The Izhora (, ), also known as the Inger, is a left

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the

Neva The Neva ( , ; , ) is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria) to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length of , it is the fourth- ...

on its run through

Ingria Ingria (; ; ; ) is a historical region including, and adjacent to, what is now the city of Saint Petersburg in northwestern Russia. The region lies along the southeastern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordered by Lake Ladoga on the Karelian ...

in northwestern

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

from

Lake Ladoga Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, in the vicinity of Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake located entirely in Europe, the second largest lake in Russia after Lake ...

to the

Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland (; ; ; ) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and Estonia to the south, to Saint Petersburg—the second largest city of Russia—to the east, where the river Neva drains into it. ...

. The Izhora flows through Gatchinsky and Tosnensky Districts of

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast (, ; ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). The oblast has an area of and a population of 2,000,997 (2021 Russian census, 2021 Census); up from 1,716,868 recorded in the 2010 Russian census ...

as well as through Pushkinsky and Kolpinsky Districts of the federal city of

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 ...

. The settlement of Ust-Izhora (lit. "mouth of Izhora") is situated at the confluence of Izhora and Neva, halfway between Saint Petersburg and Shlisselburg. The towns of

Kommunar Kommunar or Komunar may refer to: *Kommunar (inhabited locality), several inhabited localities in Russia *Komunarskyi District, an urban district of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine *Kommunar (tractor), a tractor formerly produced in the Soviet Union by Malysh ...

and

Kolpino Kolpino () is a administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg, municipal city in Kolpinsky District of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia, located on the Izhora River (tributary of th ...

are located on the Izhora as well. The river is noted as the farthest Swedish forces ever reached between the

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

and the

Time of Troubles The Time of Troubles (), also known as Smuta (), was a period of political crisis in Tsardom of Russia, Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Feodor I of Russia, Feodor I, the last of the Rurikids, House of Rurik, and ended in 1613 wit ...

. The length of the Izhora is , and the area of its

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

is . The river draws its water mainly from natural groundwater springs, snow melt, and rain water. The river has a sustainable underground water supply in both summer and winter, never drying up or freezing through. The source of the Izhora is located on the

Izhora Plateau The Izhora Plateau () is an elevated landform on Ordovician limestone bedrock in the southwestern part of Leningrad Oblast, between the Gulf of Finland in the north and the Luga River in the south. Its northern edge is formed by the erosional cl ...

at the village of , northwest of the town of Gatchina. The Izhora flows to the east, passes at the northern outskirts of Gatchina, and east of Kommunar enters Tosnensky District. There, for a short stretch it makes the border between Saint Petersburg (north) and Leningrad Oblast (south), returns to the oblast and gradually turns north. In Kolpino, the Izhora enters the federal city of Saint Petersburg. There, it flow north and joins the Neva in the settlement of Ust-Izhora. The drainage basin of the Izhora includes the northern parts of Gatchinsky and Tosnensky Districts, as well as some areas within Saint Petersburg.

References

{{Rivers of Russia Ingria Rivers of Leningrad Oblast Rivers of Saint Petersburg