Novgorod Oblast in the context of Polist

The Valdai Hills, sometimes shortened to Valdai, are an upland region in the north-west of central European Russia running north–south, about midway between Saint Petersburg and Moscow, spanning Leningrad, Novgorod, Tver, Pskov, and Smolensk Oblasts.

The Valdai Hills are a popular tourist destination, particularly for fishing. The towns of Ostashkov and Valday are also known for their historical associations.

Leningrad Oblast (Russian: Ленинградская область, romanized: Leningradskaya oblastʹ, IPA: [lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ]; Veps: Leningradan agj; Finnish: Leningradin alue) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). The oblast has an area of 84,500 square kilometres (32,600 sq mi) and a population of 2,000,997 (2021 Census); up from 1,716,868 recorded in the 2010 Census. Leningrad Oblast is highly industrialized. Its administrative center and largest city is Gatchina.

The oblast was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position. The oblast was named after the city of Leningrad. In 1991, the city restored its original name, Saint Petersburg, but the oblast retains the name of Leningrad. It overlaps the historical region of Ingria, and is bordered by Finland (Kymenlaakso and South Karelia) in the northwest and Estonia (Ida-Viru County) in the west, as well as five federal subjects of Russia: the Republic of Karelia in the northeast, Vologda Oblast in the east, Novgorod Oblast in the south, Pskov Oblast in the southwest, and the federal city of Saint Petersburg in the west.

Veliky Novgorod (/vəˈliːki ˈnɒvɡərɒd/ və-LEE-kee NOV-gə-rod; Russian: Великий Новгород, IPA: [vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət]; lit. 'Great Newtown'), also known simply as Novgorod (Новгород), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the Volkhov River just downstream from its outflow from Lake Ilmen and is situated on the M10 federal highway connecting Moscow and Saint Petersburg. UNESCO recognized Novgorod as a World Heritage Site in 1992. The city has a population of 224,286 (2021 census).

At its peak during the 14th century, the city was the capital of the Novgorod Republic and was one of Europe's largest cities. The "Великий" (Veliky) part was added to the city's name in 1999.

Valday (Russian: Валда́й) is a town and the administrative center of Valdaysky District in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the southwestern shore of Lake Valdayskoye, the biggest one in the set of lakes in the highest region of the Valdai Hills, on the M10 Highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg, 386 kilometers (240 mi) from Moscow and 140 kilometers (87 mi) from Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 16,098 (2010 census); 18,703 (2002 census); 19,173 (1989 Soviet census).

Karelians (Karelian: karjalaižet, karjalazet, karjalaiset; Finnish: karjalaiset; Swedish: kareler, karelare; Russian: карелы, romanized: karely) are a Baltic Finnic ethnic group who are indigenous to the historical region of Karelia, which is today split between Finland and Russia. Karelians living in Russian Karelia are considered a distinct ethnic group closely related to Finnish Karelians, who are considered a subset of Finns. This distinction historically arose from Karelia having been fought over and eventually split between Sweden and Novgorod, resulting in Karelians being under different cultural spheres.

In Russia, Karelians mostly live in the Republic of Karelia, where they are the designated ethnic group, and in other adjacent north-western parts of the country. They traditionally speak the Karelian language and are Eastern Orthodox Christians. There are also significant Karelian enclaves in the Tver and Novgorod oblasts, as some Karelians migrated to those areas after the Russo-Swedish War of 1656–1658.

The Volkhov (/ˈvɔːlxɒv/ VAWL-khov; Russian: Волхов [ˈvoɫxəf]; Veps: Olhav) is a river in Novgorodsky and Chudovsky Districts of Novgorod Oblast and Kirishsky and Volkhovsky Districts of Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia. The Volkhov, which forms part of the basin of the Neva, is the only outflow of Lake Ilmen, and connects it with Lake Ladoga. The length of the Volkhov is 224 kilometres (139 mi), and the area of its drainage basin is 80,200 square kilometres (31,000 sq mi). The city of Veliky Novgorod, the towns of Kirishi, Volkhov and Novaya Ladoga, and the historically important village of Staraya Ladoga are located along the Volkhov.

Lake Ilmen (Russian: И́льмень, IPA: [ˈilʲmʲɪnʲ]) is a large lake in Novgorod Oblast, Russia. A historically important lake, it formed a vital part of the medieval trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The city of Veliky Novgorod, which is a major trade center of the route, lies six kilometres (3.7 mi) below the lake's sole outflow, via the Volkhov River.

