Russian Route M18

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The M18 highway is a major highway in Russia, running from Saint Petersburg to Murmansk. The highway is part of the E105 European route. The highway is the main transportation route by road in the Republic of Karelia and the Murmansk Oblast.

[edit] Route

The M18 highway runs from Saint Petersburg, south of Lake Ladoga to Petrozavodsk, Kondopoga, Medvezhyegorsk, Segezha, Kem, Loukhi, Kandalaksha, Polyarnye Zori, Monchegorsk, Olenegorsk, Kola and ends in Murmansk. It passes the Arctic circle a couple of kilometers south of the border of Karelia and the Murmansk oblast, north of Loukhi.

[edit] Landscape

Typical landscape for the M18 highway in Karelia. This is the river Kumsa at its crossing with the M18.

In the Republic of Karelia, the landscape through which the M18 runs is mainly forest (birches), rivers and lakes. In the Murmansk Oblast, the highway runs for the most part through the Kola Peninsula, a severely polluted area. The landscape here is more open and consists partly of half-tundra.