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ONEGA

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Originally appearing in Volume V20, Page 106 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ONEGA , the largest See also:

lake in See also:Europe next to See also:Ladoga, having an See also:area of 3764 sq. M. It is situated in the See also:government of See also:Olonets in See also:European See also:Russia, and, discharging its See also:waters by the Svir into Lake Ladoga, belongs to the See also:system of the See also:Neva. The lake See also:basin extends See also:north-See also:west and See also:south-See also:east, the direction characteristic of the lakes of See also:Finland and the See also:line of See also:glacier-scoring observed in that region. Between the See also:northern and See also:southern divisions of the lake there is a considerable difference: while the latter has a comparatively See also:regular outline, and contains hardly any islands, the former splits up into a number of inlets, the largest being Povyenets See also:Bay, and is crowded with islands (e.g. Klimetsk) and submerged rocks. It is thus the northern See also:division which brings the See also:coast-line up to 87o m. and causes the See also:navigation of the lake to be so dangerous. The north-western See also:shore between See also:Petrozavodsk and the mouth of the See also:river Lumbosha consists of dark See also:clay slates, generally arranged in See also:horizontal strata and broken by protruding, parallel ridges of See also:diorite, which extend far into the lake. The eastern shore, as far as the mouth of the Andoma, is for the most See also:part alluvial, with outcroppings of red See also:granite and in one See also:place (the mouth of the Pyalma) diorite and See also:dolomite. To the south-east are sedimentary Devonian rocks, and the See also:general level of the coast is broken by See also:Mount Andoma and Cape Petropavlovskiy (16o ft. above the lake); to the south-west a See also:quartz See also:sandstone (used as a See also:building and monumental See also:stone in St See also:Petersburg) forms a fairly bold rim. Lake Onega lies 125 ft. above the See also:sea. The greatest depths, 318 to 408 ft., occur at the entrance to the See also:double bay of Lizhemsk and Unitsk.

On the continuation of this line the See also:

depth exceeds 240 ft. in several places. In the See also:middle of the lake the depth is 120 to 282 ft., and less than 120 ft. in the south. The lake is 145 M. See also:long, with an See also:average breadth of 5o M. The most important affluents, the See also:Vodka, the Andoma and the Vytegra, come from the east. The Kumsa, a northern tributary, is sometimes represented as if it connected the lake with Lake Seg, but at the See also:present See also:time the latter drains to the See also:White Sea. The Onega See also:canal (45 M. long) was constructed in 1818—1851 along the southern shore in See also:order to connect the Svir (and hence Lake Ladoga and the Baltic) with the Vytegra, which connects with the See also:Volga. Lake Onega remains See also:free from See also:ice for 209 days in the See also:year (middle of May to second See also:week of See also:December). The See also:water is at its lowest level in the beginning of See also:March; by See also:June it has risen 2 ft. A considerable See also:population is scattered along the shores of the lake, mainly occupied in the See also:timber See also:trade, See also:fisheries and See also:mining See also:industries. See also:Salmon, palya (a See also:kind of See also:trout), See also:burbot, See also:pike, perchpike and See also:perch are among the See also:fish caught in the lake. Steamboatswere introduced in 1832. The river Onega, which, after a course of 250 m., reaches the Gulf of Onega, an inlet of the White Sea, has no connexion with Lake Onega.

At the mouth of this river (on the right See also:

bank) stands the See also:town and See also:port of Onega (pop. 2694 in 1897), which See also:dates from settlements made by the See also:people of See also:Novgorod in the 15th See also:century, and known in See also:history as Ustenskaya or Ustyanskaya. It has a See also:cathedral, erected in 1796. (P. A. K.; J. T. BE.) A B From Vines' Students' See also:Text-See also:Book of See also:Botany, by permission of See also:Swan Sonnenschein Sr Co. A, See also:Young See also:flower of Epilobium hirsutum. c, petals; f, inferior ovary; k, sepals; s, pedicel. B, See also:Fruit of Epilobium after dehiscence. w, See also:outer See also:wall; in, See also:columella formed by the septa; sa, See also:seed with tufts of hairs.

End of Article: ONEGA

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