According to Max Vasmer's Etymological Dictionary, the name of the lake originates from Finnic Ilmajärvi, which means "air lake". Thanks to Novgorodian colonisation, many lakes in Russia have names deriving from Lake Ilmen. Yuri Otkupshchikov has argued that the presence of the name "Ilmen" in Southern Russia cannot be explained by Novgorodian colonisation alone, and proposed a Slavic etymology instead.

The Lovat (Belarusian: Ловаць, romanized: Lovac', IPA: [ˈɫovatsʲ]; Russian: Ло́вать) is a river in Vitebsk Oblast of Belarus, Usvyatsky, Velikoluksky, and Loknyansky Districts, as well as of the city of Velikiye Luki, of Pskov Oblast and Kholmsky, Poddorsky, Starorussky, and Parfinsky Districts of Novgorod Oblast in Russia. The source of the Lovat is Lake Lovatets in northeastern Belarus, and the Lovat is a tributary of Lake Ilmen. Its main tributaries are the Loknya (left), the Kunya (right), the Polist (left), the Redya (left), and the Robya (right). The towns of Velikiye Luki and Kholm, as well as the urban-type settlement of Parfino, are located on the banks of the Lovat.

From the source, the Lovat flows in the southeastern direction along the border between Russia and Belarus, it turns north and enters Pskov Oblast of Russia, crossing the border as Lake Sesito. In this area, the Lowat flows through the lake district, passing, in particular, Lake Vorokhobskoye. Downstrean of Velikiye Luki, in the selo of Podberezye, the Lovat turns northwest and enters Novgorod Oblast. Close to Lake Ilmen, the Lovat shares a river delta with the Pola and the Polist, though technically Polist is counted as a tributary of the Lovat.

The Kunya (Russian: Ку́нья) is a river in Kunyinsky, Velikoluksky, and Loknyansky Districts of Pskov Oblast, Toropetsky District of Tver Oblast, and Kholmsky District of Novgorod Oblast in Russia. It is a major right tributary of the Lovat. It is 258 kilometres (160 mi) long, and the area of its basin 5,143 square kilometres (1,986 sq mi). The town of Kholm is located on the mouth of the Kunya. The principal tributaries of the Kunya are the Oka, the Serezha, the Maly Tuder, and the Bolshoy Tuder (all from the right).

The source of the Kunya is in Lake Vsteselovo in the central part of Kunyinsky District, in the southeast of Pskov Oblast. It flows out of the lake in the southern direction and gradually makes a U-turn and turns north. Some stretches of the Kunya make the border between Kunyinsky and Velikoluksky Districts, and, more to the north, between Velikoluksky District and Tver Oblast. North of the village of Chaltsevo, the border between the oblasts turns west, and the Kunya continues north and enters Toropetsky District of Tver Oblast. The Kunya accepts the Serezha from the right and a short stretch of it forms the border between Pskov and Tver Oblasts again. North of this stretch, at the triple point, the Kunya enters Novgorod Oblast and turns northeast. The mouth of the Kunya is located in the town of Kholm.

The Saint Petersburg to Moscow railway (1855–1923 – Nikolaevskaya railway) runs for 649.7 kilometers (403.7 mi) through four oblasts: Leningrad, Novgorod, Tver and Moscow. It is a major traffic artery in the north-west region of Russia, operated by the October Railway subdivision of Russian Railways.

Tosnensky District (Russian: То́сненский райо́н) is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the seventeen in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the central southwestern part of the oblast and borders with Kirovsky District in the north, Kirishsky District in the east, Chudovsky District of Novgorod Oblast in the southeast, Novgorodsky District of Novgorod Oblast in the south, Luzhsky District in the southwest, Gatchinsky District in the west, and Pushkinsky and Kolpinsky Districts of the federal city of Saint Petersburg in the northwest. The area of the district is 3,585.4 square kilometers (1,384.3 sq mi). Its administrative center is the town of Tosno. Population (excluding the administrative center): 83,898 (2010 census); 77,194 (2002 Census); 78,500 (1989 Soviet census).

