This is a list of rivers of Finland. Listing begins with rivers flowing into the Baltic sea, from the north, that is from the Swedish border. Tributaries are listed down the page in an upstream direction.
Water flows from Finland directly to the Baltic Sea, which is divided here into the Gulf of Bothnia and Gulf of Finland, and the Archipelago Sea between them. Some rivers flow to Russia, ending either to Gulf of Finland or to the White Sea, and a few to the Arctic Ocean through Russia or Norway.
There are many lakes in Finland and this listing also includes several lakes through which the rivers flow or begin from. Due to the great number of lakes especially in the Finnish Lakeland, where watercourses tend to consist of chains of lakes rather than long rivers, some rivers with a large catchment area can also be quite short or there may only be a short rapid between large lakes, like for example Tammerkoski in Tampere.
Water from these rivers flows through Lake Ladoga and Neva River to the sea.
This is a list of the rivers, exceeding 100 km, that are wholly or partly located within the borders of Finland.
| River | Length (within Finland) | Border river | Total length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kemijoki | 550 km | 550 km | ||
| Iijoki | 330 km | 330 km | ||
| Ounasjoki | 298 km | 298 km | Tributary to Kemijoki | |
| Kitinen | 278 km | 278 km | Tributary to Kemijoki | |
| Muonionjoki | 230 km | 230 km | Tributary to Tornionjoki, following the Finnish-Swedish border in its entirety | |
| Luiro | 227 km | 227 km | Tributary to Kemijoki | |
| Kymijoki | 180 km | 180 km | ||
| Tornionjoki | 180 km | 522 km | Border river between Finland and Sweden, partly in Sweden | |
| Simojoki | 172 km | 172 km | ||
| Ivalojoki | 170 km | 170 km | ||
| Kiiminkijoki | 170 km | 170 km | ||
| Pyhäjoki | 162 km | 162 km | ||
| Perhonjoki | 155 km | 155 km | ||
| Tenojoki | 152 km | 344 km | Partly a border river between Finland and Norway, other part is in Norway | |
| Siikajoki | 152 km | 152 km | ||
| Kokemäenjoki | 150 km | 150 km | ||
| Raudanjoki | 150 km | 150 km | Tributary to Kemijoki | |
| Lapuanjoki | 147 km | 147 km | ||
| Porvoonjoki | 130 km | 130 km | ||
| Kalajoki | 130 km | 130 km | ||
| Kyrönjoki | 127 km | 127 km | ||
| Livojoki | 125 km | 125 km | Tributary to Iijoki | |
| Siuruanjoki | 120 km | 120 km | Tributary to Iijoki | |
| Loimijoki | 114 km | 114 km | Tributary to Kokemäenjoki | |
| Karvianjoki | 110 km | 110 km | ||
| Vaskojoki | 110 km | 110 km | ||
| Oulujoki | 107 km | 107 km | ||
| Oulankajoki | 105 km | 135 km | partly in Russia | |
| Nuorittajoki | 105 km | 105 km | ||
| Kiehimänjoki | 105 km | 105 km | ||
| Paimionjoki | 105 km | 105 km | ||
| Vantaanjoki | 101 km | 101 km | ||
| Lieksanjoki | 80 km | 132 km | beginning on the Russian side of the border | |
| Tenniöjoki | 62 km | 126 km | Tributary to Kemijoki; about half of its length in Russia | |
| Vuoksi | 15 km | 150 km | The majority is on the Russian side of the border |
Media related to Rivers of Finland at Wikimedia Commons
Finland attracted over 6.8 million foreign tourists in 2018, with 53 percent coming from other European Union states. In 2017, the value added by tourism was about 4.6 billion euros, or 2.6% of the Finnish GDP, providing approximately 140,200 jobs.
Western Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland. Tampere was the largest city of the province.
Joensuu is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Karelia. It is located in the eastern interior of the country and in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Joensuu is approximately 78,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 127,000. It is the 12th most populous municipality in Finland, and the ninth most populous urban area in the country.
The former Province of Western Finland in Finland was divided into seven regions, 34 districts and 192 municipalities.
Pirkanmaa, also known as Tampere Region in government documents, is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, South Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Päijät-Häme, Kanta-Häme and Southwest Finland. Most of the water area in the Kokemäki River watershed is located in the Pirkanmaa region, although Lake Vanajavesi is partly in the Kanta-Häme region. The region got its name from Pirkkala, which in the Middle Ages comprised most of present-day Pirkanmaa. Tampere is the regional center and capital of Pirkanmaa, and at the same time the largest city in the region.
