The municipality of Ruokolahti is situated in south-eastern Finland, in the region of South Karelia. Neighbouring municipalities are Imatra, Joutseno, Taipalsaari, Puumala, Sulkava, Punkaharju, Parikkala and Rautjärvi. Ruokolahti covers an area of 1,188 km² of which 21% is water. The municipalities (kunta in Finnish, kommun in Swedish) represent the local level of self government in Finland and also act as the basic regional administrative units of the country. ... Finland is divided into 20 regions (maakunta/landskap in Finnish/Swedish). ... The Region of South Karelia is a region (maakunta / landskap) of Finland. ... Imatra is a town and municipality in eastern Finland, founded in 1948 around three industrial settlements near the Finnish-Russian border. ... Joutseno is a town (kaupunki) of Finland. ... Taipalsaari is a municipality of Finland. ... Puumala is a municipality of Finland. ... Sulkava is a municipality of Finland. ... Punkaharju is a municipality of Finland. ... Parikkala is a municipality of Finland. ... Rautjärvi is a municipality of Finland. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ...

Ruokolahti has 6,029 inhabitants (2003), but the population is doubled in summer as holidaymakers occupy the 3,000 summer cottages in the region. 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Ruokolahti is especially known for its natural beauty. In the west there is the shimmering Lake Saimaa and in the east there are hundreds of smaller lakes. The big Salpausselkä ridges run through the area. A Picture of Saimaa Saimaa, or Saimen in Swedish, is a lake in southeastern Finland. ... Salpausselkä is an extensive ridge system left by the ice age in Southern Finland. ...

(Text from Discover Ruokolahti web site with a permission.)

External links

• Official site
• Discover Ruokolahti - Information for tourists