Lake Peipus in the context of "Battle on the Ice"

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.

The Velikaya (Russian: Вели́кая) is a river in Novosokolnichesky, Pustoshkinsky, Sebezhsky, Opochetsky, Pushkinogorsky, Ostrovsky, Palkinsky, and Pskovsky Districts of Pskov Oblast, as well as in the city of Pskov in Russia. It is the largest tributary of Lake Peipus and belongs to the drainage basin of the Narva. It is 430 kilometres (270 mi) long, and the area of its basin 25,200 square kilometres (9,700 sq mi). The name of the river literally means "Grand" or "Great" in Russian. The towns of Opochka, Ostrov and Pskov are located on the banks of the Velikaya. The principal tributaries of the Velikaya are the Alolya (right), the Issa (left), the Sorot (right), the Sinyaya (left), the Utroya (left), the Kukhva (left), the Cheryokha (right), and the Pskova (right).

The source of the Velikaya is located in the Bezhanitsy Hills in the northwest of Novosokolnichesky District. The river flows south through a system of lakes to Lake Veryato, where it turns west. It accepts the Alolya from the right and gradually turns north, passing through the town of Opochka. Northwest of the urban-type settlement of Pushkinskiye Gory it turns west, accepts the Sinyaya from the left and turns north. In the city of Pskov the Velikaya accepts the Pskova from the right and turns northwest, forming a river delta as it enters Lake Peipus.

Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia.

By the end of the 13th century, the name was extended to most of present-day Estonia and Latvia, which the Livonian Brothers of the Sword had conquered during the Livonian Crusade (1193–1290). Medieval Livonia, or Terra Mariana, reached its greatest extent after the Saint George's Night Uprising (1343–1345), which forced Denmark to sell the Duchy of Estonia (northern Estonia conquered by Denmark in the 13th century) to the State of the Teutonic Order in 1346. Livonia, as understood after the retreat of Denmark in 1346, bordered on the Gulf of Finland in the north, Lake Peipus and Russia to the east, and Lithuania to the south.

Setos (Seto: setokõsõq, setoq, Estonian: setukesed, setud) are an indigenous Finnic people and linguistic minority that have historically lived in the borderlands between modern day Estonia and Russia. Setos have historically spoken the Seto language and been Orthodox Christians. The Seto language (like Estonian and Finnish) belongs to the Finnic group of the Uralic language family. Since the early 2000s, the Setos have sought greater recognition, rather than having their language considered a dialect of Estonian. Eastern Orthodox Christianity, with influences from local folk religions is widely practiced by the Seto peoples.

The ancestral homes of many Setos can be found to the south of Lake Peipus, in the Setomaa region. After 1991 however, this territory was divided between the newly independent Estonia (Põlva and Võro counties) and the north-western sections of the Russian Federation (Pechorsky District of Pskov Oblast).

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.

Pskovsky District (Russian: Пско́вский райо́н) is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the twenty-four in Pskov Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwest of the oblast and borders with Gdovsky District in the north, Strugo-Krasnensky District in the northeast, Porkhovsky District in the east, Ostrovsky District in the south, and with Palkinsky and Pechorsky Districts in the southwest. Lake Peipus forms the border with Estonia in the west. The area of the district is 3,600 square kilometers (1,400 sq mi). Its administrative center is the city of Pskov (which is not administratively a part of the district). Population: 34,323 (2010 census); 37,216 (2002 Census); 37,557 (1989 Soviet census).

The Narva, formerly also Narwa or Narova, is a river in northeastern Estonia flowing 77 kilometres (48 mi) north from Lake Peipus to the Baltic Sea. It is the largest Estonian river by discharge and forms part of the Estonia–Russia border.

The river gives its name to the archaeological (Neolithic) Narva culture, as well as the city of Narva. Narva is the third most populous urban area in Estonia and faces the Russian town of Ivangorod across the river.