Western Dvina in the context of "Polotsk"

Russia can be divided into an European and an Asian part. The dividing line is generally considered to be the Ural Mountains. The European part is drained into the Arctic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, and Caspian Sea. The Asian part is drained into the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

Notable rivers of Russia in Europe are the Volga (which is the longest river in Europe), Pechora, Don, Kama, Oka and the Northern Dvina, while several other rivers originate in Russia but flow into other countries, such as the Dnieper (flowing through Russia, then Belarus and Ukraine and into the Black Sea) and the Western Dvina (flowing through Russia, then Belarus and Latvia into the Baltic Sea).

Tver Oblast (Russian: Тверская область, romanized: Tverskaya oblastʹ, IPA: [tvʲɪrˈskajə ˈobləsʲtʲ]) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Tver. From 1935 to 1990, it was known as Kalinin Oblast (Russian: Калининская область). Population: 1,353,392 (2010 census).

Tver Oblast is a region of lakes, such as Seliger and Brosno. Much of the remaining area is occupied by the Valdai Hills, where the Volga, the Western Dvina, and the Dnieper have their source.

The Krivichs or Kryvichs (Russian: кри́вичи, romanized: krivichi, IPA: [ˈkrʲivʲɪtɕɪ]; Belarusian: крывічы́, romanized: Kryvichý, IPA: [krɨvʲiˈt͡ʂɨ]) were a tribal union of Early East Slavs between the 6th and the 12th centuries. It is suggested that originally the Krivichi were native to the area around Pskov. They migrated to the mostly Finnic areas in the upper reaches of the Volga, Dnieper, Dvina, areas south of the lower reaches of river Velikaya and parts of the Neman basin.

The Northern Dvina is a river in northern Russia flowing through Vologda Oblast and Arkhangelsk Oblast into the Dvina Bay of the White Sea. Along with the Pechora River to the east, it drains most of Northwest Russia into the Arctic Ocean. It should not be confused with the Western Dvina (Daugava), to which it is not connected.

The principal tributaries of the Northern Dvina are the Vychegda (right), the Vaga (left), and the Pinega (right).