There are 93 rivers and creeks,20 canals and more than 100 lakes in Saint Petersburg. It is sometimes called "Northern Venice", Today the city stands on 42 islands. St. Petersburg was founded in the mouth of the Neva River where it spills into the Gulf of Finland. There are 539 bridges, 342 are in the city itself. There are 22 drawbridges, and eight over the Neva River(one of the bridges is the picture on our blog with the frozen water). Here is a picture of a frozen canal with the building lined streets.