Lakes occupy about 25% of the Lakeland. Much of the territory is forested and has a low population density. The cities in the region are Imatra, Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lappeenranta, Mikkeli, Pieksämäki, Savonlinna and Varkaus. Since lakes formed the main transport route in earlier times, urban areas are often located on lakeshore, occasionally even on isthmuses or peninsulas, e.g. Varkaus, Savonlinna and Kuopio. The lakes often have extremely convoluted coastlines and consists of several nearly separate stretches of open water ("selkä") connected by narrow sounds. Thus, they can connect large areas along shores and their hinterlands.