The Dvina Bay () is located in

Arkhangelsk Oblast Arkhangelsk Oblast ( rus, Архангельская область, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲskəjə ˈobɫəsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It includes the Arctic Ocean, Arctic archipelagos of Franz ...

in Northwestern Russia. It is one of four large bays and gulfs of the

White Sea The White Sea (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; ) 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 nort ...

, the others being the Mezen Bay, the Onega Bay, and the Kandalaksha Gulf. The two main river emptying into the Dvina Bay is the Northern Dvina River, while the two cities on the bay are

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near its mouth into the White Sea. The city spreads for over along the ...

and

Severodvinsk Severodvinsk (; ) is a city in the north of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located in the delta of the Northern Dvina, west of Arkhangelsk, the administrative center of the oblast. As of the 2021 Census, the population was 157,213. Due to the p ...

. The Dvina Bay is long and wide. Administratively, the coast and the islands belong to Primorsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast. The Northern Dvina forms a

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

entering the Dvina Bay, with many islands separating different streams. There are many small islands in the Dvina Bay as well, the biggest being Mudyug Island. A national park, Onezhskoye Pomorye National Park, was open on the Onega Peninsula on 26 February 2013. The Dvina Bay is limited by the Onega Peninsula from the west. At the eastern side, the shore steeply rises to a plateau ( White Sea - Kuloy Plateau) which drains east into the Soyana, a major tributary of the Kuloy. The Onega Peninsula shore is often referred to as ''Letny Bereg'' ( Summer Coast), and the eastern shore of the bay is ''Zimny Bereg'' ( Winter Coast). The names reflect the fact that the Pomors of the Dvina Bay were fishing at Summer Coast and Winter Coast in the summer and in the winter, respectively. The Dvina Bay coast was populated by Russians ( Novgorodians, of whom the Pomors are the descendants) and

Karelians Karelians (; ; ; ) are a Baltic Finnic ethnic group who are indigenous to the historical region of Karelia, which is today split between Finland and Russia. Karelians living in Russian Karelia are considered a distinct ethnic group closely ...

, both not later than in the 13th century. Until the 18th century, when

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

was founded, Arkhangelsk was the only sea harbour of Russia, and the Northern Dvina and the Dvina Bay were main connection of Russia with the outside world. Most of the villages at the Dvina Bay coast such as Pertominsk, Lopshenga, or Yarenga, are old Pomor villages still depending on fishery. Except for vicinity of the river delta of the Northern Dvina, both Winter and Summer coasts are remote, with sea and air being the only connections to the villages. There is regular sea navigation in the summer, serving all of the villages.

References

{{Coord, 65, 00, N, 39, 13, E, scale:3000000_source:frwiki, display=title Bays of the White Sea Bays of Arkhangelsk Oblast