Volkhov River
| Volkhov River (Peка Волхов) | |
| River | |
 Volkhov River near Veliky Novgorod, and the Yuriev Monastery.
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| Country | Russia |
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| Regions | Novgorod Oblast, Leningrad Oblast |
| Tributaries | |
| - right | Vishera |
| Cities | Veliky Novgorod, Kirishi, Volkhov, Novaya Ladoga |
| Source | Lake Ilmen |
| - elevation | 18 m (59 ft) |
| - coordinates | 58°28′N 31°17′E / 58.467°N 31.283°E |
| Mouth | Lake Ladoga |
| - elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| - coordinates | 60°07′N 32°19′E / 60.117°N 32.317°ECoordinates: 60°07′N 32°19′E / 60.117°N 32.317°E |
| Length | 224 km (139 mi) |
| Basin | 80,200 km2 (30,965 sq mi) |
| Discharge | mouth |
| - average | 580 m3/s (20,483 cu ft/s) |
| - max | 2,900 m3/s (102,413 cu ft/s) |
| - min | 44 m3/s (1,554 cu ft/s) |
 Localisation of the Volkhov river (in deep blue)
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The Volkhov (Russian: Во́лхов) is a river in Novgorodsky and Chudovsky Districts of Novgorod Oblast and Kirishsky and Volkhovsky Districts of Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia. It connects Lake Ilmen and Lake Ladoga and belongs to the basin of the Neva River. The length of the river is 224 kilometres (139 mi), and the area of its drainage basin is 80,200 square kilometres (31,000 sq mi). The city of Veliky Novgorod, the towns of Kirishi, Volkhov, and Novaya Ladoga, and a historically important village of Staraya Ladoga are located along the Volkhov.
A number of etymologies, none universally accepted, have been proposed for the name of the river. In his Etymological dictionary of the Russian language, Max Vasmer doubted some philologists' opinion that the river's name is related to the Finnish velho ("magician") or Russian volkhv ("pagan priest").
The Volkhov flows out of Lake Ilmen north into Lake Ladoga, the largest lake of 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. Apart from hydroelectric generating purposes, the dam serves to facilitate navigation in the lower part of the river previously known for its rapids.
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Wikipedia