South Savo

South Savo^[3] (or Southern Savonia; Finnish: Etelä-Savo; Swedish: Södra Savolax) is a region in the south-east of Finland. It borders the regions of North Savo, North Karelia, South Karelia, Kymenlaakso, Päijät-Häme, and Central Finland. The total area of South Savo is 18,768.33 km² (7,246.5 sq mi), with a population of 153,738 (2011). South Savo is located in the heart of the Finnish lake district, and contains Lake Saimaa, the largest lake in Finland. The three major towns in the region are Mikkeli, Savonlinna and Pieksämäki.

South Savo Etelä-Savo (Finnish) Södra Savolax (Swedish)
Region
Region of South Savo Etelä-Savon maakunta Landskapet Södra Savolax
Flag Coat of arms
South Savo on a map of Finland
Coordinates: 62°0′N 27°30′E
Country	Finland
Historical province	Savo
Capital	Mikkeli
Other towns	Pieksämäki and Savonlinna
Area
• Total	18,768.33 km2 (7,246.49 sq mi)
Population [1]
• Total	128,937
• Density	11/km2 (30/sq mi)
GDP [2]
• Total	€4.414 billion (2015)
• Per capita	€29,245 (2015)
ISO 3166 code	FI-04
NUTS	131
Regional bird	Golden oriole
Regional fish	Vendace
Regional flower	Water lily
Regional stone	Marble
Regional lake	Lake Puula
Website	esavo.fi

Historical provinces

For history, geography and culture see: Savo

History

South Savo was the main part of the old Mikkeli Province, established in 1831. Some municipalities were transferred from the county to Central Finland Province, which was established in 1960. Mikkeli Province was abolished in the province reform of 1997, when Regions were established. The province of South Savo belonged to the Eastern Finland Province. In 2002, Kangaslampi moved from the province of South Savo to the province of North Savo. Suomenniemi became part of Etelä-Savo in 2013 when it merged with Ristiina to form the city of Mikkeli. At the beginning of 2021, Joroinen moved to the province of North Savo and Heinävesi to the province of North Karelia as a result of provincial and social and health care reforms.

Municipalities

Main article: Municipalities of South Savo

The region of South Savo consists of 12 municipalities, three of which have city status (marked in bold).

Sub-regions

Mikkeli sub-region

• Hirvensalmi
• Kangasniemi
• Mikkeli (S:t Michel)
• Mäntyharju
• Puumala

Pieksämäki sub-region

• Juva
• Pieksämäki

Savonlinna sub-region

• Enonkoski
• Rantasalmi
• Savonlinna (Nyslott)
• Sulkava

List of municipalities

Talkkuna with Pork

Coat of arms	Municipality	Population	Land area (km2)	Density (/km2)	Finnish speakers	Swedish speakers	Other speakers
	Enonkoski	1,285	306	4	97 %	0 %	4 %
	Hirvensalmi	2,046	465	4	97 %	0 %	3 %
	Juva	5,628	1,163	5	96 %	0.3 %	5 %
	Kangasniemi	5,057	1,069	5	96 %	0.2 %	4 %
	Mikkeli	51,661	2,548	20	94 %	0.2 %	6 %
	Mäntyharju	7,076	981	7	94 %	0.3 %	5 %
	Pieksämäki	17,243	1,569	11	92 %	0.1 %	7 %
	Puumala	2,083	794	3	97 %	0 %	3 %
	Rantasalmi	3,247	560	6	93 %	0 %	6 %
	Savonlinna	31,283	2,238	14	95 %	0.1 %	6 %
	Sulkava	2,328	584	4	97 %	0 %	5 %
	Total	128,937	12,278	11	94 %	0.2 %	6 %

Politics

Results of the 2019 Finnish parliamentary election in South Savo:

• Centre Party 23.47%
• Social Democratic Party 21.41%
• National Coalition Party 18.39%
• Finns Party 16.55%
• Green League 9.47%
• Christian Democrats 4.46%
• Left Alliance 2.95%
• Movement Now 1.42%
• Blue Reform 0.85%
• Seven Star Movement 0.40%
• Other parties 0.63%

Cuisine

The best known local cuisine is fried vendace, often served with potato puree, and a semicircle-shaped pastry called lörtsy.^[4][5]