![Sääminginsalo island](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/S%C3%A4%C3%A4minginsalo_island.png)
Sääminginsalo has been said to be the largest true
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
of
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
(area ). If it is considered as an island, it is the third largest
island in a lake in the world. This inland island is located in
Southern Savonia
South Savo (or Southern Savonia; fi, Etelä-Savo; sv, Södra Savolax) is a region in the south-east of Finland. It borders the regions of North Savo, North Karelia, South Karelia, Kymenlaakso, Päijät-Häme, and Central Finland. The total are ...
region,
Eastern Finland
Eastern Finland ( fi, Itä-Suomen lääni, sv, Östra Finlands län) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Western Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered Russia to the east.
History
On Septemb ...
and is surrounded by the lake
Greater Saimaa (
Haukivesi,
Puruvesi
Puruvesi is a lake in Eastern Finland. The lake is located in Kerimäki, Kesälahti and Punkaharju municipalities. Part of the Saimaa lake system, it borders on the sub-lake system of Pihlajavesi to the south. As is the case of other lakes of Sai ...
and
Pihlajavesi), and an artificial canal, ''Raikuun kanava'', that was built in 1750s. The most famous sight on Sääminginsalo is the
Kerimäki Church
The Kerimäki Church ( fi, Kerimäen kirkko, sv, Kerimäki kyrka) in Kerimäki, Finland, is the largest wooden church in the world. However, St. George's Cathedral, Georgetown
St. George's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Georgetown, Guya ...
, the largest wooden church in the world.
Traditionally,
Soisalo
Soisalo () is an area in central Finland, south of Kuopio. It is commonly regarded as the largest island of Finland. Whilst it is an area of land surrounded by water (the lakes Kallavesi
Kallavesi is a medium-sized lake in Northern Savonia, e ...
in the same lake complex has been considered the largest island of Finland, but technically it is not a true island because the lakes surrounding it are not on the same level.
[Kejonen, Aimo: Kansanuskomuksia ja geologiaa, p. 229. In: Koivisto, Marjatta (ed.): Jääkaudet. Helsinki: WSOY, 2004. .] The same, however, can be said of Sääminginsalo itself as well, as it is detached from mainland by an artificial canal only and does not in this respect differ in any way from peninsulas like
Jutland
Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...
or
Peloponnesos
The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge whic ...
.
See also
*
List of islands in lakes
A lake island is any landmass within a lake. It is a type of inland island. Lake islands may form a lake archipelago.
Formation
Lake islands may form in numerous ways. They may occur through a build-up of sedimentation as shoals, and become ...
References
Lake islands of Finland
Enonkoski
{{EasternFinland-geo-stub