Lake Onega

Lake Onega is a body of water in northwestern Russia spanning Karelia and Leningrad Oblast. More than sixteen hundred islands lie scattered across its surface forming a maze of forested shores and open water.

The basin formed roughly twelve thousand years ago from melting glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age. Later canals linked the water to the Baltic Sea and White Sea for trade and transport.

The name comes from the Finnish word for "sound" or "voice" reflecting the water's acoustic character. Wooden churches on Kizhi Island were built without metal nails and their onion domes catch the light across the water.

The water is warmer near the shore in summer and stays cooler in the open areas. Northern bays freeze earlier than the wider southern sections in winter.

Along the shores more than twelve hundred rock carvings from prehistoric times survive. These petroglyphs show animals, boats and human figures engraved directly at the water's edge.

Location: Petrozavodsk

Location: Karelia

Location: Leningrad Oblast

Elevation above the sea: 33 m

Part of: Unified Deep Water System of European Russia

GPS coordinates: 61.69056,35.65556

Latest update: December 12, 2025 23:12