Updated: 24.12.2003

River, north-western Russia. It is the major outlet for Lake Ilmen, whence it flows past Novgorod and directly north-northeast into Lake Ladoga across a level, swampy basin.

The river is 139 mi (224 km) long and drains a basin of 31,000 sq mi (80,200 sq km).

It is frozen from mid-November to mid-April.

At the town of Volkhov the first hydroelectric station in the Soviet Union was built in 1926.

The Volkhov, in early times part of the important Baltic Sea-Black Sea trade route,is navigable only by small craft.