Staraya Russa (Russian: Старая Русса, IPA: [ˈstarəjə ˈrusːə]) is a town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist River, 99 kilometers (62 mi) south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased over the past years, going from 41,538 recorded in the 1989 Census to 35,511 in the 2002 Census to 31,809 in the 2010 Census.

Seliger (Russian: Селиге́р, IPA: [sʲɪlʲɪˈgʲer]) is a lake in Ostashkovsky District of Tver Oblast and (in the extreme northern part) in Demyansky District of Novgorod Oblast of Russia, in the northwest of the Valdai Hills, a part of the Volga basin. It has an absolute height of 205 metres (673 ft), an area of 212 square kilometres (82 sq mi), and an average depth of 5.8 metres (19 ft).

Lake Seliger is a large system of bodies of water linked by channels, has many small islands, and is surrounded by forests - including pine woods with many berries and mushrooms. It is one of the biggest natural lakes of Central Russia. The only outflow of the lake, the Selizharovka River, flows from the southern end of the lake and drains into the Volga after 36 kilometres (22 mi). The drainage basin of the lake includes the major part of Ostashkovsky District, the south of Demyansky District, as well as minor areas in the Firovsky District of Tver Oblast.

Ostashkovsky District (Russian: Оста́шковский райо́н) is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the thirty-six in Tver Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwest of the oblast and borders with Demyansky District of Novgorod Oblast in the north, Firovsky District in the northwest, Kuvshinovsky District in the east, Selizharovsky District in the south, Penovsky District in the southwest, and with Maryovsky District of Novgorod Oblast in the west. The area of the district is 3,200 square kilometers (1,200 sq mi). Its administrative center is the town of Ostashkov. Population: 23,761 (2010 Census); 7,357 (2002 census); 8,921 (1989 Soviet census). The population of Ostashkov accounts for 76.1% of the district's total population.

Valdaysky District (Russian: Валда́йский райо́н) is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the twenty-one in Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southeast of the oblast and borders with Okulovsky District in the north, Bologovsky District of Tver Oblast in the east, the territory of the closed administrative-territorial formation of Ozyorny of Tver Oblast in the southeast, Firovsky District of Tver Oblast in the south, Demyansky District in the southwest, and with Krestetsky District in the northwest. The area of the district is 2,701.63 square kilometers (1,043.11 sq mi). Its administrative center is the town of Valday. Population: 26,476 (2010 census); 29,943 (2002 Census); 32,373 (1989 Soviet census). The population of Valday accounts for 60.8% of the district's total population.

Lake Valdayskoye, or Lake Valdai (Russian: Валдайское озеро, озеро Валдай, romanized: ozero Valdai) is a freshwater lake located in the center of Valdaysky District of Novgorod Oblast in Russia in the middle of the Valdai Hills. One of the largest lakes in Novgorod Oblast, it has a surface area (without islands) of 19.7 km (7.6 sq mi), and the area of its basin is 97.2 km (37.5 sq mi). The average depth of Lake Valdayskoye is 12 m (39 ft) (the deepest point reaches 60 m (200 ft)). The lake freezes up in early December and stays icebound until early May. The lake is located in the center of Valdaysky National Park.

The town of Valday stands on the southwestern shore of the lake along the M10 Moscow - St. Petersburg highway. One of the islands, Selvitsky Island (Russian: Остров Сельвицкий), is occupied by the Valday Iversky Monastery. Besides Valday, there are also several villages around the lake. An anabranch connects Lake Valdai to a smaller lake, Lake Uzhin (Russian: озеро Ужин). Lake Uzhin, the source of the Valdayka River, belongs to the river basin of the Msta River and thus to the Baltic Sea basin.

Firovsky District (Russian: Фи́ровский райо́н) is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the thirty-six in Tver Oblast, Russia. It is located in the north of the oblast and borders with the urban-type settlement of Ozyorny in the north, Bologovsky District in the northeast, Vyshnevolotsky District in the east, Kuvshinovsky District in the south, Ostashkovsky District in the southwest, Demyansky District of Novgorod Oblast in the west, and with Valdaysky District, also of Novgorod Oblast, in the northwest. The area of the district is 1,836 square kilometers (709 sq mi). Its administrative center is the urban locality (an urban-type settlement) of Firovo. Population: 9,396 (2010 Census); 11,919 (2002 census); 14,282 (1989 Soviet census). The population of Firovo accounts for 25.9% of the district's total population.