It covers 3,555 km2 (1,373 sq mi), and it has an average depth of 7.1 m (23 ft), the deepest point being 15 m (49 ft).[3][4] The lake has several islands and consists of three parts:[5][6][7]
The origin of the namePeipus (Estonian:Peipsi) is uncertain, although it may be paralleled by Lake Peipiä (Russian:Копанское озеро) and the village of Peipiä (Russian:Пейпия) along its shore, and by Peipozero (Russian:Пейпозеро) nearOnega Bay.Paul Ariste suggested a pre-Finnic origin of the name,Julius Mägiste suggested a connection withpeipo orpeippu 'chaffinch' (or other songbird) orVoticpõippõ 'chicken',Lauri Kettunen suggested derivation from a personal name, andRufʹ Aleksandrovna Ageeva [ru] suggested a Baltic etymology, comparing it to Latvianpiepe and Lithuanianpepis 'moisture, mold'.[8] The Russian nameChudskoye ozero (Чудское озеро) means 'Chud Lake' (i.e., 'Estonian Lake'); the ethnonymChud (чудь) referred to various Finnic peoples in what is now Estonia, Karelia, and northwestern Russia.[8]
The lake is a remnant of a larger body of water that existed in this area during a formerice age.[9] In thePaleozoic Era, 300 to 400 million years ago, the entire territory of the modern Gulf of Finland was covered by a sea. Its modern relief was formed as a result ofglacier activities, the last of which, theWeichselian glaciation, ended about 12,000 years ago.
The banks of Lake Peipus have smooth contours and form only one large bay: Raskopelsky Bay. On the northern and northwestern shores of the lake there are sand dunes covered with pine forest and sandy beaches. Along the sandy shores, there is a 200–300 metres (660–980 ft) wide stretch of shallow waters.[10] The low shores of the lake mostly consist of peat and are bordered by vast lowland andmarshes, which are flooded in the spring, with the flooding area reaching up to 1,000 km2 (390 sq mi).[11]
The relief of the bottom is uniform and flat, gradually rising near the shores and covered withsilt, and in some places with sand.[12] The deepest point of 15.3 metres (50 ft) is located in Warm Lake, 300 metres (980 ft) from the coast.[13]
The lake is well-flowing, with the annual inflow of water equal to about half of the total water volume.[11]
The lake water is fresh, with a low transparency of about 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) due toplankton and suspendedsediments caused by the river flow.[11] Water currents are weak 5–9 cm/s (2.0–3.5 in/s); generally induced by wind, so stop when it ceases. However, during the spring flood, there is a constant surface current from north to south.[12]
Because of the shallow depth, the lake quickly warms and cools. Water temperature reaches 25–26 °C (77–79 °F) in July.[13] The lakes freeze in late November to early December, and it thaws in late April to early May, first Warm Lake and Lake Pskov, and then Lake Peipus. However, due to recent climate changes, Lake Peipus has now commonly started to freeze later into December and thaw much earlier in April.[11]
About 30 rivers flow into the lake.[14] The largest areVelikaya andEmajõgi; smaller rivers include Zadubka, Cherma,Gdovka, Kuna, Torokhovka, Remda, Rovya,Zhelcha, Chernaya, Lipenka, Startseva, Borovka, Abija, Obdeh,Piusa,Võhandu, Kodza, Kargaya, Omedu, Tagajõgi and Alajõgi. The lake is drained by only one river, theNarva, into theBaltic Sea.[3]
The lake contains 29 islands, with a total area of 25.8 km2, with 40 more islands located within the delta of the Velikaya River.[13] The islands are low wetlands, elevated above the lake surface on average by only 1–2 metres (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) (maximum 4.5 metres (15 ft)) and therefore suffer from floods. The largest islands areKolpina (area 11 km2) in the south,Piirissaar (area 7.39 km2 (2.85 sq mi) in the center, and Kamenka (area 6 km2). In the center of Lake Pskov there is a group of Talabski Islands (Talabsk, Talabenets and Verkhniy).[15]
