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Lake Peipus ( et, Peipsi-Pihkva järv; russian: Чудско-Псковское озеро, Псковско-Чудское озеро, Chudsko-Pskovskoye ozero, Pskovsko-Chudskoye ozero); is the largest trans-boundary lake in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, lying on the border between
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...
and
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
. The lake is the fifth-largest in Europe after
Lake Ladoga Lake Ladoga (; rus, Ла́дожское о́зеро, r=Ladozhskoye ozero, p=ˈladəʂskəjə ˈozʲɪrə or rus, Ла́дога, r=Ladoga, p=ˈladəɡə, fi, Laatokka arlier in Finnish ''Nevajärvi'' ; vep, Ladog, Ladoganjärv) is a fresh ...
and Lake Onega (in Russia north of
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
),
Lake Vänern A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
(in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
), and
Lake Saimaa Saimaa ( , ; sv, Saimen) is a lake located in the Finnish Lakeland area in southeastern Finland. At approximately , it is the largest lake in Finland, and the fourth largest natural freshwater lake in Europe. The name Saimaa likely comes fro ...
(in
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
). The lake is a remnant of water regularly collecting at the foot of large, perennial arctic ice sheets during recent
ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...
s. It covers , and has an average depth of , the deepest point being .Чудско-Псковское озеро
Great Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; ) is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Bolshaya rossiyskaya e ...
Russian lakes with area of more than 350 km²
(GIF table). Retrieved on 2012-01-21.
The lake has several islands and consists of three parts: *Lake Peipsi / Chudskoye ( et, Peipsi järv, russian: Чудское озеро), the northern part of the lake, with an area of (73%) *Lake Pihkva / Pskovskoye ( et, Pihkva järv, russian: Псковское озеро), the southern part of the lake (area or 20%) *Lake Lämmi / Tyoploye ( et,
Lämmijärv Lake Peipus ( et, Peipsi-Pihkva järv; russian: Чудско-Псковское озеро, Псковско-Чудское озеро, Chudsko-Pskovskoye ozero, Pskovsko-Chudskoye ozero); is the largest trans-boundary lake in Europe, lying on ...
, russian: Тёплое озеро), the sound connecting the other two parts of the lake (area or 7%) The lake is used for fishing and recreation, but suffered from
environmental degradation Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution. It is defin ...
from
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
-era agriculture. Some 30 rivers and streams discharge into Lake Peipus. The largest rivers are the
Emajõgi Emajõgi (; meaning ''"Mother River"'') is a river in Estonia which flows from Lake Võrtsjärv through Tartu County into Lake Peipsi, crossing the city of Tartu for 10 km. It has a length of 100 km. The Emajõgi is sometimes called ...
and the Velikaya. The lake drains into the
Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and ...
via the river
Narva Narva, russian: Нарва is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru county, at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia international border. With 5 ...
. In 1242 the lake was the site of the Battle on the Ice (russian: Ледовое побоище; et, Jäälahing) between the
Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...
and Novgorodians under Prince
Alexander Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (russian: Александр Ярославич Невский; ; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Gran ...
.


Formation

The lake is a remnant of a larger body of water which existed in this area during a former
ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...
.Encyclopedic Dictionary of Geography: Geographical names – Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1983, p. 488. In the
Paleozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ...
Era, 300–400 million years ago, the entire territory of the modern Gulf of Finland was covered by a sea. Its modern relief was formed as a result of
glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...
activities, the last of which, the Weichselian glaciation, ended about 12,000 years ago.


Topography and hydrography

The banks of Lake Peipus have smooth contours and form only one large bay – Raskopelsky Bay. The low shores of the lake mostly consist of
peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and ...
and are bordered by vast lowland and
marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found ...
es, which are flooded in the spring with the flooding area reaching up to .Sokolov AA
Hydrography of the USSR
' L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1952
There are sand dunes and hills covered with pine forests. Along the sandy shores, there is a wide stretch of shallow waters.Tourist Encyclopedia. Peipsi-Pskov Lake
Outdoors.ru. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.
The relief of the bottom is uniform and flat, gradually rising near the shores and covered with
silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel ...
, and in some places with sand. The deepest point of is located in the Teploe Lake, from the coast.lakes and rivers south of Estonia, the islands
The lake is well-flowing, with the annual inflow of water equal to about half of the total water volume. The lake water is fresh, with a low transparency of about due to
plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a cruc ...
and suspended
sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand ...
s caused by the river flow. Water currents are weak ; they are induced by the wind and stop when it ceases. However, during the spring flood, there is a constant surface current from north to south.study the situation of the ports on the Narva River
. Arhiv.ivangorod.ru. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.
Because of the shallow depth, the lake quickly warms and cools. Water temperature reaches in July. The lakes freeze in late November – early December and thaw in late April – early May, first lakes Teploe and Pihkva and then lake Peipus. However, due to recent climatic changes, Lake Peipus has now commonly started to freeze later into December and thaw much earlier in April.


