Saimaa
Encyclopedia
Saimaa is a lake in southeastern Finland
. At approximately 4400 square kilometres (1,698.8 sq mi), 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 town
s 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 15000 kilometres (9,320.6 mi). 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
connects Saimaa to the Gulf of Finland
. Other canal
s connect Saimaa to smaller lakes in Eastern Finland and form a network of waterway
s. These waterways are mainly used to transport wood
, mineral
s, metal
s, pulp
and other cargo
, but also tourist
s use the waterways.
One of the rare and endangered freshwater seal
s, the Saimaa Ringed Seal
, lives only at Saimaa. Also, the Saimaa salmon
is another endangered species in the same habitat
.
The shores of the lake are the most probable origin of asbestos-ceramic
, a type of pottery manufactured with asbestos and clay between ca 1900 BC – 200 AD. This is because it is the only place with richer easily-accessible natural deposits of asbestos in the area of distribution of the pottery.
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...
. At approximately 4400 square kilometres (1,698.8 sq mi), it is the largest lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in Finland, and the fourth largest in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. It was formed by glacial
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
melting at the end of the Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. Major town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
s on the lakeshore include 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...
, 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...
, Savonlinna
Savonlinna
Savonlinna is a town and a municipality of inhabitants in the southeast of Finland, in the heart of the Saimaa lake region. The Finnish name of the town means "Castle of Savonia" and the Swedish name means "Newcastle".- History :...
, Mikkeli
Mikkeli
Mikkeli is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be 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...
, Varkaus
Varkaus
Varkaus is a Middle-Savonian industrial town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .The municipality is...
, and Joensuu
Joensuu
Joensuu is a city and municipality in North Karelia in eastern Finland. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of North Karelia region. It was founded in 1848...
. The Vuoksi River
Vuoksi River
The Vuoksi River runs in the northernmost part of the Karelian Isthmus from Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland to Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. The river enters Lake Ladoga in three branches, an older main northern branch at Priozersk , a smaller branch few km...
flows from Saimaa to Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the 14th largest lake by area in the world.-Geography:...
. 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
Lake Orivesi
Orivesi is a lake located in the southeastern Finland. The area of the lake is 601.30 km² . Orivesi is one of the major basins of Saimaa. The lake has numerous islands and several open lake areas including Paasselkä, an ancient impact crater in south....
, Puruvesi
Puruvesi
Puruvesi is a lake in Eastern Finland. The lake is located in Kerimäki, Kesälahti and Punkaharju municipalities. Part of the Saimaa lake system, it borders on the sub-lake system of Pihlajavesi to the south...
, Haukivesi
Haukivesi
Haukivesi is a lake in southeastern Finland and a part of the Saimaa lake system. Its area is 562.31 km² . Like other lakes in the system, it contains numerous islands and is divided into a number of smaller regions such as Siitinselkä, Saviluoto, Tahkoselkä, Vuoriselkä, Kuokanselkä, Kuivaselkä,...
, Yövesi, Pihlajavesi, and Pyhäselkä
Lake Pyhäselkä
Pyhäselkä is a lake in Finland. It forms the northernmost part of the Saimaa lake system....
).
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 15000 kilometres (9,320.6 mi). The number of islands in the region, 14,000, also shows what a maze of detail the system is."
The Saimaa Canal
Saimaa Canal
The Saimaa Canal 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 1856 .It was overhauled and widened in 1963–1968....
from 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...
to Vyborg
Vyborg
Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, to the northwest of St. Petersburg and south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...
connects Saimaa to the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
. Other canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s connect Saimaa to smaller lakes in Eastern Finland and form a network of waterway
Waterway
A waterway is any navigable body of water. Waterways can include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:...
s. These waterways are mainly used to transport wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s, metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
s, pulp
Wood pulp
Pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibres from wood, fibre crops or waste paper. Wood pulp is the most common raw material in papermaking.-History:...
and other cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
, but also tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
s use the waterways.
One of the rare and endangered freshwater seal
Freshwater seal
The freshwater seals are the species of seals which live exclusively in freshwater bodies.The only true freshwater seal species is the Baikal Seal....
s, the Saimaa Ringed Seal
Saimaa Ringed Seal
The Saimaa ringed seal The Saimaa ringed seal The Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis, is a subspecies of ringed seal (Pusa hispida). They are among the most endangered seals in the world, having a total population of only about 260 individuals. The only existing population of these seals is...
, lives only at Saimaa. Also, the Saimaa salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
is another endangered species in the same habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
.
Asbestos-Ceramic
Asbestos-ceramic refers to types of pottery manufactured with asbestos and clay with adiabatic behaviour in Finland, Karelia and Northern-Scandinavia...
, a type of pottery manufactured with asbestos and clay between ca 1900 BC – 200 AD. This is because it is the only place with richer easily-accessible natural deposits of asbestos in the area of distribution of the pottery.
External links
- www.ymparisto.fi – Saimaa, nimet ja rajaukset
- thisisFINLAND: Life/Environment - Three environmental portraits
- http://www.gosaimaa.fi/en/ goSaimaa.fi – Information about Lakeland Finland
- Saimaa lake
- Awarded "EDEN - European Destinations of Excellence" non traditional tourist destination 2010