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| Vuoksi (Vuoksa) | |
|---|---|
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| Location | |
| Countries | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Lake Saimaa |
| • coordinates | 61°13′00″N28°47′22″E / 61.21667°N 28.78944°E /61.21667; 28.78944 |
| • elevation | 74 m (243 ft) |
| Mouth | Lake Ladoga |
• coordinates | 61°02′43″N30°11′08″E / 61.0452°N 30.1856°E /61.0452; 30.1856 |
| Length | 162 km (101 mi) |
| Basin size | 68,700 km2 (26,500 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 540 m3/s (19,000 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Lake Ladoga→Neva→Gulf of Finland |
TheVuoksi (Russian:Вуокса, historically: "Uzerva";Karelian:Vuokša;Finnish:Vuoksi;Swedish:Vuoksen) is a river running through the northernmost part of theKarelian Isthmus fromLake Saimaa in southeasternFinland toLake Ladoga in northwesternRussia. The river enters Lake Ladoga in three branches, an older main northern branch atPriozersk (Käkisalmi), a smaller branch a few kilometers to the north of it, and a new southern branch entering 50 kilometers (31 mi) further southeast asBurnaya River (Finnish: Taipaleenjoki), which has become the main stream in terms of water discharge. Since 1857, the old northern distributaries drain only the lower reaches of the Vuoksi basin and are not fed by Lake Saimaa. The northern and southern branches actually belong to two separate river systems, which at times get isolated from each other in dry seasons.
The descent between Lake Saimaa and Lake Ladoga is 69 meters (226 ft). The entire run of the river is 162 kilometers (101 mi) via the Priozersk branch, or 150 kilometers (93 mi) via the Taipale (Burnaya) branch. It has adrainage basin of 68,700 square kilometres (26,500 sq mi).[1] For most of its length, the river broadens out to a series of lakes bound together by shorter riverlike connections. One of these lakes,Uusijärvi close to Priozersk, was renamed 'Vuoksa Lake [ru] in theSoviet Union.
The Vuoksi connects Lake Ladoga with central Finland, and was once an important route for trade and communication. A western branch, which disappeared due to ongoing land uplift, was an alternative route for theKarelians to reach theGulf of Finland when theNeva River was blocked by enemies. Now theSaimaa Canal bypasses the Vuoksi and enters the Gulf of Finland in theBay of Vyborg near the medieval city ofVyborg.[citation needed]
During both theWinter andContinuation Wars the river Vuoksi was a major Finnishdefensive line against the Soviet advance. TheMannerheim Line andVKT-line were located along the northern shore of its southern armlet.[citation needed]
From theIndustrial Revolution, power generated from Vuoksi's rapids made the Vuoksi region Finland's industrial center in the late 19th century. Since the Winter War (1940), the Karelian Isthmus has belonged to Russia and only 13 kilometers (8.1 mi) of the river's length remains in Finland. The majorpower stations at Tainionkoski and Imatra are on the Finnish side in the city ofImatra.[citation needed]
The river's surroundings, including theKorela Fortress (formerly:Käkisalmi), is a popular resort forSaint Petersburg's residents.[citation needed]
The river is famous for itsrapids, for instanceImatrankoski in Imatra and rapid in the village ofLosevo (Kiviniemi). The rapid junction of the Vuoksi andSuvanto/Lake Sukhodolskoye at Losevo is a popular area forkayak,canoe andcatamaran competitions.[citation needed]
A project is currently being discussed in Russia to destroy the rapids at Losevo and turn the River Burnaya, Lake Sukhodolskoye and lower portions of Vuoksi into a navigable canal, which would connect Lake Ladoga to the Gulf of Finland and allowoil tankers to bypass River Neva and the city of Saint Petersburg.[citation needed]
Around 5,000 BP the waters of theSaimaa Lake penetratedSalpausselkä, forming the river emptying into Lake Ladoga in its northwestern corner and raising the level of the latter by 1 to 2 meters (3.3 to 6.6 ft). Lake Ladogatransgressed, flooding lowland lakes and the Vuoksi, and connected with theBaltic Sea atHeinjoki, to the east of present-dayVyborg. Ladoga's level gradually sank and the River Neva, originating around 3100–2400 BP, drained its waters into the Gulf of Finland; but the Vuoksi still had a significant direct outflow connection to theBay of Vyborg, possibly as late as in the 16th or 17th century AD. The connection disappeared due to ongoing land uplift.[2][3][4]
In 1818, a canal was dug to drain spring flood waters fromLake Suvanto (now Lake Sukhodolskoye, a 40 kilometers (25 mi) long narrow lake in the eastern part of theKarelian Isthmus) into Lake Ladoga; the canal unexpectedly eroded and turned intoTaipaleenjoki (now Burnaya River). The Taipaleenjoki started draining Suvanto and decreased its level by 7 meters (23 ft). Originally Lake Suvanto flowed into the Vuoksi through a waterway atKiviniemi (now Losevo), but as a result of the change, the waterway dried out. In 1857 a channel was dug there, but the stream reversed direction, creatingrapids and rendering navigation at Kiviniemi impossible. Since 1857 Suvanto and Taipaleenjoki have constituted the southern branch of the Vuoksi, which has decreased the level of the original northern branch emptying into Ladoga nearKexholm (now Priozersk) by 4 meters (13 ft) and has become the main stream.[citation needed]
