Saimaa (/ˈsaɪmɑː/ SY-mah, Finnish: [ˈsɑi̯mɑː]; Swedish: Saimen) is a lake located in the Finnish Lakeland area in southeastern Finland. With a surface area of approximately 4,279 square kilometres (1,652 sq mi), it is the largest lake in Finland, and the fourth-largest natural freshwater lake in Europe.
The name Saimaa likely comes from a non-Uralic, non-Indo European substrate language. Alternatively, it has been proposed that the name may be connected to the Sami word sápmi.
Savonlinna (UK: /ˌsɑːvɒnˈlɪnə/, Finnish: [ˈsɑʋonˌlinːɑ], lit. 'Castle of Savo'; Swedish: Nyslott, lit. 'New Castle') is a town in Finland, located in the eastern interior of the country. It lies in the Finnish Lakeland, the South Savo region. The population of Savonlinna is approximately 31,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 38,000. It is the 36th most populous municipality in Finland.
Savonlinna is located in the heart of the Saimaa Lakeland, which is why it is also known as the "Capital of Saimaa". Together with Mikkeli, they are the two largest towns in the South Savo region and both are centres of the region's hospital districts. Savonlinna enclaves the municipality of Enonkoski.
Mikkeli (Finnish: [ˈmikːeli]; Swedish: S:t Michel; Latin: Michaelia; Russian: Миккели) is a city in, and the regional capital of, South Savo, Finland, located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population is approximately 52,000, while the Mikkeli sub-region of South Savo has a population of approximately 68,000. Mikkeli is the 18th most-populous municipality of Finland and the 19th most-populous urban area in the country.
Mikkeli is located on the shores of Lake Saimaa, the largest lake in the country, and Europe's fourth largest. Prior to being located within South Savo, the city was in Mikkeli Province (until 1997), before becoming part of Eastern Finland Province (1997-2009). The city covers an area of 3,229.57 square kilometres (1,246.94 sq mi), of which 424.7 km (164.0 sq mi) is water. Mikkeli is one of the largest towns in the South Savo region, and one of the main hubs in the region's hospital districts, along with Savonlinna.
Most lakes in Finland are small, but there are 309 lakes or reservoirs with a surface area larger than 10 km². There are about 5,600 lakes in Finland that are larger than 0.1 km² (10 hectares or 100'000 square metres), and 187,888 lakes larger than five ares (500 square metres / 5,382 sq.ft.). There is no standard unambiguous definition of the size requirements for a water body to be classified as a lake. Saimaa is the largest lake in Finland, and the fourth-largest natural freshwater lake in Europe.
They are listed here along with some smaller noteworthy lakes.
Haukivesi is a lake in southeastern Finland and a part of the Saimaa lake system. Haukivesi is the central basin of the system, collecting 80% of the water that eventually flows into Lake Ladoga through River Vuoksi. Its area is 562.31 square kilometres (217.11 sq mi) (8th). Like other lakes in the system, it has a convoluted shoreline with numerous islands and is divided into a number of smaller regions (selkä) such as Siitinselkä, Saviluoto, Tahkoselkä, Vuoriselkä, Kuokanselkä, Kuivaselkä, Heposelkä, Peonselkä, Tuunaanselkä, Hiekonselkä, Varparannanselkä, and Iso-Haukivesi. Haukivesi stretches from Varkaus to Savonlinna in a northeast–southwest direction. The northern part is shallow, at less than 20 metres (66 ft), but deepens toward the southeast, up to 60 metres (200 ft) at Kuivaselkä.
Most water flows from the east, through Tappuvirta, Oravikoski and Haponlahti locks. A smaller inflow is from the north, through Pirtinvirta in Varkaus. Of the lakes in the Saimaa lake system, Haukivesi receives the most nutrients. The water quality varies with location, because of the differences between the water qualities of the inflows. In Haukivesi, more nutrient-rich water flowing from the north mixes with purer waters from the east. The largest individual pollution sources are the city of Varkaus and its pulp mills, although smaller settlements and diffuse pollution from agriculture and forestry contribute. The lake was heavily polluted by the pulp mills up to the 70s, but stricter regulation forced the mills to treat their wastewaters, and thus the lake recovered.
Pihlajavesi is a lake in Finland. The area of the lake is 712.59 square kilometres (275.13 sq mi) making it the sixth largest lake in the country. Pihlajavesi is the second-largest basin in the complex Saimaa lake system. Pihlajavesi lacks large open lake areas but has more islands than any other lake in Finland.
Pihlajavesi and the castle Olavinlinna on an island of it are regarded as a national landscape of Finland.
Vyborg Bay (Russian: Выборгский залив; Finnish: Viipurinlahti; Swedish: Viborgska viken) is a deep inlet running northeastward near the eastern end of Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea. The Russian city of Vyborg is located near the head of the gulf.
Since the mid-19th century, the bay has been connected by the Saimaa Canal to the lake Saimaa in Finland.
Joensuu (Finnish: [ˈjoensuː] ; Karelian: Jovensuu, lit. 'river's mouth') is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Karelia. It is located in the eastern interior of the country and in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Joensuu is approximately 78,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 127,000. It is the 11th most populous municipality in Finland, and the ninth most populous urban area in the country.
Joensuu was founded in 1848 by the Russian Emperor Nicholas I during Grand Duchy of Finland period. The city is located on the northern shore of Lake Pyhäselkä, the northern part of Lake Saimaa, at the mouth of the River Pielinen. The nearest major city, Kuopio in North Savo, is located 136 kilometres (85 mi) to the west. From Joensuu, the distance to Lappeenranta, the capital of South Karelia, is 233 kilometres (145 mi) along Highway 6.
The Saimaa Canal (Finnish: Saimaan kanava; Swedish: Saima kanal; Russian: Сайменский канал) is a transportation canal that connects lake Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland near Vyborg, Russia. The canal was built from 1845 to 1856 and opened on 7 September [O.S. 26 August] 1856. It was overhauled and widened in 1963–1968.
A system of inland waterways and canals in the 120 interconnected lakes of the south-central and south-east part of Finland (Finnish Lakeland) are reached through the canal. The network of deep channels in Lake Saimaa with at least a draught of 4.2 m (14 ft) covers 814 km (506 mi). The deep channels extend all the way to Kuopio in Central Finland. The canal is closed in the winter.