Lake Saimaa
Lake Saimaa is the largest lake in Finland and the fifth largest in Europe, with an area of 4,377 km². It is located in the southeastern part of the country and on its shores are several notable cities, like Lappeenranta, Imatra, Savonlinna and Mikkeli. The lake drains mainly through the Vuoksi River, which flows into Lake Ladoga, today located entirely in Russia.
Most of the lake is dotted with islands and narrow channels that divide the lake into many parts, each with its own name, actually being almost a complex of lakes. The most important parts or basins are Saimaa itself (1377 km²), Suur-Saimaa, Orivesi (601 km²), Puruvesi (421 km²), Haukivesi (620 km²), Yövesi, Pihlajavesi (713 km²), Pyhäselkä (361 km²) and Enonvesi (196 km²).
This lake is home to Lake Saimaa salmon and one of the rarest endangered freshwater seals. The Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis) is known locally as Norppa.
Saimaa Channel
The Saimaa Canal from Lauritsala, Lappeenranta to Vyborg connects the lake with the Gulf of Finland. Other canals connect Saimaa with the small lakes in eastern Finland and form a complex network of waterways used mainly for transporting timber, minerals, metals, pulp and other cargo, but also for tourist trips.
Topography
The Vuoksi River runs from Saimaa to Lake Ladoga. Much of the lake has numerous islands, and narrow channels that divide the lake into many parts, each of which has its name (the main basins are Suur-Saimaa, Orivesi, Puruvesi, Haukivesi, Yövesi, Pihlajavesi, and Pyhäselkä). The Saimaa features all the main types of lake in Finland with different levels of eutrophication.
In some parts of the Saimaa Basin (which exceeds the surface of the lake), "there are more coastlines per unit area than anywhere else in the world, the total length is about 15,000 kilometers (9320.6 mi). The region comprises some 14,000 islands, which contributes to the complexity of the system."
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Saimaa Triangle
One way to visualize the Saimaa is to divide it into three river basins in relation to the two straits. The southernmost is the Puumalansalmi, through which all the waters of the northern part of Saimaa flow and on whose bank stands the village of the Puumalan church. The northernmost niche is at Savonlinna. Its largest strait is the Kyrönsalmi, on whose island Olavinlinna is located. Savonlinna also has Laitaatsalmi and Haapasalmi. The Raikuu channel, which carries water from Oriveden to Puruvesi, should also be mentioned as the boundary of the triangle. As the water flows from north to south, the parts of Saimaa occur in the same order.
North Saimaa
The northernmost shore of Saimaa lies south of the third Salpausselkä, Jaamankankaan. The eastern part of the lake is called Pyhäselkä and the southern part Jänisselkä. Both parts of the lake lie to the east of Tutjunniemi and Oravisalo. To the west of Tutjunniemi is Telmonselkä, which is part of the Oriveden part of the lake. To the north of Oravisalo are islands, the largest of which are Niinikkosaari and Siikasaari. To the north of these is the long Heposelkä. To the east of Oravisalo opens the uninhabited Savonselkä, which follows Varpasalo south to become Kuhakivenselkä and Samppaanselkä. Here the Orivesi forks into an archipelagic bay that juts out to the southeast, where the Mustanselkä and Muljulanselkä meet. The second branch opens to the southwest. There is the round Paasselkä.
Next, the Paasselkä empties into a Savonranta niche, from which the first Pyyvesi strait and Hanhivirran niche also depart, followed by the Enonvesi strait. Enonvesi includes the north-eastern part of the Oravi, Varkaussalo and Ahvensalo archipelago lakes. These include Joutenvesi, Heinävedenselkä, Pyttyvesi, Ruunavesi, Kolovesi and Ruokovesi. The Enonvesi Pass flows into Haukivete from three points: via Tappuvirran, the Oravi Channel and the Haponlahde Channel.
Haukivesi begins in the north Varkaus Siitinselältä and divides into Vuoriselkä in the south by Haapaselkä and southeast by Kuokanselkkä. Haukivesi opens up into a wide archipelago, with the looser Äimisvesi to the northeast and Peonselkä and Majakkaselkä behind the islands to the south. Linnansaari National Park is located north of Tuunaanselkä. After Tuunaanselkä, the lake narrows in the southeast to become Pieneksi Haukivedee and reaches Savonlinna at Haapavesi.
