Template:Short description Template:Infobox lake
Lake Peipus<ref>Lake Peipus. Encyclopædia Britannica online</ref>Template:Efn is the largest trans-boundary lake in Europe, lying on the international border between Estonia and Russia.<ref>Lake Peipus. Encyclopædia Britannica online</ref>
The lake is the fifth-largest in Europe after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega (in Russia), Lake Vänern (in Sweden), and Lake Saimaa (in Finland).<ref>The whispering waters of Estonia – Visit Estonia</ref>
It covers Template:Convert, and it has an average depth of Template:Convert, the deepest point being Template:Convert.<ref name=bse>Чудско-Псковское озеро, Great Soviet Encyclopedia</ref><ref name="Bolshie Lake Rossii">Template:In lang Russian lakes with area of more than 350 km². (GIF table). Retrieved on 2012-01-21.</ref> The lake has several islands and consists of three parts:<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- Lake Peipus / Chudskoye (Template:Langx, Template:Langx), the northern part of the lake, with an area of Template:Convert (73%)Template:Anchor
- Lake Pihkva / Pskovskoye (Template:Langx, Template:Langx), the southern part of the lake (area Template:Convert or 20%)Template:Anchor
- Lake Lämmi / Tyoploye (Template:Langx, Template:Langx), the sound connecting the other two parts of the lake (area Template:Convert or 7%)
The lake is used for fishing and recreation, but suffered from environmental degradation from Soviet-era agriculture. Some 30 rivers and streams discharge into Lake Peipus, the two largest of which are the Velikaya and Emajõgi. The lake drains into the Gulf of Finland via the Narva River.
On 5 April 1242, the frozen lake was the site of the Battle on the Ice (also known as the Battle of Lake Peipus) between the armies of the Novgorod Republic and the Teutonic Order.
NameEdit
The origin of the name Peipus (Template:Langx) is uncertain, although it may be paralleled by Lake Peipiä (Template:Langx) and the village of Peipiä (Template:Langx) along its shore, and by Peipozero (Template:Langx) near Onega Bay. Paul Ariste suggested a pre-Finnic origin of the name, Julius Mägiste suggested a connection with peipo or peippu 'chaffinch' (or other songbird) or Votic põippõ 'chicken', Template:Ill suggested derivation from a personal name, and Template:Ill suggested a Baltic etymology, comparing it to Latvian piepe and Lithuanian pepis 'moisture, mold'.<ref name="DEPN">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Russian name Chudskoye ozero (Чудское озеро) means 'Chud Lake' (i.e., 'Estonian Lake'); the ethnonym Chud ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) referred to various Finnic peoples in what is now Estonia, Karelia, and northwestern Russia.<ref name="DEPN"/>
FormationEdit
Template:Refimprove section The lake is a remnant of a larger body of water that existed in this area during a former ice age.<ref name="GES">Encyclopedic Dictionary of Geography: Geographical names – Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1983, p. 488.</ref> In the Paleozoic Era, 300 to 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 activities, the last of which, the Weichselian glaciation, ended about 12,000 years ago.
Topography and hydrographyEdit
The banks of Lake Peipus have smooth contours and form only one large bay: Raskopelsky Bay. On the northern and northwestern shores of the lake there are sand dunes covered with pine forest and sandy beaches. Along the sandy shores, there is a Template:Convert wide stretch of shallow waters.<ref name="Entsiklopediya turista">Tourist Encyclopedia. Peipsi-Pskov Lake. Outdoors.ru. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.</ref> The low shores of the lake mostly consist of peat and are bordered by vast lowland and marshes, which are flooded in the spring, with the flooding area reaching up to Template:Convert.<ref name="Gidrografiya SSSR">Sokolov AA Hydrography of the USSR L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1952</ref>
| Water balance | Volume | |
|---|---|---|
| Inflow | Precipitation | 560 mm (1.9 km3) |
| Surface and groundwater | 3150 mm (11.2 km3) | |
| Outflow | Streamflow | 3390 mm (12 km3) |
| Evaporation | 320 mm (1.1 km3) |
The relief of the bottom is uniform and flat, gradually rising near the shores and covered with silt, and in some places with sand.<ref name="iss"/> The deepest point of Template:Convert is located in the Teploe Lake, Template:Convert from the coast.<ref name="Ozera and Rivers South Estonii">lakes and rivers south of Estonia, the islands Template:Dead link</ref>
The lake is well-flowing, with the annual inflow of water equal to about half of the total water volume.<ref name="Gidrografiya SSSR" />
The lake water is fresh, with a low transparency of about Template:Convert due to plankton and suspended sediments caused by the river flow.<ref name="Gidrografiya SSSR" /> Water currents are weak Template:Convert; generally induced by wind, so stop when it ceases. However, during the spring flood, there is a constant surface current from north to south.<ref name="iss">study the situation of the ports on the Narva River Template:Webarchive. Arhiv.ivangorod.ru. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.</ref>
Because of the shallow depth, the lake quickly warms and cools. Water temperature reaches Template:Convert in July.<ref name="Ozera and Rivers South Estonii" /> 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.<ref name="Gidrografiya SSSR" />
GalleryEdit
- Lake Peipus, Estonia.jpg
Shoreline, south of Mustvee in Estonia
- Peipus Kallaste 3.JPG
- LakePeipus01.JPG
Mustvee harbour
- Пообережье Чудского озера под Гдовом (8).jpg
Shoreline in Russia, near Gdov
- Lüübnitsa küla.JPG
Lake Pihkva/Pskovskoye, Estonian shoreline
Basin and islandsEdit
