Lake Onega (also known as Onego, , Onezhskoe ozero, i.e., Onezhskoe lake; Finnish/Karelian: Ääninen or Äänisjärvi) is a lake in Russia. Its surface area is 9,894 km², its volume is 280 km³, its maximum depth is 120 m. It has 1,369 islands with a total area of 250 km². It is fed by 58 rivers, the main rivers being Shuya, Suna, Vodla, Vytegra, Andoma. It is the second largest lake in Europe, and the 18th largest lake by area in the world.

Petrozavodsk, the capital of the Republic of Karelia, is situated on the western shore of Lake Onega. The republic surrounds Lake Onega in the west, north and east. In the south the lake borders the Leningrad Oblast and Vologda Oblast.

The UNESCO World Heritage site of Kizhi Pogost lies on one of the islands in the Kizhi archipelago in the northern part of the lake. Two magnificent 18th century churches are the centerpieces of this open-air museum of Northern Russian wooden architecture.

River Svir, which marks the southern boundary of Karelia, runs from the southwestern shore of Lake Onega to Lake Ladoga and continues in the Neva to the Gulf of Finland.

Sailing is a popular activity on the lake. There is a sailing club located in Petrozavodsk. The open championship of Russia for sailing in the cruiser yacht class has the status of the International Onego Regatta in the Russian sailing community. The Regatta is held by the State committee of the Russian Federation on Physical Culture and Sports and by the Federation of Sailing of the Republic of Karelia.^[1]

<gallery widths="200px"> Image:Petroz fishers.jpg|Statue of fishermen on the Onega embankment, Petrozavodsk. Image:Wooden Miracle Kizhi.jpg|A wooden church on Kizhi Island, Lake Onega. </gallery>

References

1. ↑ The Onego Regatta