North Karelia ( fi, Pohjois-Karjala; sv, Norra Karelen) is a

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

in eastern

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...

. It borders the regions of Kainuu, North Savo, South Savo and

South Karelia South Karelia ( fi, Etelä-Karjala; sv, Södra Karelen) is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Kymenlaakso, South Savo and North Karelia, as well as Russia (Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast). Historical province ''For his ...

, as well as

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

Republic of Karelia The Republic of Karelia (russian: Респу́блика Каре́лия, Respublika Kareliya; ; krl, Karjalan tašavalta; ; fi, Karjalan tasavalta; vep, Karjalan Tazovaldkund, Ludic: ''Kard’alan tazavald''), also known as just Karelia (ru ...

. It is the easternmost region of Finland and shares a border with Russia. The city of

Joensuu Joensuu (; krl, Jovensuu; ) is a city and municipality in North Karelia, Finland, located on the northern shore of Lake Pyhäselkä (northern part of Lake Saimaa) at the mouth of the Pielinen River (''Pielisjoki''). It was founded in 1848. T ...

is the capital and the largest settlement of the region. North Karelia has successfully reduced chronic diseases through public health measures. In the 1960s Finland led industrialized nations in

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, ...

mortality rates; North Karelia had Finland's highest incidence. In 1972 a long-term project was undertaken which targeted this risk in North Karelia. The resulting improvement in public health is still considered remarkable, a model for the rest of the nation. North Karelia is also known as the most sociable region in Finland. Koli hill view

Historical province

Municipalities

The region of North Karelia is made up of 13

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

, of which five have city status (marked in bold). Joensuu sub-region: *

Heinävesi **Population: *

Ilomantsi (''Ilomants'') **Population: * Joensuu

**Population: * Juuka

Juuka (''Juga'') **Population: *

Kontiolahti Kontiolahti ( sv, Kontiolax; literally meaning "bear bay") is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region, about north of Joensuu. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The po ...

(''Kontiolax'') **Population: * Liperi

Liperi (''Libelits'') **Population: *

Outokumpu **Population: *

Polvijärvi Polvijärvi (; literally "knee lake") is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbouring municip ...

**Population: Central Karelia sub-region: * Kitee

Kitee Kitee ( sv, Kides) is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the North Karelia region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that a ...

(''Kides'') **Population: *

Rääkkylä **Population: *

Tohmajärvi Tohmajärvi () is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Ne ...

**Population: Pielinen Karelia sub-region: * Lieksa

Lieksa Lieksa () is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually Finnis ...

**Population: * Nurmes

Nurmes **Population:

Heraldry

The coat of arms of North Karelia is composed of the arms of

Karelia Karelia ( Karelian and fi, Karjala, ; rus, Каре́лия, links=y, r=Karélija, p=kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə, historically ''Korjela''; sv, Karelen), the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for ...

Education

Institutions of higher education in North Karelia include: *

University of Eastern Finland The University of Eastern Finland ( fi, Itä-Suomen yliopisto) is a university in Finland founded in 2010 with campuses in Joensuu and Kuopio. History The Finnish Parliament passed the Universities Act on June 16, 2009, which, among other things ...

North Karelia University of Applied Sciences Karelia University of Applied Sciences ( fi, Karelia-ammattikorkeakoulu), until 2013 North Karelia University of Applied Sciences, is an institution of higher education and applied research Applied science is the use of the scientific method an ...

Riveria Vocational Education and Training ''Swartzia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It was named in honor of Swedish botanist Olof Swartz and contains about 200 species. ''Swartzia'' is restricted in its geographical distribution to the New World Tropics, wher ...

Politics

Results of the 2019 Finnish parliamentary election in North Karelia: * Centre Party 24.46% *

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...

21.41% *

Finns Party The Finns Party, formerly known as the True Finns ( fi, Perussuomalaiset, PS, sv, Sannfinländarna, Sannf.), is a right-wing populist political party in Finland. It was founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. Th ...

18.83% *

Green League The Green League (VIHR, fi, Vihreä liitto , sv, Gröna förbundet), shortened to the Greens ( fi, Vihreät, sv, De Gröna), is a green political party in Finland. Ideologically, the Green League is positioned on the centre-left of the polit ...

9.93% * National Coalition Party 9.01% * Christian Democrats 6.68% * Left Alliance 5.26% * Blue Reform 2.24% * Movement Now 0.96% * Seven Star Movement 0.21% *Other parties 1.01%

In popular culture

The song "Pohjois-Karjala" ("North Karelia") by the Finnish

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...

band

Leevi and the Leavings Leevi and the Leavings was a Finnish rock band that operated from 1978 to 2003. The band consisted of Gösta Sundqvist, Risto Paananen, Juha Karastie and Niklas Nylund. Sundqvist was the leader of the band, he composed and wrote all the band's ...

tells the story of an urban man who dreams of returning to his native region of North Karelia. It has become such a big hit in North Karelia that it is almost perceived as a regional song.

References

External links

North Karelia

Visitkarelia.fi - Information about travel, tourism and other fields in North Karelia

Video about travelling in North Karelia

Pielis.ru – travel information about North Karelia region and City of Joensuu
{{Authority control Eastern Finland Province Karelia North