Saimaa
on Suomen suurin ja Euroopan neljänneksi suurin järvi. Se on
Vuoksen vesistön pääjärvi, jonka laskujoki Vuoksi virtaa
Laatokkaan, mistä Saimaan vedet laskevat edelleen Neva-jokea pitkin
mereen Suomenlahteen. Saimaan rannalla sijaitsevat kaupungit ovat
Imatra, Joutseno, Lappeenranta, Savonlinna, Mikkeli, Varkaus,
Joensuu ja Kitee.
Saimaannorppa on vain Saimaalla elävä norpan uhanalainen alalaji,
joka erottui omaksi lajikseen noin 8000 vuotta sitten.
Saimaannorppakanta on vain noin 260 yksilöä. Suomen
luonnonsuojeluliitto paikallisjärjestöineen tekee työtä
saimaannorpan suojelun hyväksi. Saimaanlohi on vain Saimaalla elävä
uhanalainen lohikala.
Saimaa
or Saimen in Swedish, is a lake in southeastern Finland. At
approximately 4,400 km² square km, 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 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).
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 km. The number
of islands in the region, 14,000, also shows what a maze of detail
the system is."[1]
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 three species of freshwater seals, the Saimaa Ringed
Seal, lives only at Saimaa.