Central Saimaa
The Central Saimaa begins at Savonlinna, and the waters of the Hapavesi flow through three straits to Pihlajavesi. Judging by the map, it is the most archipelagic, multi-branched and smaller Saimaa. Its southeast bank follows the Twelfth Salpausselkä and finally meets Punkaharju in the east, behind which lies Puruvesi. The easternmost lake shelf of Puruvesi is the open lake Hummonselkä, the northern end of which is bordered on the west by Pihlajaniemi. On the west side of the meadow is Pihjalaniemenselkä, at the northern end of which the Raikuu Channel leads to Paasselä. The islands of Hevossalo, Vehkasalo and Hälva lie in the middle of the Puruvee. In addition, the lake narrows with Putkiniemi and Rauvanniemi. The southwestern side of the lake, on the shore of Lake Harvasaar, has probably the broadest ridge of Lake Harvanselkä. Punkaharju cuts off the water supply to Pihlajavete quite effectively. There are only two straits through which the water comes out: the Punkasalmi, near the town of Kirk, and the Tuunaansalmi.
Water from Puruvesi flows into Pihlajavesi Utrasselkä and Hirvolanselkä. Virtasalmi also pours water to the west along Moinselki. The eastern part of Pihlajavesi is broad but archipelagic. In addition to the above, lakes Särkilahdenselkä, Tetriselkä, Paatisenselkä and Kokonselkä are clear lake platforms. Looking from Savonlinna, the first lake to open up is Pitkään Pihlajavesi, an east-west ridge. Tuohiselkä and Siikavesi are the last ridges before Sulkava, where Ruokoniemi significantly narrows the Pihlajavesi.
Beyond the Sulkava Strait lies the Partalansaari, which is surrounded by northern and southern waters. The northern route begins at the Kaartilan Reef, from where the Hakovirta leads to Enonvede. From there the waterway continues south up the Varma River to Haapaselkä. The southern route first leads south via Lepistönselän to Jänisselkä and Tolvanselkä. From here the water flows west along the southern shore of Partalansaari or south around Viljakansaari. The western waterway leads along the Ruunaanselkä and Kietävälän streams to Haapaselkä. The route around Viljakansaari passes through the Muikunselkä archipelago, to the south of which is Katosselkä, and continues west through the Maksasaari Strait to Ummistonvede. These waters narrow from Leukoinsalmi almost directly into Puumalansalmi. The waters that have bypassed Partalansaari meet at Haapaselkä and flow down Kukkeistenselkä and Osmonaskeleenselkä to Puumalansalmi.
South Saimaa
The main part of the lake in the south of the Saimaa that is treated by the water authorities is the Saimaa proper (04.112.1.001), which alone covers a quarter of the entire Saimaa. It contains large lake banks, often collectively referred to as Suur-Saimaa. However, the locals have specific names for their small lakes, only a few of which are mentioned here. In the center of the Great Lakes is Kyläniemi, an island separated from the mainland by the Kutveleen Channel. South of Kyläniemi there is a lake area of about 20 × 20 km with some islands. Its southern shores follow the first Salapusselkä and Kyläniemi is part of the twelfth Salpausselkä. Lappeenranta is protected from the open sea by a wide, archipelagic bay called Pien-Saimaa. Maavesi, the eastern and western parts of Pien-Saimaa, meet here, separated by the islands of Kirkkosaari, Kuivaketvele and Vehkataipaleen. The Saimaa Canal also starts here. At the eastern end of the southern bank is Imatra, from where the Vuoksi River originates. North of Imatra lie the inhabited islands Salosaari, Äitsaari, Mietinsaari and Härskiänsaari, protected by Haapavesi. Rasila is located on the bank of Hapavesi.
On the north side of Suur-Saimaa is a 25 × 10 kilometer open ridge of water. From there, the waters of northern Saimaa flow mainly through Rastinvirta to the south of Suur-Saimaa. To the east of Kyläniemi is Luukkolansaari, which is home to Käkövesi and Kyysmänlahti. On the eastern side of Lehmäinselän, near Puumala, lies Naistenvesi. These three bays are hidden behind a chain of islands that border the northern part of Suur-Saimaa. The island chain includes large islands such as Niinisaari to the east, Lintusalo, Otasalo, Hurissalo, Laamalansaari, Liiansaari and Kuivainen to the west. Further south, Saimaa lies in the north and northwest of the island chain, between peninsulas and islands.
