The (
Finnish ) or '''Reka Vuoksa''' (
Russian Standard Transcription ) or '''Vuoksen''' (
Swedish ) runs in the northernmost part of the
Karelian Isthmus , from Lake
Saimaa in southeastern
Finland flowing into
Lake Ladoga in northwestern
Russia . The river enters Lake Ladoga in two
Armlet s, an older northern armlet at
Priozersk ''(Käkisalmi /Kexholm)'' and since
1857 a new southern armlet entering 50 kilometers further southeast at
Taipale .
The descent between Lake Saimaa and Lake Ladoga is 69 meters. The entire run of the river is 162 kilometers via the Priozersk armlet or 150 kilometers via the Taipale armlet. For most of its length, the river broadens out to a series of lakes bound together by shorter riverlike connections. One of these lakes, ''Suurselkä'' close to Priozersk, is by the Russians renamed to ''Ozero Vuoksa'' ("Lake Vuoksa").
The Vuoksi connects Lake Ladoga with central Finland, and was once an important route for trade and communication. A western armlet, which is now overgrown, was an alternative route for the
Karelians to reach the
Gulf Of Finland when the
River Neva was blocked by enemies.
The river is famous for the great
Rapid s, for instance at
Imatra and the village of Losevo. The junction of the River Vuoksi and
''Suvantojärvi /Ozero Suhodolskoje'' is a traditional place for international
Kayak ,
Canoe and
Catamaran competitions.
At the
Industrial Revolution , power generated from Vuoksi's rapids made the Vuoksi region Finland's industrial center in the late
19th Century . Since the
Winter War (
1940 ), the Karelian Isthmus belongs to Russia and only 13 kilometers of the river's length remains in Finland.
The river's surroundings, including the 's residents.
