Saimaa, Finland’s lake labyrinth

Saimaa is Finland’s largest lake, shaped by glacial processes and subsequent land uplift. Its reported area depends on which parts of the complex system are counted: lake databases give about 1,377–1,760 km² for the defined lake body, while the Greater Saimaa system covers roughly 4,400 km². Its maximum depth is about 82 m. By the area of the full system, it is often described as one of Europe’s largest natural lakes, but not unqualifiedly as the continent’s largest glacial lake.