The Gulf of Finland is rich in islands, but apart from Kotlin, where Kronstadt is located, nothing is known about them for many. Although, they are also very beautiful and interesting. The article provides information about Fox Island in the Gulf of Finland.
General information about the Gulf of Finland
Located in the B altic Sea (in its eastern part), the bay washes the shores of Estonia, Finland and Russia. The western border is an imaginary line between Cape Põyzaspea (near Osmussaar Island) and the Hanko Peninsula.
The area of the bay is 29.5 thousand square meters. km, length - 420 km, the length of the widest part - up to 130 km. The average depth of the bay is 38 meters (the maximum is up to 121 meters).
On the banks are such Russian cities as St. Petersburg (together with Kronstadt, Zelenogorsk, Sestroretsk, Peterhof and Lomonosov), Vyborg, Sosnovy Bor, Primorsk, Ust-Luga and Vysotsk. Localities in Finland: Kotka, Helsinki, Hanko. Estonian cities: Paldiski, Tallinn, Sillamäe, Toila, Narva-Jõesuu.
The Russian river Neva flows into the Gulf of Finland. In addition to it, Keila, Jagala, Pirita, Valgeiyki, Pyltsamaa, Luga, Narva, Kunda, Sista flow in from the south,Funnel, Kovashi, Chernaya, Strelka, Lebyazhya, Kikenka, from the north - the Saimaa Canal, connecting with Lake Saimaa, as well as Porvonjoki, Sestar, Hamina and Vantanjoki.
Before proceeding to the description of Foxy Island, we will present a brief geological information about the formation of the bay and its islands.
About the history of the formation of the bay and islands
Approximately 300-400 million years ago, in the Paleozoic, the entire territory of today's basin of the Gulf of Finland was completely covered by the sea. Sediments of those times (clays, sandstones, limestones) cover the surface of the crystalline basement with a huge thickness (more than 200 meters) of diabases, granites and gneisses.
The current relief was formed as a result of the activity of the glacier (the last Valdai glaciation occurred 12,000 years ago). As a result of its retreat, the Littorina Sea was formed with a level higher than the modern one by about 9 meters. Gradually, the levels of reservoirs decreased, and the area also decreased. Therefore, at the bottom of the former reservoirs, terraces were formed, which descend in steps to the Gulf of Finland.
About 4,000 years ago, the sea began to recede, and the shoals gradually turned into islands (among them is the modern Fox Island). The current uplift of the Scandinavian Shield led to the skew of the bay. This caused flooding of the southern shores of the reservoir and the formation of rocks and hills on its northern shores.
Bay Islands
There are many islands here:
- Gogland is a small granite piece of land (the eastern section of the Gulf of Finland). On it by archaeologistsStone Age sites and other sacred objects dating back to 7,000 BC have been found.
- Fox Island is the quietest, calmest and most beautiful (details later in the article).
- Sommers - rocky (east side of the bay).
- Powerful - a large island with a small frontier post.
- Big and Small Tyutersy are islands located in the central part of the bay. There are lighthouses maintained by a single inhabitant of the island, and there are seals.
- The Virgin Islands with a mysterious round labyrinth of pebbles, which was built by ancient people (its name is "Paris").
Lisy Island (Leningrad region)
Among all these, one of the most picturesque and calm islands is Lisy, lost in Klyuchevskaya Bay, which belongs to the Vyborgsky district. Magnificent forests with many berries and mushrooms have been preserved here, the cleanest shores with all kinds of fish spawning in the surrounding waters. There are also good beaches covered with sand. Since there are no special conservation restrictions in these places, the named territory is a fairly popular vacation spot. Recently, unfortunately, complaints have often been received from local residents about the uncivilized behavior of some tourists and about poaching.
The length of the island from southeast to northwest is 9.3 km. Its width is 2.5 kilometers. The area is 15 sq. kilometers. The whole island is coveredforests, and there are no inland water bodies on it. Sometimes there are hills.
The shortest distance to the mainland (southeast) is 450 meters, but there are no bridges. The only way to get across is by water.
To get to Lisiy Island, in St. Petersburg, you can take a train and get to the Pribylovo railway station, and then get to this wonderful place by car and boat.
State Reserve
The date of the organization of the reserve is 1976. It is located 10 kilometers north of Primorsk. Geologically, it occupies the territory of the southern outskirts of the B altic Crystalline Shield (the coastal part of the Vyborg and Finnish Gulfs, Lisiy Island, part of the Kiperort Peninsula and adjacent small islands). The area of the entire territory is 11,295 hectares, including 6940 hectares - the water area of the Gulf of Finland.
The goal of creating the reserve is to preserve a diverse and rich natural complex of islands with rare species of animals and plants, coastal vegetation zones, as well as areas of mass parking of waterfowl and spawning grounds for valuable commercial fish.
