Ruokolahti is a municipality of Finland, situated in south-eastern Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

, in the region

Regions of Finland

Finland consists of 19 regions called in Finnish and in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition,...

 of South Karelia

South Karelia

South Karelia is a region of Finland. It borders to the regions of Kymenlaakso, Southern Savonia, North Karelia and to Russia. The term "South Karelia" might also be used to refer to the southern parts of the entire Karelia — the Region of South Karelia is termed "South" because it is the...

. Neighbouring municipalities are Imatra

Imatra

Imatra is a town and municipality in eastern Finland, founded in 1948 around three industrial settlements near the Finnish–Russian border. In the course of the last 50 years, this amorphous group of settlements has grown into a modern industrial town dominated by Lake Saimaa, the Vuoksi River and...

, Lappeenranta

Lappeenranta

Lappeenranta is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about from the Russian border. It belongs to the region of South Karelia. With approximately inhabitants Lappeenranta is the largest city in Finland...

, Taipalsaari

Taipalsaari

Taipalsaari is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....

, Puumala

Puumala

Puumala is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....

, Sulkava

Sulkava

Sulkava is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...

, Punkaharju

Punkaharju

Punkaharju is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...

, Parikkala

Parikkala

Parikkala is a municipality of Finland located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...

 and Rautjärvi

Rautjärvi

Rautjärvi is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....

. Ruokolahti covers an area of km2 of which is water.

Ruokolahti has inhabitants
, but the population is doubled in summer as holidaymakers occupy the 3,000 summer cottages in the region.

Ruokolahti is especially known for its natural beauty. In the west there is the shimmering Lake Saimaa

Saimaa

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...

 and in the east there are hundreds of smaller lakes. The big Salpausselkä

Salpausselkä

Salpausselkä is an extensive ridge system left by the ice age in Southern Finland. It is a large terminal moraine formation that formed in front of the Baltic ice lake during the Younger Dryas period about 12.250 - 10.400 years ago....

 ridges run through the area. It is also the town in which famed sniper Simo Häyhä

Simo Häyhä

Simo Häyhä , nicknamed "White Death" by the Red Army, was a Finnish sniper. Using a modified Mosin–Nagant in the Winter War, he has the highest recorded number of confirmed sniper kills - 505 - in any major war....

, considered to be one of the greatest of all time, spent the last years of his life.

External links

• Municipality of Ruokolahti – Official website
• Discover Ruokolahti – Information for tourists