Yli-Kitka is a 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

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 municipalities of Kuusamo

Kuusamo

Kuusamo is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in the Oulu province and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....

 and Posio

Posio

Posio is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Lapland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...

. The lake is connected to Ala-Kitka at Kilkilösalmi strait. Yli-Kitka combined with Ala-Kitka is the largest unregulated lake in Finland. Riisitunturi National Park

Riisitunturi National Park

Riisitunturi National Park is a national park in Posio, Finnish Lapland. It was established in 1982 and covers . The park is on a mountainous area, and there are also many swamps, especially hillside swamps....

 is located north of the lake. From Ala-Kitka the waters flow trough the Kitkanjoki

Kitkanjoki

Kitkanjoki is a river of Finland. It begins from the lake Ala-Kitka that is connected to the lake Yli-Kitka in the municipalities of Posio and Kuusamo in the province of Northern Ostrobothnia and flows then towards Russia joining the river Oulankajoki near the Russian border. It is a part of the...

 river to the Oulankajoki

Oulankajoki

Oulankajoki is a river of Finland and Russia. It is part of the Kovda River system in Finland, in the Republic of Karelia and in the Murmansk Oblast in Russia. From the Kovda River the waters flow into the Lake Pyaozero in the Republic of Karelia in Russia and from there to the White Sea.-See...

 river which is part of the Kovda River

Kovda River

Kovda River is a river in the south of the Kola Peninsula in Murmansk Oblast and Republic of Karelia, Russia. It is 233 km in length. The area of its basin is 26,100 km². The Kovda River originates in the Lake Topozero and flows through the lakes Lake Pyaozero and Lake Kovdozero into the...

 basin that drains into the White Sea

White Sea

The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...

in Russia.