Keitele is a large

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

located in

Central Finland Central Finland ( fi, Keski-Suomi; sv, Mellersta Finland) is a Regions of Finland, region ( / ) in Finland. It borders the regions of Päijät-Häme, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, Northern Savonia, No ...

. With the area of 493.59 km² it is the 9th largest lake in the country. The lake is divided into three regions, Ylä-, Keski-, and Ala-Keitele, of which Keski-Keitele is the largest. Water in the lake is clear and in excellent condition.Keski-Suomen ympäristökeskus
The towns of

Äänekoski Äänekoski () is a town in Finland. It is located in the Central Finland region, about north of Jyväskylä. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbouring municipalities ...

and

Viitasaari Viitasaari is a List of cities and towns in Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is located in the Central Finland regions of Finland, region. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is ...

are located on the shores of Keitele. The northernmost part of the lake is called Ylä-Keitele. A big part of Ylä-Keitele belongs to

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...

protection program due to its clear water and natural condition. A leading figure in modern Finnish painting,

Akseli Gallen-Kallela Akseli Gallen-Kallela (26 April 1865 – 7 March 1931) was a Finnish painter who is best known for his illustrations of the ''Kalevala'', the Finnish national epic. His work is considered a very important aspect of the Finnish national ident ...

first worked at Lake Keitele, in summer 1904. This Lake Keitele landscape is his third and most elaborate depiction of the lake, and he exhibited it in Helsinki that same year. The painting is signed with the Swedish form of the artist's name; in later years he used the Finnish form, as above, by which he is best known today. This painting now hangs in the National Gallery, London. The lake is mentioned prominently in

James Church James Church is the pseudonym of an American author of six detective novels featuring a North Korean policeman, "Inspector O". Church is identified on the back cover of his novels as "a former Western intelligence officer with decades of experi ...

's 2006 novel ''A Corpse in the Koryo.'' Akseli Gallen-Kallela - Lake Keitele, 1905

References

External links

*
National Gallery, London

Keitele Keitele is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Northern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbour municipalities are Pielavesi, Pihtipudas, ...

Landforms of Central Finland

{{WesternFinland-geo-stub