Lake Ladoga

Where is Lake Ladoga?

Countries on its shores: Russia.

Middle of the lake: 61.00° N, 31.50° E

The story behind it

Lake Ladoga lies in northwestern Russia, about 40 kilometres east of the city of Saint Petersburg. It is about 219 kilometres long, and its surface is only about 5 metres above sea level. Rivers such as the Svir, the Volkhov and the Vuoksi flow into it, and the Neva carries its water to the Baltic Sea. From about late November to early April the lake is frozen. In its water lives the Ladoga ringed seal, which is found only here. It is one of just two kinds of ringed seal that live in fresh water. The lake has hundreds of islands. On the largest one, Valaam, stands a monastery where Russian Orthodox monks live. During the Second World War, a road across the frozen lake, called the Road of Life, brought supplies to the city of Leningrad.

Find it on the globe

Lake Ladoga is there as a small blue dot with its name, right on the water. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.

It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.