The pearl of Mordovia, the magnificent lake Inerka, is located in the picturesque pine forest near the private houses in the village of Permisi, Bereznikovsky district, Mordovia. The lake is a part of the old streambed of the river Sura, that’s why it is of oval shape. Since one of the Finno-Ugric peoples is erzya that traditionally live in the valley of the river Sura, the lake can be referred to as a natural wonder of this people with good reason.

The lake spreads nearly 4.1 km long; the distance between its banks is about 200 m. For all that, Lake Inerka is quite deep: In some places it reaches 11.2 m. The area of the lake is 56 hectares. The lake is a former riverbed. The water transparency reaches 2 m. The color is bluish-greenish with pronounced brownish-yellowish tints.

Lake Inerka is really large and lovely, that’s why it totally justifies its name: In Mordovian the combination of words “ine” and “erke” means “great lake”. In 1974 Lake Inerka was deservedly given the title of a local natural site.