Saimaa, Lake

Lake in southeastern Finland. It lies just northwest of the Russian border and is northeast of Helsinki. Covering parts of the läänit (provinces) of Mikkeli and Kymi, it has an area of 443 square miles (1,147 square km) and is the primary lake in the Great Saimaa lake system, which, at 1,690 square miles (4,377 square km), is the largest system in Finland. The lake's two branches extend northward about