Vaga

Vaga belongs to the northern Russian river country of Pomorye, where waterways linked forest settlements with the Northern Dvina and the approaches to the White Sea. Agriculture on suitable ground combined with hunting, fishing, woodland work, and trade. Rivers carried heavy goods more effectively than difficult forest roads, while winter conditions changed the possibilities of travel.

The Vaga basin formed part of the northern lands connected with Novgorod. At Shenkursk, a pogost on the river is recorded in 1315, when a Novgorodian official purchased land from local Vaga princes. Later Muscovite administration and trading networks drew on the river corridor, while forest and farming communities sustained the practical work of transport and production.