Saimaa
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A Picture of a canal in Saimaa |
Saimaa, or
Saimen in
Swedish, is a lake in southeastern
Finland. At approximately 4,400
square km, it is the largest
lake in Finland, and the fourth largest in
Europe. Major
towns on the lakeshore include
Lappeenranta,
Imatra,
Savonlinna and
Mikkeli. The
Vuoksi River flows from Saimaa to
Lake Ladoga.
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 two
fresh water seal species, the
Saimaa Ringed Seal lives in Saimaa.
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Saimaa - Finland´s largest lake
