| Sestra Сестра Rajajoki | |
|---|---|
 The railway bridge over the Sestra in Beloostrov | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Russia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | |
• location | Gulf of Finland |
| Length | 74 km (46 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 399 km2 (154 sq mi)[1] |
TheSestra (Russian:Сестра;Finnish:Rajajoki orSiestarjoki;Swedish:Systerbäck) is ariver inVsevolozhsky andVyborgsky Districts ofLeningrad Oblast andKurortny District ofSaint Petersburg,Russia. The length of the Sestra is 74 kilometres (46 mi), and the area of itsbasin is 399 square kilometres (154 sq mi).[1]
The Sestra flows over theKarelian Isthmus. The source of the river is in swamps west of the settlement ofVaskelovo, and the Sestra flows in the general direction south, having its mouth in the town ofSestroretsk. It used to fall into theGulf of Finland until the early 18th century. After the construction of adam for the needs of themunitions factory in Sestroretsk, a part of the river was turned into areservoir called Sestroretsky Razliv (Sestroretsk Overflow), 2 metres (7 ft) deep with an area of 10.6 square kilometres (4.1 sq mi). Since then, the Sestra River has been flowing into this reservoir. The Sestroretsk Overflow is separated from the Gulf of Finland with a ridge of artificialsand dunes. Excess water is dumped into the Gulf of Finland through acanal, which is 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi) long.
The Sestra served as a natural border between Russia andSweden (1323–1617), an internal border of the Russian Empire between theGrand Duchy of Finland andSaint Petersburg Governorate (1812–1917), and international border between theUSSR andFinland (1917–1940). It currently serves as a border between Vsevolozhsky (east, formerly Soviet Union) and Vyborgsky (west, formerly Finland) districts of Leningrad Oblast.
Media related toSestra River (Leningrad Oblast) at Wikimedia Commons
60°21′33″N30°04′24″E / 60.35917°N 30.07333°E /60.35917; 30.07333
