Lake Undozero
Encyclopedia
Lake Undozero is a freshwater lake, located in the west of Plesetsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast
in Russia
. It is one of the biggest lakes in Arkhangelsk Oblast and the second biggest one in Plesetsky District. The area of the lake is 44.7 square kilometre, and the area of its basin is 709 square kilometre. Lake Undozero is the source of Undosha River, which belongs to the river basin the Onega River
and thus to the White Sea
basin.
The lake has a sophisticated shape and contains a number of islands. The source of the Undosha is in the south-western corner. The main tributary of the lake is the Lopa, which shortly upstream from the mouth accepts from the left a major tributary, the Yonza.
There are three villages on Lake Undozero, Skarlakhta, Pogost, and Mezen. Skarlakhta is connected by the railroad to the east via the settlement of Severoonezhsk
with the railway station Puksa on the railway between Vologda and Arkhangelsk. The same railway continues west to the village of Yangory. There have been plans to extend it west to Medvezhyegorsk
, but these have never been realized. The railway belongs to the Department of corrections, and as a matter of fact, there are settlements around the village of Skarlakhta inhabited by convicted criminals who have previously served a part of their jail term. There is a regular passenger traffic on the railroad. There was an air field in Pogost. There are no all-season roads connecting Undozero with the main road network.
Undozero is popular as a starting point for rafting down the Undosha. Almost the whole course of the Undosha is not populated, with the exception of Lake Undozero and a number of villages close to its mouth at Lake Pochozero. (Downstream from Lake Pochozero, the Undosha changes its name to the Pocha and flows to Lake Kenozero
). Therefore the rafters start in Skarlakhta and finish at Lake Kenozero. Before the railroad was constructed in 1970s, the only way to get to Undozero for the rafters was to start in Severoonezhsk, take the raft upstream the Iksa, and them bring them to Undozero by land.
Arkhangelsk Oblast
Arkhangelsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It includes the Arctic archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, as well as the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea....
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. It is one of the biggest lakes in Arkhangelsk Oblast and the second biggest one in Plesetsky District. The area of the lake is 44.7 square kilometre, and the area of its basin is 709 square kilometre. Lake Undozero is the source of Undosha River, which belongs to the river basin the Onega River
Onega River
The Onega is a river in Kargopolsky, Plesetsky, and Onezhsky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. The Onega connects Lake Lacha with the Onega Bay in the White Sea southwest of Arkhangelsk, flowing in the northern direction. The discharge at the source is and at the mouth is . The river is ...
and thus to the White Sea
White Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
basin.
The lake has a sophisticated shape and contains a number of islands. The source of the Undosha is in the south-western corner. The main tributary of the lake is the Lopa, which shortly upstream from the mouth accepts from the left a major tributary, the Yonza.
There are three villages on Lake Undozero, Skarlakhta, Pogost, and Mezen. Skarlakhta is connected by the railroad to the east via the settlement of Severoonezhsk
Severoonezhsk
Severoonezhsk is an urban locality in Plesetsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located west of the town of Mirny, on the left bank of the Onega River. Municipally, it is the administrative center of Severoonezhskoye Urban Settlement, one of the eight urban settlements in the district...
with the railway station Puksa on the railway between Vologda and Arkhangelsk. The same railway continues west to the village of Yangory. There have been plans to extend it west to Medvezhyegorsk
Medvezhyegorsk
Medvezhyegorsk , formerly known as Medvezhya Gora and Karhumäki, is a town and the administrative center of Medvezhyegorsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Population: 15,800 ....
, but these have never been realized. The railway belongs to the Department of corrections, and as a matter of fact, there are settlements around the village of Skarlakhta inhabited by convicted criminals who have previously served a part of their jail term. There is a regular passenger traffic on the railroad. There was an air field in Pogost. There are no all-season roads connecting Undozero with the main road network.
Undozero is popular as a starting point for rafting down the Undosha. Almost the whole course of the Undosha is not populated, with the exception of Lake Undozero and a number of villages close to its mouth at Lake Pochozero. (Downstream from Lake Pochozero, the Undosha changes its name to the Pocha and flows to Lake Kenozero
Lake Kenozero
Lake Kenozero is a freshwater lake, located in the south-west of Plesetsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It is one of the biggest lakes in Arkhangelsk Oblast and the biggest one in Plesetsky District. The area of the lake is , and the area of its basin is . Lake Kenozero is the source...
). Therefore the rafters start in Skarlakhta and finish at Lake Kenozero. Before the railroad was constructed in 1970s, the only way to get to Undozero for the rafters was to start in Severoonezhsk, take the raft upstream the Iksa, and them bring them to Undozero by land.