Vanajavesi

Vanajavesi
Coordinates	61°10′N 24°15′E / 61.167°N 24.250°E / 61.167; 24.250Coordinates: 61°10′N 24°15′E / 61.167°N 24.250°E / 61.167; 24.250
Primary outflows	Pyhäjärvi
Basin countries	Finland
Surface area	149,758 km2 (57,822 sq mi)
Max. depth	23.89 m (78.4 ft)
Water volume	0.952 km3 (772,000 acre·ft)
Shore length1	425.001 km (264.083 mi)
Surface elevation	79.4 m (260 ft)
Frozen	December–April
Islands	Retulansaari
Settlements	Viiala, Sääksmäki, Valkeakoski
References	[1]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Vanajavesi is a rather large lake in Finland. It is part of the Kokemäenjoki basin. The lake gathers waters from a wide area in the regions of Pirkanmaa, Tavastia Proper and parts of the Päijänne Tavastia region.^[1]

Settlements

The biggest city by the lake is Hämeenlinna in the Tavastia Proper region and other cities and towns include Valkeakoski and Akaa (formerly Toijala) in the Pirkanmaa region. In addition to these the municipalities by the lake include Lempäälä in the Pirkanmaa region and Hattula and Janakkala in the Tavastia Proper region.

Watercourses

In northeast, a chain of lakes that consists of the lakes Längelmävesi, Vesijärvi, Roine, Pälkänevesi and Mallasvesi drains into Vanajavesi in Valkeakoski, and from southeast another chain of lakes, consisting of the lakes Lummene, Vehkajärvi, Vesijako, Kuohijärvi, Kukkia, Iso-Roine, Hauhonselkä and Ilmoilanselkä drains into the lake Mallasvesi and thus joins into the first mentioned. In Finnish the former chain of lakes is called Längelmäveden reitti according to the biggest lake and the latter Hauhon reitti as it runs through the former municipality of Hauho.

From south, a third chain of lakes and rivers originating in Pääjärvi in east and Loppijärvi in west drains into Vanajavesi. Together with Vanajavesi itself these form a chain of lakes called Vanajaveden reitti in Finnish.

From southwest, among others Rutajärvi and several other lakes drain in Vanajavesi.

Vanajavesi itself drains into lake Pyhäjärvi through Kuokkalankoski rapids in Lempäälä in north.

National landscape

Vanajavesi with its environments is the central area of the historical province of Tavastia in Finland and it has been declared as one of the National landscapes of Finland as defined by the Finnish ministry of environment in 1992.

See also

• List of lakes in Finland

References