The Gulf of Finland, into which the Neva flows, is located in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. The bay washes the shores of Finland, Russia and Estonia. Cities such as St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Kotka and Tallinn, located along the coast of the Gulf of Finland, are connected by ferry services. They are a cultural-historical community. It is impossible not to mention the Gulf of Finland when answering the question of where the Neva River flows, since these two reservoirs are extremely important for the entire north-west of Russia.
Physico-geographical characteristics of the Neva
Neva is one of the most important rivers in Russia, flowing in the territory of two constituent entities of the Russian Federation: St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. Despite its relatively short length, only 74 km, the Neva is extremely important both for the economy and the ecology of the Baltic region.
The area of the Neva drainage basin is about 5000 square km, and the river itself is the only one flowing from Lake Ladoga. For both reservoirs, where the Neva originates from and where the river flows into, it is of great importance how important it is for the cities that stand on its banks.
Etymology of Region Names
There are several common versions of the etymology of a river name. One of them is Finnish, the other is Swedish, and the third is Indo-European. The most popular among scientists was the Finnish version, which elevates the name of the river to the Finnish root, meaning "open treeless swamp."
As for the name of the Gulf of Finland, where the Neva flows into, then, perhaps, it is an example of consensus between the countries located on its shore. In all languages, this pond is called Finnish. This is due to the fact that the Finnish nationality is one of the oldest in this region.
Special mention should be made of Lake Ladoga, where the Neva originates from. Until the 13th century, the lake was called Nevo, which reveals a connection between the name of this reservoir and the modern name of the Neva River. However, from the 13th century, the name of the lake, Ladoga, has come into use.
Probably, the new name was formed on behalf of the city of Ladoga. It is worth mentioning that the city of Ladoga, in turn, received the name from one of the tributaries of the Volkhov River. Thus, most of the regional hydronyms date back to the ancient Finno-Ugric and Indo-European roots.
Relief and hydrography
It is necessary to clarify that the place where the Neva flows into the Gulf of Finland is called the Neva Bay and is part of the Gulf of Finland. And he, in turn, is the extreme eastern tip of the Baltic Sea. Thus, the Neva River belongs to the basin of the Atlantic Ocean.
The length of the river from its source, from the Shlisselburg Bay of Lake Ladoga, to the mouth in the Gulf of Finland is 74 km. However, in a straight line, this distance is reduced to 45 km. A distinctive feature of the relief along which the Neva flows is its plainness. It is this fact that determines that the river has very low banks along its entire length. Also, the river is characterized by a smooth flow, the absence of sharp turns.
The narrowest point of the river is located opposite Cape Svyatki, at the beginning of Ivanovo rapids. At this point, the width of the river does not exceed 210 m. However, the Neva is considered a relatively wide and deep river. Despite the presence of several bottlenecks, the average width of the river is about 400-600 m. And in the widest places it reaches 1250 m in width. Neva is also characterized by its full capacity and, despite its relatively small length, in terms of runoff volume, takes sixth place among European rivers, second only to the Volga, Danube, Pechora, Northern Dvina and Kama.
Neva River Basin. Scheme
Where Neva flows into is determined very simply. Also, with one sentence, you can identify the place of the source of the Neva. However, the Neva drainage basin, which includes numerous rivers, lakes and reservoirs, deserves a little more attention.
The most significant tributaries of the Neva include: Mga, Tosna, Izhora, Slavyanka, Murzinka, Okhta, as well as the Black River. It is worth saying that the Neva has extensive deltas, which include the Big and Small Neva; Big, Middle and Small Nevka. In addition, the rivers Fontanka, Moika, Karpovka, Smolenka and Pryazhka flow within the city of St. Petersburg.
Human influence
Artificial hydrological structures such as the Bypass Canal, the Griboedov Canal and the Kryukov Canal belong to the mouth of the Neva. During the existence of St. Petersburg, the hydrography of the Neva mouth underwent significant changes as a result of active human activity.
The Neva River is very important for the economy of the north-west of Russia. It serves as an important part of the transport corridor connecting the White and Baltic Seas, and is also an important part of the Volga-Baltic River Route. Unfortunately, too intensive use of river resources has led to a significant deterioration in the environmental situation in the region.
The amount of cargo transported along the river negatively affects the fauna of this reservoir. In addition, numerous enterprises located within the city of St. Petersburg often discharge industrial waste into the river without pre-treatment.