The Dvina Bay is located in Arkhangelsk Oblast

Arkhangelsk Oblast

Arkhangelsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It includes the Arctic archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, as well as the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea....

 in Northwestern Russia. It is one of four large bays and gulfs of the White Sea

White Sea

The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...

, the others being the Mezen Bay

Mezen Bay

The Mezen Bay is located in Arkhangelsk Oblast and Nenets Autonomous Okrug in Northwestern Russia. It is one of four large bays and gulfs of the White Sea, the others being the Dvina Bay, the Onega Bay, and the Kandalaksha Gulf. The Mezen Bay is the easternmost of these, as it lies to the south of...

, the Onega Bay

Onega Bay

The Onega Bay is located in [the Republic of Karelia and Arkhangelsk Oblast in Northwestern Russia, west of the city of Arkhangelsk. It is the southernmost of four large bays and gulfs of the White Sea, the others being the Dvina Bay, the Mezen Bay, and the Kandalaksha Gulf. The area of the bay is...

, and the Kandalaksha Gulf

Kandalaksha Gulf

The Kandalaksha Gulf is located in the Republic of Karelia, and Murmansk Oblast in northwestern Russia. Forming the north-western corner of the White Sea, it is one of four large bays and gulfs of this sea, the others being the Onega Bay , the Dvina Bay , and the Mezen Bay .The Kola Peninsula...

. The two main river emptying into the Dvina Bay is the Northern Dvina River, while the two cities on the bay are Arkhangelsk

Arkhangelsk

Arkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...

 and Severodvinsk

Severodvinsk

Severodvinsk is a city in the north of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located in the delta of the Northern Dvina River, west of Arkhangelsk. Administratively, it is incorporated as a town of oblast significance . Municipally, it is incorporated as Severodvinsk Urban Okrug. The city was founded as...

. The Dvina Bay is 93 kilometres (57.8 mi) long and 130 kilometres (80.8 mi) wide. Administratively, the coast and the islands belong to Primorsky District

Primorsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast

Primorsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Primorsky Municipal District...

 of Arkhangelsk Oblast.

The Northern Dvina forms a delta

River delta

A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...

 entering the Dvina Bay, with many islands separating different streams. There are many small islands in the Dvina Bay as well, the biggest being Mudyug Island.

It was planned that a national park, Onezhskoye Pomorye National Park, would be open in the coast of the Onega Peninsula to protect pristine forests, however, the creation of the park was delayed and is not currently on the agenda.

The Dvina Bay is limited by the Onega Peninsula

Onega Peninsula

The Onega Peninsula is located in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It protrudes into the White Sea, with Onega Bay to the south-west, and Dvina Bay to the north-east. The length of the peninsula is about , and the width varies between and .-Geography:...

 from the west. At the eastern side, the shore steeply rises to a plateau (White Sea - Kuloy Plateau) which drains east into the Soyana

Soyana River

The Soyana is a river in Primorsky and Mezensky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It is a left tributary of the Kuloy River. It is long, and the area of its basin...

, a major tributary of the Kuloy

Kuloy River (White Sea)

The Kuloy is a river in Pinezhsky and Mezensky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. Its mouth is located in the Mezen Bay of the White Sea. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributaries of the Kuloy are the Kyolda , the Nemnyuga , and the Soyana...

. The Onega Bay shore is often referred to as Letny Bereg (Summer Coast

Summer Coast

The Summer Coast is a coastal area in Arkhangelsk Oblast in northwest Russia. It is located on the western side of the Dvina Bay in the White Sea, on the Onega Peninsula, between the Northern Dvina River delta and Cape Ukhtnavolok, opposite to the Winter Coast...

), and the eastern shore of the bay is Zimny Bereg (Winter Coast

Winter Coast

The Winter Coast is a coastal area in Arkhangelsk Oblast in northwest Russia. It is located on the eastern side of the Dvina Bay in the White Sea, between the Northern Dvina River delta and Cape Voronov, opposite to the Summer Coast. The names reflect the fact that the pomors of the Dvina Bay were...

). The names reflect the fact that the pomors

Pomors

Pomors or Pomory are Russian settlers and their descendants on the White Sea coast. It is also term of self-identification for the descendants of Russian, primarily Novgorod, settlers of Pomorye , living on the White Sea coasts and the territory whose southern border lies on a watershed which...

 of the Dvina Bay were fishing at Summer Coast and Winter Coast in the summer and in the winter, respectively.

The Dvina Bay coast was populated by Russians (Novgorodians

Novgorod Republic

The Novgorod Republic was a large medieval Russian state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th centuries, centred on the city of Novgorod...

, of whom the pomors are the descendants) not later than in 13th century. Until 18th century, when Saint-Petersburg was founded, Arkhangelsk was the only sea harbour of Russia, and the Northern Dvina and the Dvina Bay were main connection of Russia with the outside world. Most of the villages at the Dvina Bay coast such as Pertominsk, Lopshenga, or Yarenga, are old Pomor villages still depending on fishery. Except for vicinity of the river delta of the Northern Dvina, both Winter and Summer coasts are remote, with sea and air being the only connections to the villages. There is regular sea navigation in the summer, serving all of the villages.