Basin and islands

About 30 rivers flow into the lake.By Peipus pond
. Zachetka.ru. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.
The largest are Velikaya and
Emajõgi Emajõgi (; meaning ''"Mother River"'') is a river in Estonia which flows from Lake Võrtsjärv through Tartu County into Lake Peipsi, crossing the city of Tartu for 10 km. It has a length of 100 km. The Emajõgi is sometimes called ...
; smaller rivers include Zadubka, Cherma,
Gdovka The Gdovka (russian: Гдовка) is a river in Gdovsky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia. The source of the river is the Pyosy Mokh swamp. The Gdovka is a tributary of Lake Peipus. It is long and has the drainage basin of the area of . The town ...
, Kuna, Torokhovka, Remda, Rovya, Zhelcha, Chernaya, Lipenka, Startseva, Borovka, Abija, Obdeh, Piusa,
Võhandu Võhandu ( et, Võhandu) is a river in Estonia. Võhandu is the longest Estonian river fully in Estonian territory.http://entsyklopeedia.ee/artikkel/v%C3%B5handu_j%C3%B5gi3 In 1963 was founded protected area Protected areas or conserva ...
, Kodza, Kargaya, Omedu, Tagajõgi and Alajõgi. The lake is drained by only one river, the
Narva Narva, russian: Нарва is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru county, at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia international border. With 5 ...
, into the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
. The lake contains 29 islands, with a total area of 25.8 km2, with 40 more islands located within the delta of the Velikaya River. The islands are low wetlands, elevated above the lake surface on average by only (maximum ) and therefore suffer from floods. The largest islands are Piirissaar (area , located in the southern part of Lake Peipus), Kolpina (area 11 km2, in the Pihkva Lake) and Kamenka (area 6 km2). In the center of Pihkva Lake there is a group of Talabski Islands (Talabsk, Talabenets and Verkhniy).


Flora and fauna

The lake hosts 54 species of coastal aquatic flora, including
cane Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking * Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance *White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are ...
, calamus (''Acorus calamus''), bulrush, grass rush, lesser bulrush (''Typha angustifolia'') and water parsnip (''Sium latifolium''). Floating plants are rare and are of only three types: arrowhead, yellow water-lily and water knotweed.Fish and Lake Pskov region. Lakes
Pskovfish.ru. Retrieved on 19 February 2017.
The lake is home to
perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Per ...
,
pike-perch ''Sander'' (formerly known as ''Stizostedion'') is a genus of predatory ray-finned fish in the family Percidae, which also includes the perches, ruffes, and darters. They are also known as "pike-perch" because of their resemblance to fish in the ...
,
bream Bream ( ) are species of freshwater and marine fish belonging to a variety of genera including '' Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), '' Acanthopagrus'', ''Argyrops'', '' Blicca'', '' Brama'', '' Chilotilapia'', ''Etelis'', '' L ...
, roaches, whitefishes,
smelt Smelt may refer to: * Smelting, chemical process * The common name of various fish: ** Smelt (fish), a family of small fish, Osmeridae ** Australian smelt in the family Retropinnidae and species ''Retropinna semoni'' ** Big-scale sand smelt ''A ...
and other species of fish. The wetlands of the coastal strip of the lake are important resting and feeding grounds for swans, geese and ducks migrating between the
White Sea The White Sea (russian: Белое море, ''Béloye móre''; Karelian and fi, Vienanmeri, lit. Dvina Sea; yrk, Сэрако ямʼ, ''Serako yam'') is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is s ...
and
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
and western Europe.Tourist portal
Svali.ru (2008-01-28). Retrieved on 2012-01-21.
Lake Peipsi is one of the main stopovers for Bewick's swan (''Cygnus columbianus''). The swans leave their breeding grounds in the Russian
Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
away and the lake is the first stop for many. Bewick's rarely fly more than without fueling so they are near to the limits of their endurance when they reach the lake.


Ecology

The ecological condition of the lake basin is, in general, satisfactory – water is mostly of grades I and II (clean), and is of grade III in some rivers due to the high content of
phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ea ...
. The water condition of the rivers has improved since 2001–2007, but there is an increase in population of blue-green algae. The main problem of Lake Peipus is its
eutrophication Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phyt ...
.Minutes of the eleventh meeting of the Joint Russian-Estonian commission for the protection and rational use of transboundary waters
PercaFluviatilisMediumSize.JPG, European perch AbramisBramaCarpBream.JPG,
Carp bream The common bream, freshwater bream, bream, bronze bream, carp bream or sweaty bream (''Abramis brama''), is a European species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is now considered to be the only species in the genus ''Abramis''. ...
Blausteinsee Tierwelt 03.jpg,
Roach Roach may refer to: Animals * Cockroach, various insect species of the order Blattodea * Common roach (''Rutilus rutilus''), a fresh and brackish water fish of the family Cyprinidae ** ''Rutilus'' or roaches, a genus of fishes * California roa ...
Walleye painting.jpg,
Pike-perch ''Sander'' (formerly known as ''Stizostedion'') is a genus of predatory ray-finned fish in the family Percidae, which also includes the perches, ruffes, and darters. They are also known as "pike-perch" because of their resemblance to fish in the ...


