The Emajõgi (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈemɑ.jɤgi]; lit. 'Mother river') is a river in Estonia which flows from Lake Võrtsjärv through Tartu County into Lake Peipus, crossing the city of Tartu for 10 km (6.2 mi). It has a length of 100 km (62 mi).
The Emajõgi is sometimes called the Suur Emajõgi ('Great Emajõgi'), in contrast with the Väike Emajõgi ('Little Emajõgi'), another river which flows into the southern end of Lake Võrtsjärv.
Lake Võrtsjärv (Estonian: Võrtsjärv [ˈʋɤrts.jærʋ] lit. 'Võrts lake'; German: Wirzsee) is a lake in southern Estonia with an area of 270 km² (104 mi²).
It is the second largest lake in Estonia (after Lake Peipus), and the largest lake situated entirely within Estonia. The shallow lake is 33.7 m (111 ft) above sea level. The Emajõgi river flows from Lake Võrtsjärv to Lake Peipus.
Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is 186 kilometres (116 miles) southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the two largest lakes in Estonia, Lake Võrtsjärv and Lake Peipus. From the 13th century until the end of the 19th century, Tartu was known in most of the world by variants of its historical name Dorpat.
Tartu, the largest urban centre of southern Estonia, is home to the nation's oldest and most renowned university, the University of Tartu (founded in 1632). Tartu also houses the Supreme Court of Estonia, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Estonian National Museum, and the oldest Estonian-language theatre, Vanemuine. It is also the birthplace of the Estonian Song Festivals.