About 30 rivers flow into the lake.<ref name="PO PSKOVSKO-CHUDSKOMU VODOEMU">By Peipus pond Template:Webarchive. Zachetka.ru. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.</ref> The largest are Velikaya and Emajõgi; smaller rivers include Zadubka, Cherma, Gdovka, Kuna, Torokhovka, Remda, Rovya, Zhelcha, Chernaya, Lipenka, Startseva, Borovka, Abija, Obdeh, Piusa, Võhandu, Kodza, Kargaya, Omedu, Tagajõgi and Alajõgi. The lake is drained by only one river, the Narva, into the Baltic Sea.<ref name=bse/>
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.<ref name="Ozera and Rivers South Estonii" /> The islands are low wetlands, elevated above the lake surface on average by only Template:Convert (maximum Template:Convert) and therefore suffer from floods. The largest islands are Kolpina (area 11 km2) in the south, Piirissaar (area Template:Convert in the center, and Kamenka (area 6 km2). In the center of Pihkva Lake there is a group of Talabski Islands (Talabsk, Talabenets and Verkhniy).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref>
Flora and faunaEdit
The lake hosts 54 species of coastal aquatic flora, including cane, 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.<ref name="Ryby Pskov oblasti">Fish and Lake Pskov region. Lakes. Pskovfish.ru. Retrieved on 19 February 2017.</ref> The lake is home to perch, pike-perch, bream, roaches, whitefishes, smelt and other species of fish.<ref name = bse /> 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 and Baltic Sea and western Europe.<ref name="iss" /><ref name="svali.ru">Tourist portal. Svali.ru (2008-01-28). Retrieved on 2012-01-21.</ref> Lake Peipus is one of the main stopovers for Bewick's swan (Cygnus columbianus). The swans leave their breeding grounds in the Russian Arctic Template:Convert away and the lake is the first stop for many. Bewick's rarely fly more than Template:Convert without fueling so they are near to the limits of their endurance when they reach the lake.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
EcologyEdit
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. 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.<ref name="Sovmestnoy Rossiysko-Estonskoy commission for the protection and rational use of transboundary vod">Minutes of the eleventh meeting of the Joint Russian-Estonian commission for the protection and rational use of transboundary waters Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
- PercaFluviatilisMediumSize.JPG
- AbramisBramaCarpBream.JPG
- Blausteinsee Tierwelt 03.jpg
- Walleye painting.jpg
EconomyEdit
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 (population 202,000) stands on the river Velikaya, Template:Convert from the lake.<ref name="Entsiklopediya turista" /> Ship navigation is well developed and serves fishery, transport of goods and passengers and tourist tours.<ref name="svali.ru" /><ref name="TrevelTurs">TrevelTurs. Peipsi-Pskov lake system Template:Webarchive. Traveltours.ru. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.</ref><ref name="Transport Pskov oblasti">Transport of Pskov Oblast. All-transport.info. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.</ref> The picturesque shores of the lake are a popular destination for tourism and recreation at several tourist camps and sanatoriums.<ref>Pskov region. Peipsi and Lake Pskov Template:Webarchive. noveltour.ru</ref><ref>More and more foreigners resting on Lake Peipus. Megatis.ru (2002-08-08). Retrieved on 2012-01-21.</ref><ref>Tourist Encyclopedia. Vladsc.narod.ru. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.</ref>
HistoryEdit
In 1242, the southern part of Lake Peipus hosted a major historical battle where Teutonic Knights were defeated by Novgorod troops led by Alexander Nevsky. 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The largest city on the lake, Pskov, is also one of the oldest cities in Russia, known from at least 903 AD from a record in the Primary Chronicle of the Laurentian Codex.<ref>Псков, Great Soviet Encyclopedia</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The city had a certain measure of independence even though it was dominated by its neighbours - Novgorod, Lithuania and Muscovy - and eventually incorporated in the Russian state. Several historical buildings remain in the city, including Mirozhsky Monastery (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.<ref name="Drevny city Pskov">ancient city of Pskov. Old-pskov.ru. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.</ref>
Gdov was founded in 1431 as a fortress and became a city in 1780;<ref>Гдов, Great Soviet Encyclopedia</ref> the only remains of the historical Gdov Kremlin are three fortress walls.<ref name="Moy Gdov">My Gdov Template:Webarchive. mygdov.ru (in Russian)</ref> Kallaste was founded in the 18th century by the Old Believers who had fled from the Novgorod area,<ref name="Kallaste. Few istorii">Kallaste. A bit of history. Moles.ee (2000-06-28). Retrieved on 2012-01-21.</ref><ref name="Staroobryadcheskaya community Kallaste">Old Believer community Kallaste. Starover.ee. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.</ref> and there is still a functional Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church in the town. Near Kallaste, there is one of the largest surfacings of Devonian sandstone with a length of Template:Convert and a maximum height of Template:Convert, as well as several caves and one of the largest colonies of swallows in Estonia.<ref name="Russkoyazychny site about the city Kallaste">Russian site about the city Kallaste. Kallaste.ucoz.org (2012-01-04). Retrieved on 2012-01-21.</ref>
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- 360° aerial panorama of Peipus and Piirissaar
- Peipsi Infokeskus Estonian tourist information website
- Settlements in the vicinity of Lake Peipsi Template:Webarchive Estonica