The Neva River flowing from Lake Ladoga (at the Shlisselburg Bay) has a total length of 74 km (32 of which are within the city of St. Petersburg). The river flows into the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea (opposite the gates of the seaport of St. Petersburg in the region of the Neva Bay).
The Neva begins with two arms enveloping the small elongated island of Oreshek, famous for having the Shlisselburg fortress on it. In addition to it, on the river there are two more islands (not counting the deltas): Factory - near the city of Shlisselburg, and Glavryba - in the vicinity of the Ivanovo rapids (between the flows of the Neva Mgoy and Tosnaya). The mouth of the river, which has 101 islands, as well as many branches and channels forms a delta with a total area of about 50 sq. Km. 26 small rivers flow into the river, the largest of which are Mga, Izhora, Tosna, Okhta. The banks of the Neva, especially the left, are densely populated. Four cities are located throughout the river (St. Petersburg, Shlisselburg, Kirovsk, Otradnoe), as well as about thirty small settlements.
Neva is a full-flowing and relatively fast river, suitable for navigation along its entire length. On average, the width of the river is from 400 to 600 meters. In the narrowest place (at the beginning of the Ivanovo rapids, opposite Cape Svyatki), its width is only 210 meters, and in the delta - more than a kilometer. Throughout its length, the Neva River has a depth of 8-10 meters. The deepest place (24 m) - in St. Petersburg, near the right bank, opposite the street. Arsenal. The smallest (4 m.) - in the area of Ivanovo rapids. Despite the relatively small difference, about five meters, the river flow is quite fast (5-8 km / h). Neva freezes in mid-December and is freed from ice around mid-April. Moreover, after the first ice drift on the river, the second occurs - the movement of ice from Lake Ladoga, usually forming ice jams.
It is believed that the Neva River got its name from the Finnish word “Nevajoki” (“marshy river”) for the reason that there were many swamps along its banks, especially at the mouth. The second option is the origin of the Sami word “nawe” (“rapids”, “intergranular duct”). In both cases, the description of the river and its name completely coincide.
Many historical events took place on its shores: in July 1240, the famous battle of Russian squads with the Swedes took place under the command of Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich (later nicknamed Nevsky), here in May 1703 Peter I decided to build the future capital of the Russian Empire, there were bloody battles during the breaking of the siege of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War.
At all times, the Neva was of great economic importance. Nowadays, it is used as a source of water supply in St. Petersburg. Since ancient times, the Neva River has served as the most important waterway - from the time of travel "from the Varangians to the Greeks" to the present day, being the most important link in the water system connecting the central regions of the European part of Russia with the northern lands. Its significance especially increased after the Volga-Baltic Waterway was put into operation in 1964. The Neva River was even called “Nevsky Prospect”.
