Ladoga Canal major canals constructed in Russia. It was one of the projects of Peter the Great, who ordered its construction in 1718. Rapid economic development in Russia required a significant expansion of routes, especially waterways. One part of the Vyshny Volochek waterway (1709) linking the Volga river to the Baltic Sea, passed through Lake Ladoga. The Ladoga section of the route was one of the most difficult and dangerous because the lake is prone to winds and storms which destroyed hundreds of cargo ships. Peter the Great decided to avoid the navigation in the huge and stormy lake by building a
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