigable over its whole length. Discharge is highly variable depending primarily on the level of Lake Ilmen. The Volkhov is reported to reverse the direction of its flow in its upper section in exceptional circumstances. The river freezes up in late November, and breaks up in early April.
The level of water is regulated by the dam of the Volkhov hydroelectric plant (the first Soviet regional hydroelectric dam opened on December 19, 1926, in the framework of the GOELRO plan) situated 25 km upstream from the mouth of the river.
History
Despite its relatively small size, Volkhov has played a large role in Russian history and economy: in recognition of that, a figure representing the Volkhov appears among the allegorical monuments to the four major rivers of Russia (the others are: Volga, Dnieper and Neva) on the rostral columns in the ensemble of the Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange and Rostral Columns. Its role in facilitating trade is due to its position as the only river penetrating deep into inland Russia that flows north towards the Baltic, rather than south towards the Caspian or Black Seas.
In the mid-9th century, the Volkhov was a heavily populated trade artery of the Varangian-dominated Rus' Khaganate.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Volkhov (river) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Volkhov: Key Facts
| Length | 224 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 593 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 80,200 km² |
| Source | Ilmen |
| Mouth | Lake Ladoga |
| Drainage system | Neva basin |
| Tributaries | Tigoda, Pchyovzha, Maly Volkhovets, Vavol, Velya, Vloya, Vybro, Vyyka |
Facts from Wikidata Q15243 (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
Volkhov: Quick Answers
- Where is Volkhov?
- Volkhov is located in Russia, at 59.2944° N, 31.8610° E.
- Are there dams on the Volkhov?
- No dam on the Volkhov is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.