Moscow Canal

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The Moscow Canal (Russian: Кана́л и́мени Москвы́); until 1947 called Moscow-Volga Canal is a canal that connects the Moskva River with the main transportation artery of European Russia, the Volga. It is located in Moscow and Tver Oblasts north of Moscow.

The Moscow Canal, constructed by gulag prisoners during Stalin's term in office, begins in the Ivankovo Reservoir near the town of Dubna and connects with the Moskva River at the 191st kilometer from its estuary in Tushino. The length of the canal is 128 km.

Thanks to the Moscow Canal, Moscow has access to five seas, including the White Sea, Baltic Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea. This is why Moscow is sometimes called the "port of the five seas" (порт пяти морей). Apart from transportation, the canal also provides about half of Moscow's water consumption, and the shores of its numerous reservoirs are used as recreation zones.