Staraya Ladoga Staraya Ladoga Staraya Ladoga (); ; ) is a rural locality (a "selo") in Volkhovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Volkhov River near Lake Ladoga, north of the town of Volkhov, the administrative center of the district. It used to be a prosperous trading outpost in the 8th and 9th centuries. A multi-ethnic settlement, it was dominated by Scandinavians who were called by the name of Rus'. For that reason, it is sometimes called the first capital of Russia. Dendrochronology suggests that Ladoga was founded in 753. Until 950, it was one of the most important trading
Lake Sevan cultural monument is the Sevanavank monastery located on the peninsula, which was until the mid-20th century an island. Another prominent monastery at the western shore is Hayravank, and further south, in the village of Noratus, is a field of "khachkars", a cemetery with about 900 "khachkars" of different styles. Additional "khachkars" are found at Nerkin Getashen on the south coast. Sevan trout ("Salmo ischchan") is an endemic species of the lake, but it is endangered as some competitors were introduced into the lake, including common whitefish ("Coregonus lavaretus") from Lake Ladoga, goldfish ("Carrasius auratus"), and crayfish ("Astacus leptodactylus"). If the