Mikkeli (S:t Michel in Swedish) is a town and municipality in Finland. Mikkeli was the site for the headquarters of Marshal Mannerheim during World War II. The town's coat of arms incorporates a pair of crossed Marshal's batons, in recognition of the Mannerheim connection. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of 46,612 (around 34,000 in the town itself) and covers an area of 1622.11 km² of which 303.57 km² is water. The population density is 35.3 inhabitants per km².