The Paatsjoki River is a river that flows through Finland, Norway, and Russia. Since 1826, the river has marked parts of the Norway–Russia border, except from 1920 to 1944 when it was along the Finland–Norway border.
Satakunta is a region of Finland, part of the former Western Finland Province. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia and Ostrobothnia. The capital city of the region is Pori. The name of the region literally means hundred. The historical province of the same name was a larger area within Finland, covering modern Satakunta as well as much of Pirkanmaa.
The Torne, also known as the Tornio, is a river in northern Sweden and Finland. For approximately half of its length, it defines the border between these two countries. In the upper parts, the river is situated in Sweden before it meets the Muonio River where it adjoins the international border. It rises at the lake Torneträsk near the border with Norway and flows generally southeast for a distance of 522 kilometres (324 mi) into the Gulf of Bothnia. It is the largest river in Norrbotten County both by length and by watershed area.
Kuusamo is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in Koillismaa, the northeastern part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of 14,813 and covers an area of 5,808.92 square kilometres (2,242.84 sq mi) of which 830.81 km2 (320.78 sq mi) is water. The population density is 2.98 inhabitants per square kilometre (7.7/sq mi).
European route E45 connects Norway and Italy, through Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Austria. With a length of about 5,190 kilometres (3,225 mi), it is the longest north–south European route.
Lake Pyaozero is a large freshwater lake in the Republic of Karelia, northwestern part of Russia. It has an area of 659 km2, and it is drained by the river Kovda. There are many islands on the lake with total area of 186 km2. Among the rivers that flow into lake Pyaozero is the river Oulankajoki that begins in Finland, where one of its tributaries is the river Kitkanjoki that begins from lake Kitkajärvi in Finland. From south also the waters of Lake Topozero in the Republic of Karelia flow into the Lake Pyaozero.
Tammerkoski is a channel of rapids in Tampere, Finland. The city of Tampere is located between two lakes, Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. The difference in altitude between these two is 18 metres (59 ft) and the water flows from Näsijärvi to Pyhäjärvi through the Tammerkoski rapids. The banks of the Tammerkoski are among the oldest industrial areas in Finland. There was a busy marketplace in the 17th century. Tampere was founded on the banks of the rapids, as the rushing water provided a great deal of power for the needs of industry.
Yli-Kitka is a lake in Finland, in the municipalities of Kuusamo and Posio. The lake is connected to the medium-sized lake Ala-Kitka at Kilkilösalmi strait. Yli-Kitka combined with Ala-Kitka is the largest unregulated lake in Finland. Together they are called Kitkajärvi or simply Kitka. Riisitunturi National Park is located north of the lake. From Ala-Kitka the waters flow through the Kitkanjoki river to the Oulankajoki river which is part of the Kovda River basin that drains into the White Sea in Russia.
The Oulankajoki is a river of Finland and Russia. It is part of the Kovda river system. The Oulankajoki discharges into the Lake Pyaozero in the Republic of Karelia in Russia, which is drained by the Kovda towards the White Sea. Its length within Russia is 67 kilometres (42 mi), and it has a drainage basin of 5,670 square kilometres (2,190 sq mi).
Kitkajoki or Kitkanjoki is a river of Finland. It begins from the lake Ala-Kitka that is connected to the lake Yli-Kitka in the municipalities of Posio and Kuusamo in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia and flows then towards Russia joining the river Oulankajoki near the Russian border. It is a part of the Kovda river system in Russia and Finland from which the waters flow to the White Sea.
Highways in Finland, or Main roads, comprise the highest categories of roads in Finland:
Finnish national road 8 runs along the western coast of Finland. The road starts at Turku, continues to Vaasa and ends in the intersection with Finnish national road 4 in Liminka, 25 km south of Oulu. It constitutes much of the length of European route E8. Cities along the road are Rauma, Pori, Kristinestad, Närpes, Vaasa, Nykarleby, Kokkola and Raahe. From Liminka, the road continues to the same direction to Oulu as road 4; road 4 to Liminka intersects it from the left.
The Finnish national road 9 is a main route. It runs from Turku through Loimaa, Tampere, Jämsä, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Outokumpu and Joensuu to the Niirala border guard station in Tohmajärvi, right next to the Russian border. The length of the road is 663 kilometres (412 mi).