Saimaa (; ) is a lake in southeastern
Finland. At approximately , it is the largest
lake in Finland, and the fourth largest in
Europe. It was formed by
glacial melting at the end of the
Ice Age. Major
towns on the lakeshore include
Lappeenranta,
Imatra,
Savonlinna,
Mikkeli,
Varkaus, and
Joensuu. The
Vuoksi River flows from Saimaa to
Lake Ladoga. Most of the lake is spotted with islands, and narrow canals divide the lake in many parts, each having their own names (major basins include
Suur-Saimaa,
Orivesi,
Puruvesi,
Haukivesi,
Yövesi,
Pihlajavesi, and
Pyhäselkä).
In places in the Saimaa basin (an area larger than the lake), "there is more shoreline here per unit of area than anywhere else in the world, the total length being nearly . The number of islands in the region, 14,000, also shows what a maze of detail the system is."
The
Saimaa Canal from
Lappeenranta to
Vyborg binds Saimaa to the
Gulf of Finland. Other
canals bind Saimaa to smaller lakes in Eastern Finland and form a network of
waterways. These waterways are mainly used to transport
wood,
minerals,
metals,
pulp and other
cargo, but also
tourists use the waterways.
One of the rare species of
freshwater seals, the
Saimaa Ringed Seal, lives only at Saimaa.
Saimaa highlighted on a satellite photo, Gulf of Finland on the bottom,
Lake Ladoga on the right.
See also