On the north side of Puumalansalmi is Koskenselkä and on the south side is Lehmäinselkä. To the east of the large island of Hurissalo lies the nearly featureless Lietvesi islands, connected to the south by Vetojako and to the north by Luonteriin. Pistohiekanselka. Luonteri is an archipelagic part of the lake, with Hirvensalo and Uimasalo capes, Keljunniemi and Piekälänsaari capes, and Saukonsalo and Pihlajasalo islands. On the northern side of Pihlajasalo, the Enovesi and Pitkälahti, on the southwestern side of the island, jut out to the north from the Siikavesi ridge. To the west of Hurissalo is Louhivesi, whose bottom joins Ukonvesi, which runs north from Mikkeli. South of Louhivesi is Yövesi, which begins in the west at Ristiina. These parts of the lake flow into the northwestern tip of Suur-Saimaa into the Liittokivenselkä. On its southwestern side is the Ieselkä, which surrounds Kuivaisen as Lake Vehka.
Saimaa Transport and Leisure Settlement
Fluvial transport
In the Saimaa there is commercial maritime traffic that takes place in the Vuoksi basin in a wider area than that of the Saimaa. Internal traffic has limitations regarding the size of the vessels, which depend on the depth of the waterways, the width of the canals, the height of the bridge and, for international traffic, the narrowness of the Saimaa Canal. Vessels with a maximum length of 82 meters, a maximum width of 12.2 meters, a maximum draft of 4.35 meters and a maximum mast height of 24.5 meters above water level may operate on the Saimaa without a special permission. In Finland, bridges usually have a maximum bottom deck height of 18 meters, but the highest inner decks are along the deep waterway of Lake Saimaa. Ships with a cargo capacity of between 500 and 2,500 tons navigate the Saimaa. International maritime traffic is heaviest on the Varkaus, Savonlinna and Lappeenranta routes. For example, in October 2018, 944 cargo ships passed through the Saimaa Canal, of which 53% were from Russia, 19% from Antigua and Barbuda, 16% from Alandomai and 5% from Finland. In addition, there is traffic on the Saimaa that does not leave the Saimaa through the channel to the sea. There is also some passenger traffic on Saimaa.
Saimaa's waterway network is 3,300 kilometers long, including deep waterways, main waterways, and branch waterways. In the Saimaa there are 814 kilometers of deep water with a minimum depth of 4.2 m. The 1,560 km of main roads have a minimum depth of 2.4 m, and the secondary roads have a depth of less than 2.4 m (total length of 1,200 km). The depth of the main tracks varies from one section to another and can be, for example, 3.8 m, 3.0 m, 2.8 m and 2.4 m. The deep road starts in Lauritsala from the mouth of the Saimaa Channel and continues to Savonlinna and from there north to Kuopio, Siilinjärvi, Joensuu and Kitee. In southern Saimaa, Mustola and Kauka ports in Lappeenranta and Rapasaari pier, Nuijamaa pier, Pulpi pier in Joutseno, Honkalahti pier, Vuoksi port in Imatra and Ristiina port near Mikkeli are the charging points. From them there are rail connections to Mustola, Rapasaari and the port of Vuoksi. The next ports are in Savonlinna, where the ports of Haistlahti and Lypsyniemi meet. Kitee has the port of Puhos, Joensuu has the port of Ukonniemi and Varkaus has the port of Akonniemi. The ports of Konsulanniemi and Taipalee, in Varkaus, lie on the Unnukka side, which is no longer on the Saimaa. From here, the deep waterways continue to Kuopio, where the ports of Kumpusalmi, Kelloniemi and Savonsellu are located, and to Siilinjärvi, where the ports of Kemira and Kuuslahti are located. In the southern area of Saimaa, ships do not pass under the railway or road bridges, but upstream of Savonlinna they must. In addition to the deep-water ports, there are 13 Merenkulkulaititos and industry-owned loading docks along major waterways, including one at Suikki in Lappeenranta. The depths of the side roads can be 2.1m, 2.0m, 1.8m, 1.5m and 1.2m. Side roads are marked with dashed lines on the Karttapaikan website.
In a 2006 study, the number of rowing, motor, and sailing boats was about 20,000. Sailboats, of which there were about 500, had a draft of about 5 feet. The other ships had a depth of between 0.3 and 0.9 meters. A weekend vessel census published in 1988 found 13,500 vessels. A boat census had also been taken in 1972, which gave a total boat number of about 60% of the 1988 total. A total of 112 marinas are available to boaters.
