Lake, on the upper Volga River , northwestern Russia.
It was created by two dams on the Volga and its tributary, the Sheksna. When the project was completed in 1947, a lake of 1,768 sq mi (4,580 sq km) in area was formed; it was the world's largest artificial body of water. It regulates the flow of the Volga, provides power for Moscow and other cities, and is part of the Volga-Baltic Waterway.