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 Some 70 rivers pour their icy waters into Lake Ladoga, Europe’s largest freshwater lake. The lake lies in northern Russia near the Finnish border. It has an area of about 6,800 square miles (17,700 square kilometers). Its greatest depth is 754 feet (230 meters).

Ladoga is ice-free only about six months of the year. Severe storms and rocks and shoals make navigation dangerous. Canals have been built along the southern shore through which pass vessels carrying timber, iron, granite, and other products from St. Petersburg by way of the Neva River.

Through the broad Neva the lake’s surplus waters flow into the Gulf of Finland. A system of waterways, including the Svir’ River and Lake Onega, connects Ladoga with the White Sea to the north.