| Msta | |
|---|---|
 Rapids of the Msta | |
 | |
| Native name | Мста (Russian) |
| Location | |
| Country | Russia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Lake Mstino |
| • elevation | 150 m (490 ft) |
| Mouth | Lake Ilmen |
• coordinates | 58°24′56″N31°20′18″E / 58.41556°N 31.33833°E /58.41556; 31.33833 |
• elevation | 18 m (59 ft) |
| Length | 445 km (277 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 23,300 km2 (9,000 sq mi)[1] |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 202 m3/s (7,100 cu ft/s)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Lake Ilmen→Volkhov→Lake Ladoga→Neva→Gulf of Finland |
TheMsta (Russian:Мста) is a river inTver andNovgorod Oblasts of northwesternRussia, a tributary ofLake Ilmen. It is 445 kilometres (277 mi) long, and the area of its basin 23,300 square kilometres (9,000 sq mi). The principal tributaries of the Msta are theBerezayka (left), theUver (right), thePeretna (left), and theKholova (left). The town ofBorovichi and the urban-type settlement ofLyubytino are located on the banks of the Msta.
The source of the Msta is inLake Mstino in theValdai Hills immediately north of the town ofVyshny Volochyok. The river flows north, accepts the Berezayka from the left, and enters Novgorod Oblast. There, it accepts the Uver from the right and turns northwest. Downstream from the town of Borovichi, it forms the border betweenBorovichsky andOkulovsky Districts, and further downstream between Okulovsky andLyubytinsky districts. It departs from the border to the north, and downstream of the settlement of Lyubytino sharply turns southwest. It makes one more curve at the border with Krestetsky District and has its mouth downstream of the settlement of Proletariy.
The river basin of the Msta is vast and comprises the eastern part ofNovgorod Oblast and the areas in the northern part ofTver Oblast. The towns of Borovichi,Bologoye,Udomlya,Okulovka, andValday lie in the river basin of the Msta.
Up to mid-19th century, Msta, which belongs to the river basin of theNeva, had been a part of an important water trade route connecting theBaltic andCaspian seas due to the very short distance between theTsna, then the tributary of Lake Mstino, and theTvertsa, a left tributary of the Volga. The portage between these lakes existed from the Middle Ages. In the beginning of the 18th century,Vyshny Volochyok Waterway was constructed, connecting the Msta and the Tvertsa.[2] By the middle of the 19th century, after opening of theVolga–Baltic Waterway and theMoscow – Saint Petersburg Railway, the significance of the Msta as a transport route has decreased.
It is also notable for therapids in a 30-kilometre (19 mi) section betweenOpechensky Posad and Borovichi, and is a popular rafting route.
The lowest 134 kilometres (83 mi) of the Msta, downstream of the selo ofMstinsky Most, are listed as navigable in the State Water Register of Russia.