The trunk uitto|uitto is used for internal traffic on Lake Saimaa. The trees are cut into bunches, which are connected to each other in parallel and in a row to form large rafts. Tugboats transport them across the Saimaa for the logging industry. However, logging has been reduced to a fraction of what it was in previous decades. However, 70% of the transport on the deep roads is still organized by the forestry industry. Freight traffic is high on the southern routes from Saimaa to Savonlinna and Varkaus.
Channels
Water traffic on Lake Saimaa is affected by two factors: the shallowness of the lake and the narrowness of the islands. The waterway lengthens easily and requires careful navigation. There is a relief: the water level in a large and fragmented area of water is at the same level. Long diversions have been shortened by digging open channels into narrow decks. Some shipping lanes have been deepened by dredging or removing reefs and rocks. In some cases, the work carried out has had to be repeated because the size of the ships has increased or because the depth has been affected by subsidence. Occasionally, there are areas of the Saimaa where the lake has a large flow through straits or narrows. Flows also occur when there is a difference in water levels in some parts of the lake. In particular, Savonlinna has a strong current for this reason and a new channel has been built to facilitate the passage of boats. Where currents are difficult to control, a channel lock has been used. It usually has at least two locks. When a ship attempts to pass through the canal, the lock on the ship's side is opened, the water level in the canal is allowed to settle, the ship is lowered into the canal and the lock is closed, the water level is equalized with respect to the next part of the lake by opening the next lock and taking the boat out of the canal. Using several locks, the ship can be driven into an upper or lower body of water "through the waterways".
There are between 15 and 25 open channels in the Saimaa River depending on the calculation method. Of historical interest are the Suvorov military canals, built after 1791. Originally, three canals were planned. They are the Kutveleen, the Käyhkään and the southern Kukonharju. Kutvele connects the eastern shores of Lake Suur-Saimaa separated by the Kyläniemi, Käyhkää connects the Käköveden Pihlajavesi, a bay over 12 km long Polosselkä, and Kukonharju connects the Pihlajavesi bay itself with its adjacent bay. In 1794, the Telataipaleen canal was completed further north. It connects the parts of the lake Lepistönselkä and Siikavesi in Pihlajavesi. A special channel is the Raikuu channel, a channel of the same age but dug by the locals themselves. On the northwestern side of Suur-Saimaa, west of Hurissalo, there are three canals. The first Vuolte Canal was completed in 1836. It became impractical, and later redundant, when Someenjärvi was connected north by the Varkaantaipalee Canal to Louhivete and south by the Kirkkotaipalee Canal to Yövete in 1874-1877. The part of Lake Pien-Saimaa, near Lappeenranta, has been involved in the logging operation in the past. It is commemorated by the Telataipaleen Kanal and the dilapidated Rutola log transfer station, which was used to transfer timber from Saimaa to the Valkeala route and the Kymijoki River. The Kutila Canal is famous because it has not yet been built.
Large open canals have been built and later improved for use by merchant fleets. When sailing from the Saimaa Channel to the northern ports, the first call is always via Savonlinna to Haukivete. At Haukvivi there is a small Ketveleen Kanal, which leads to the adjacent Raudanvete. The canal has a lock. Large ships pass through Enonvede on their way east. Then, from the adjacent channels, they pass through the Orav Channel or the Haponlahde Channel. The journey can continue via Pyyvesi to the Vihtakanta Channel in Savonranta. From there the route enters Orivei and can continue along the Kivisalmi Channel to Joensuu or Pohoksi. The northern route from Haukvie has a direct link to Varkaus, which, like Joensuu, is on the northern shore of Lake Saimaa.
When you want to get out of the Saimaa, you use the sulku canals, as the canal always goes upstream to the next body of water. From the Taipaleen Canal in Varkaus, you climb 5.5 meters to Unnukka, which is the starting point of the Leppävirra Trail. The route leads via Kallavesi in Kuopio to Tahko and Nilsi on the Syvärgi or Porovesi to Iisalmi. If you deviate from Haukvede via Kolovesi and Ruokovesi in Enonvede to the Pilpa channel, you first ascend 4.3 meters to Kermajärvi, from the Kerman channel to Suvasvesi and Kallavesi in Kuopio. In the Pyhäselje, the Joensuu channel rises to the Pielisjoki and the Pielisee.
Recreational settlement
The 2006 survey put the total number of recreational dwellings on Saimaa at just under 24,000. Of these, 12,900 were in southern Saimaa, 5,300 in central Saimaa, and 6,800 in northern Saimaa.
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