Saimaa Canal

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Saimaa Canal
Course of the Saimaa Canal
Specifications
Length	42.9 km (27 mi)
Maximum boat length	82.5 m (271 ft)
Maximum boat beam	12.6 m (41 ft)
Maximum boat draft	4.35 m (14.3 ft)
Maximum boat air draft	24.5 m (80 ft)
Locks	8
History
Construction began	1845
Date completed	1856
Geography
Start point	lake Saimaa, Finland
End point	Gulf of Finland near Vyborg, Russia

The Saimaa Canal (Finnish: Saimaan kanava; Swedish: Saima kanal; Russian: Сайменский канал) is a transportation canal that connects lake Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland near Vyborg, Russia. The canal was built from 1845 to 1856 and opened on 7 September 1856 (Old Style: 26 August 1856). It was overhauled and widened in 1963–1968.

A system of inland waterways and canals in the 120 interconnected lakes of the south-central and south-east part of Finland (Finnish Lakeland) are reached through the canal. The network of deep channels in Lake Saimaa with at least a draught of 4.2 m (14 ft) covers 814 km (506 mi). The deep channels extend all the way to Kuopio in Central Finland.