Basin countries Finland Max. depth 82 m (269 ft) Area 4,400 km² Mean depth 17 m | Average depth 17 m (56 ft) Water volume 36 km (8.6 cu mi) Surface elevation 76 m Shore length 13,700 km | |
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Primary outflows Vuoksi River, Saimaa Canal Surface area 4,400 km (1,700 sq mi) total
(1,377 km (532 sq mi) largest basin) Cities Lappeenranta, Imatra, Savonlinna, Mikkeli, Joensuu Outflow location Vuoksi River, Saimaa Canal | ||
Tale of the lake teaser lake saimaa finland
Saimaa is a lake in southeastern Finland. At approximately 4,400 square kilometres (1,700 sq mi), it is the largest lake in Finland, and the fourth largest natural freshwater lake 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 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). Thus, Saimaa exhibits all major types of lake in Finland at different levels of eutropification.
Contents
- Tale of the lake teaser lake saimaa finland
- Map of Saimaa Finland
- Boating in lake saimaa finland
- History
- References
Map of Saimaa, Finland
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 15,000 kilometres (9,300 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 canals connect 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.
An endangered freshwater seal, the Saimaa Ringed Seal, lives only at Saimaa. Another of the lake's endangered species is the Saimaa salmon.
About 6000 year ago, ancient Lake Saimaa, estimated to cover nearly 9000 km2 at the time, was abruptly discharged through a new outlet. The event created thousands of square kilometres of new residual wetlands. Following this event, the region saw a population maximum in the decades following only to later return to an ecological development towards old boreal conifer forests which saw a decline in population.
Due to its rich, easily accessible asbestos deposits, the shores of the lake are the most probable origin of asbestos-ceramic, a type of pottery made between c. 1900 BC – 200 AD.
Boating in lake saimaa finland
History
The Russian writer Maxim Gorky went into exile near the shores of Lake Saimaa for a period of time after his apartment was raided by the Black Hundreds in the aftermath of the Moscow Uprising of 1905. He wrote to his divorced wife Ekaterina, writing "it's beautiful here, like a fairy tale".