The Paatsjoki River (, , , , , , ''Paz or Patsoyoki'') is a river that flows through

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, and

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 ...

. Since 1826, the river has marked parts of the

Norway–Russia border The border between Norway and Russia consists of a land border between Sør-Varanger Municipality, Norway, and Pechengsky District, Russia, and a marine border in the Varangerfjord. It further consists of a border between the two countrie ...

, except from 1920 to 1944 when it was along the

Finland–Norway border Norway and Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf o ...

. The river is the outlet from the large

Lake Inari Lake Inari (, , , , , ) is the largest lake in Sápmi and the third-largest lake in Finland. It is located in the northern part of Lapland, north of the Arctic Circle. The lake is above sea level, and is regulated at the Kaitakoski power plan ...

in Finland and flows through Norway and Russia to discharge into the

Bøkfjorden or is a fjord in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The long fjord is a southern branch off of the main Varangerfjord. The river Pasvikelva empties into the Bøkfjorden at the village of Elvenes (which lies only about fr ...

(which later flows into the

Varangerfjorden The Varangerfjord (; ; ; ) is the easternmost fjord in Norway, north of Finland. The fjord is located in Finnmark county between the Varanger Peninsula and the mainland of Norway. Extents The fjord flows through the municipalities of Vardø, ...

and then the

Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; , ; ) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territorial waters.World Wildlife Fund, 2008. It was known earlier among Russi ...

), not far from the town of

Kirkenes (Norwegian language, Norwegian; ), (Northern Sami language, Northern Sami; , or is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark county, in the far northeastern part of Norway. The town lies on a peninsu ...

. The river has a

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

of , and is long. A series of

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

stations, known as the

Paatsjoki River Hydroelectric Plants The Paatsjoki River hydroelectric power plants are a series of hydroelectric installations on the Paatsjoki River. Description The Paatsjoki River flows from Lake Inari in Finland and for most of its duration, it marks the border between Russia an ...

, are along the river. Five of those sevenhttps://www.dagsavisen.no/nyheter/2023/12/03/samarbeid-med-russland-lagt-pa-is-et-tap/.

Dagsavisen is a daily newspaper published in Oslo, Norway. The former party organ of the Norwegian Labour Party, the ties loosened over time from 1975 to 1999. It has borne several names, and was called ''Arbeiderbladet'' from 1923 to 1997. Eirik Hoff Lys ...

.no. Retrieved 2023-12-04 power stations, are Russian. The river provides good fishing opportunities for

Atlantic salmon The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Hucho taimen, Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlan ...

, although fishermen must ensure that their fishing lines do not cross the international border.

References

External links

Rivers of Finland Rivers of Finnmark Rivers of Murmansk Oblast International rivers of Europe Norway–Russia border Rivers of Inari, Finland Border rivers {{Russia-river-stub