The Kymi (, ) is a
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
. It begins at Lake
Päijänne, flows through the provinces of
Päijänne Tavastia,
Uusimaa
Uusimaa (; , ; both lit. 'new land') is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, Helsinki, alo ...
and
Kymenlaakso
Kymenlaakso (; ; "Kymi River, Kymi/Kymmene Valley") is a Regions of Finland, region in Finland. It borders the regions of Uusimaa, Päijät-Häme, Southern Savonia, South Savo and South Karelia and Russia (Leningrad Oblast). Its name means lit ...
, and discharges into the
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland (; ; ; ) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and Estonia to the south, to Saint Petersburg—the second largest city of Russia—to the east, where the river Neva drains into it. ...
. The river passes the towns of
Heinola and
Kouvola. The town of
Kotka
Kotka (; ) is a town in Finland, located on the southeastern coast of the country at the mouth of the Kymi River. The population of Kotka is approximately , while the Kotka-Hamina sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately . It is th ...
is located on the river delta. The length of the river is , but its
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
of extends to almost inside the Tavastia, Central Finland, Savonia and Ostrobothnia. The furthest source of the river is
Lake Pielavesi, its furthest point being some from the sea measured by flow route. The name of the river, itself, ''kymi'', means "large river", in Old Finnish.
Being one of the largest rivers in
Southern Finland, the Kymi is a major source of
hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
. The towns of Kotka, Kuusankoski, Myllykoski and Inkeroinen along the river are major centres of the
pulp and paper industry
The pulp and paper industry comprises companies that use wood, specifically pulpwood, as raw material and produce pulp, paper, paperboard, and other cellulose-based products.
Manufacturing process
In the manufacturing process, pulp is intr ...
. Formerly the river was extensively used for
timber rafting
Timber rafting is a method of transporting felled tree trunks by tying them together to make rafts, which are then drifted or pulled downriver, or across a lake or other body of water. It is arguably, after log driving, the second cheapest mea ...
.
The Kymi has five mouths. It divides into two main branches near the Kultaankoski rapids in Kotka, about inland of the Gulf of Finland. The eastern branch splits into the Korkeakoski and Koivukoski branches, the latter branch dividing again to form two mouths (Langinkoski and Huumanhaara). The Korkeakoski branch has only one river mouth.
The western branch divides into
Ahvenkoski and Klåsarö branches, each with one mouth.
The westernmost Ahvenkoski branch of the river served as part of the border between
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
and
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
from 1743 to 1809, and between the
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed from 1809 to 1917 as an Autonomous region, autonomous state within the Russian Empire.
Originating in the 16th century as a titular grand duchy held by the Monarc ...
and the rest of Russia from 1809 to 1812. The parts of Finland east of the river were later called
Old Finland. Old Finland was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1812.
The Kymi is very swift: it takes three days for its waters to run from
lake Pyhäjärvi to sea. Its mean depth is , and the deepest place is .
Hydroelectric plants and rapids
In Kymijoki, there are 12 hydroelectric plants and several dams to regulate the water level. The first power plants were built is 1882. The canal and dam at Kalkkinen is used to regulate the water level of
Lake Päijänne. The Hirvivuolle Dam regulates water flow between eastern and western branches. The Paaskoski Dam near Tammijärvi regulates the flow into the Klåsarö branch and the Strömfors Dam regulates the water level of the Strömfors industrial area.
Upper and middle reaches:
*Kalkkistenkoski rapids and regulating dam (Asikkala)
*Jyrängönkoski rapids (Heinola)
*
Vuolenkoski, hydroelectric plant (Iitti)
*Mankala, hydroelectric plant (Iitti)
*Voikkaa, hydroelectric plant (Kouvola)
*Pessankoski rapids (Kouvola)
*Lappakoski rapids (Kouvola)
*Kuusankoski, hydroelectric plant (Kouvola)
*Keltti, hydroelectric plant (Kouvola)
*Myllykoski, hydroelectric plant (Kouvola)
*Anjalankoski (Ankkapurha), hydroelectric plant (Kouvola)
*Piirteenkoski rapids (Kouvola)
*Susikoski rapids (At the boundary of Kouvola and ja Kotka)
*Ahvionkoski rapids area, elevation 1,9 m (At the boundary of Kouvola and Kotka)
*Kultaankosket rapids, elevation 1,5 m (At the boundary of Kouvola and Kotka)
Western branch:
*Hirvivuolle, regulating dam, built in 1933 (Pyhtää)
*Hirvikoski rapids (Pyhtää)
*Paaskoski, regulating dam, built in 1933(At the boundary of Pyhtää and Loviisa)
*Klåsarö (Loosarinkoski), hydroelectric plant (Pyhtää)
*Ediskoski, hydroelectric plant (Pyhtää)
*Strömfors, regulating dam, built in 1965 (Loviisa)
*Ahvenkoski, hydroelectric plant (At the boundary of Pyhtää and Loviisa)
Eastern branch:
*Pernoonkosket rapids area, elevation 5 m (Kotka)
*Laajakoski rapids (cleared away, Kotka)
*Koivukoski, hydroelectric plant and regulating dam (Koivukoski branch, Kotka)
*Siikakoski rapids (Koivukoski branch, Kotka)
*Kokonkoski rapids (Koivukoski branch, Kotka)
*Langinkoski rapids (Langinkoski branch, Kotka)
*Hinttulankoski rapids (Huumanhaara branch, Kotka)
*Korkeakoski, hydroelectric plant (Korkeakoski branch, Kotka)
Gallery of Kymi River locations
File:Verla rapids.jpg, Verla, Jaala
File:Mankalan voimalaitos.jpg, Mankala Power Station along the Kymi River in the Iitti municipality
File:Voikkaan vesivoimalaitos pohjoisesta kuvattuna.jpg, Voikkaa Paper Mill in Kuusankoski
File:Kymi paper and pulp mill.JPG, UPM Kymi in Kouvola
File:Ankkapurhan patosulku avattuna 2020.jpg, Ankkapurha in Anjalankoski
File:Korkeakoski casting pier Kymijoki Kotka Kymenlaakso Finland 23July2023.jpg, Korkeakoski casting pier on Kymi river, Kotka
File:Kymi river Kotka Kymenlaakso Finland on 20July2023.jpg, Kymi river at the Korkeakoski hydroelectric power plant in Kotka
See also
*
Kymi, former municipality of Finland
*
Langinkoski, rapids on the river
References
External links
*
Kymi river
{{Authority control
Rivers of Finland