The lake hosts 54 species of coastal aquatic flora, includingcane,calamus (Acorus calamus),bulrush,grass rush,lesser bulrush (Typha angustifolia) andwater parsnip (Sium latifolium). Floating plants are rare and are of only three types:arrowhead,yellow water-lily andwater knotweed.[16] The lake is home toperch,pike-perch,bream,roach,whitefish,smelt, and other species of fish.[3] The wetlands of the coastal strip of the lake are important resting and feeding grounds for swans, geese, and ducks migrating between theWhite Sea and theBaltic Sea and western Europe.[12][17] Lake Peipus is one of the main stopovers forBewick's swan (Cygnus columbianus). The swans leave their breeding grounds in the RussianArctic 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) away, and the lake is the first stop for many. Bewick's swans rarely fly more than 1,900 kilometres (1,200 mi) without feeding, and so they are near the limits of their endurance when they reach the lake.[18]
The ecological condition of the lake basin is, in general, satisfactory: the water is mostly grades I and II (clean), and is grade III in some rivers due to the high content ofphosphorus. The water condition of the rivers has improved since 2001–2007, but there has been an increase in the population ofblue-green algae. The main problem of Lake Peipus is itseutrophication.[19]
The towns standing on the banks are relatively small and includeMustvee (population 1,610),Kallaste (population 1,260) andGdov (population 4,400). The largest city,Pskov (population 202,000) stands on theVelikaya River, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the lake.[10] Ship navigation is well developed and serves fishery, transport of goods and passengers and tourist tours.[17][20][21] The picturesque shores of the lake are a popular destination for tourism and recreation at several tourist camps and sanatoriums.[22][23][24]
In 1242, the southern part of Lake Peipus was the site of a major historical battle in which theTeutonic Knights were defeated byNovgorod troops led byAlexander Nevsky. The battle is remarkable in that it was mostly fought on the frozen surface of the lake, and it is therefore called theBattle on the Ice.[25][26]
The largest city on the lake,Pskov, is also one of the oldest cities in Russia, known since at least AD 903 from a record in thePrimary Chronicle of theLaurentian Codex.[27][28] The city had a certain measure ofindependence even though it was dominated by its neighbours -Novgorod,Lithuania andMuscovy - and eventually incorporated in the Russian state. Several historical buildings remain in the city, includingMirozhsky Monastery (1156, which contains famousfrescoes from the 14th to 17th centuries),Pskov Kremlin (14th to 17th centuries) with five-domed Trinity Cathedral (1682–1699), churches of Ivanovo (until 1243),Snetogorsky Monastery (13th century), Church of Basil (1413), Church of Cosmas and Damian (1462), Church of St. George (1494) and others.[29]
Gdov was founded in 1431 as a fortress and became a city in 1780;[30] the only remains of the historicalGdov Kremlin are three fortress walls.[31] Kallaste was founded in the 18th century by theOld Believers who had fled from theNovgorod area,[32][33] and there is still a functionalRussian Orthodox Old-Rite Church in the town. Near Kallaste, there is one of the largest surfacings ofDevoniansandstone with a length of 930 metres (3,050 ft) and a maximum height of 8 metres (26 ft), as well as several caves and one of the largest colonies ofswallows in Estonia.[34]
^Overy, R. J. (2014).A History of War in 100 Battles. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 225.Lake Peipus and Lake Pskov, linked by ... Warm Lake
^Hellie, R. (2006). "Alexander Nevskii's April 5, 1242 Battle on the Ice".Russian History.33 (2/4): 284.the northerly Lake Chud (Peipus), the southerly Lake Pskov, and in between (connecting) them, the small Warm (Teploe) Lake
^Gulnara Roll; Robben Romano (2001). "Challenges and opportunities for Development of an Effective Transboundary Water Management Regime in the Lake Peipus Basin: The Estonian–Russian Border Area". In Ganster, Paul (ed.).Cooperation, Environment, and Sustainability in Border Regions. San Diego: San Diego State University Press. p. 288.Lake Peipus .... consists of three unequal parts: northern Lake Peipus ...; southern Lake Pskov ...; and the narrow, strait-like Lake Lämmi
^ab"Peipsi järv".Dictionary of Estonian Place Names. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Instituut. RetrievedDecember 15, 2023.
^Encyclopedic Dictionary of Geography: Geographical names – Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1983, p. 488.
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