Economy

The towns standing on the banks are relatively small and include Mustvee (population 1,610), Kallaste (population 1,260) and Gdov (population 4,400). The largest city,
Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...
(population 202,000) stands on the river Velikaya, from the lake. Ship navigation is well developed and serves fishery, transport of goods and passengers and tourist tours.TrevelTurs. Peipsi-Pskov lake system
. Traveltours.ru. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.

All-transport.info. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.
The picturesque shores of the lake are a popular destination for tourism and recreation at several tourist camps and sanatoriums.


History

In 1242, the southern part of Lake Peipus hosted a major historical battle where
Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...
were defeated by
Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ...
troops led by
Alexander Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (russian: Александр Ярославич Невский; ; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Gran ...
. The battle is remarkable in that it was mostly fought on the frozen surface of the lake and is therefore called the Battle on the Ice. The largest city on the lake,
Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...
, is also one of the oldest cities in Russia, known from at least 903 AD from a record in the
Primary Chronicle The ''Tale of Bygone Years'' ( orv, Повѣсть времѧньныхъ лѣтъ, translit=Pověstĭ vremęnĭnyxŭ lětŭ; ; ; ; ), often known in English as the ''Rus' Primary Chronicle'', the ''Russian Primary Chronicle'', or simply the ...
of the
Laurentian Codex Laurentian Codex or Laurentian Letopis (russian: Лаврентьевский список, Лаврентьевская летопись) is a collection of chronicles that includes the oldest extant version of the '' Primary Chronicle'' and its ...
. The city had a certain measure of
independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...
even though it was dominated by its neighbours -
Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ...
,
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
and Muscovy - and eventually incorporated in the Russian state. Several historical buildings remain in the city, including
Mirozhsky Monastery Mirozhsky Monastery is a 12th-century Russian Orthodox monastery complex in Pskov, Russia, famous for its frescoes, located in the Christ's Transfiguration Cathedral. The name of the monastery is derived from the name of the Mirozha River, sin ...
(1156, which contains famous frescoes of 14–17th centuries), Pskov Kremlin (14–17th centuries) with the five-domed Trinity Cathedral (1682–1699), churches of Ivanovo (until 1243), Snetogorsky monastery (13th century), Church of Basil (1413), Church of Cosmas and Damian (1462), Church of St. George (1494) and others.ancient city of Pskov
Old-pskov.ru. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.
Gdov was founded in 1431 as a fortress and became a city in 1780;Гдов
Great Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; ) is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Bolshaya rossiyskaya e ...
the only remains of the historical
Gdov Kremlin The Gdov Kremlin (russian: Гдовский Кремль) is located on a bank of the Gdovka River, overlooking the Russian town of Gdov. History Origin Gdov was established as an outpost of the Pskov Republic. It occupied a strategically im ...
are three fortress walls.My Gdov
. mygdov.ru (in Russian)
Kallaste was founded in the 18th century by the
Old Believers Old Believers or Old Ritualists, ''starovery'' or ''staroobryadtsy'' are Eastern Orthodox Christians who maintain the liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian Orthodox Church as they were before the reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow b ...
who had fled from the
Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ...
area,Kallaste. A bit of history
Moles.ee (2000-06-28). Retrieved on 2012-01-21.

Starover.ee. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.
and there is still a functional
Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church The Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church (or Russian Orthodox Oldritualist Church, Russian Orthodox Old-Ritualist Church) (russian: Русская Православная Старообрядческая Церковь) is an Eastern Orthodox Chu ...
in the town. Near Kallaste, there is one of the largest surfacings of
Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, wh ...
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicat ...
with a length of and a maximum height of , as well as several caves and one of the largest colonies of swallows in Estonia.Russian site about the city Kallaste
Kallaste.ucoz.org (2012-01-04). Retrieved on 2012-01-21.


References


External links


360° aerial panorama of Peipus and PiirissaarPeipsi Infokeskus
Estonian tourist information website
Settlements in the vicinity of Lake Peipsi
Estonica {{DEFAULTSORT:Peipus, Lake Estonia–Russia border International lakes of Europe Lakes of Estonia Lakes of Pskov Oblast Lakes of Jõgeva County Lakes of Tartu County LPeipus