| Lovat | |
|---|---|
 The Lovat inVelikiye Luki | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Belarus,Russia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Lake Lovatets |
| • location | Khoteshino, Russia |
| • coordinates | 55°50′46″N30°17′56″E / 55.846°N 30.299°E /55.846; 30.299 |
| • elevation | 170 m (560 ft) |
| Mouth | Lake Ilmen |
• location | Vzvad, Russia |
• coordinates | 58°12′42″N31°26′40″E / 58.21167°N 31.44444°E /58.21167; 31.44444 |
• elevation | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Length | 530 km (330 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 21,900 km2 (8,500 sq mi)[1] |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 105 m3/s (3,700 cu ft/s)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Lake Ilmen→Volkhov→Lake Ladoga→Neva→Gulf of Finland |
TheLovat (Belarusian:Ловаць,romanized: Lovac',IPA:[ˈɫovatsʲ];Russian:Ло́вать) is ariver inVitebsk Oblast ofBelarus,Usvyatsky,Velikoluksky, andLoknyansky Districts, as well as of the city ofVelikiye Luki, ofPskov Oblast andKholmsky,Poddorsky,Starorussky, andParfinsky Districts ofNovgorod Oblast inRussia. The source of the Lovat isLake Lovatets in northeastern Belarus, and the Lovat is a tributary ofLake Ilmen. Its main tributaries are theLoknya (left), theKunya (right), thePolist (left), theRedya (left), and theRobya (right). The towns ofVelikiye Luki andKholm, as well as the urban-type settlement ofParfino, are located on the banks of the Lovat.
From the source, the Lovat flows in the southeastern direction along the border between Russia and Belarus, it turns north and enters Pskov Oblast of Russia, crossing the border asLake Sesito. In this area, the Lowat flows through the lake district, passing, in particular,Lake Vorokhobskoye. Downstrean of Velikiye Luki, in the selo ofPodberezye, the Lovat turns northwest and enters Novgorod Oblast. Close toLake Ilmen, the Lovat shares ariver delta with thePola and thePolist, though technically Polist is counted as a tributary of the Lovat.
The river basin of the Lovat comprises vast areas in the south of Novgorod and Pskov Oblasts, as well as some areas inTver Oblast and Vitebsk Oblast of Belarus.
The Lovat is listed in the State Water Register of Russia as navigable between Parfino and the mouth, though there is no passenger navigation. Until the 1990s, it was used for timber rafting.[1]
The Lovat served as a stretch of thetrade route from the Varangians to the Greeks, the most important trading route of medieval Rus. From Lake Ilmen, ships went upstream the Lovat and then the Kunya, before ending up in theWestern Dvina.They then travelled up theKasplya river to Lake Kasplya from where they crossed the portage to theDnieper, from where they could reachConstantinople via theBlack Sea.[2]
Media related toLovat River at Wikimedia Commons
