Map showing the parts Karelia is traditionally divided into.

Karelia is the land of the Karelian people, that inhabitated vast areas in Northern Europe, of historical significance for Finland, Russia and Sweden. It is currently divided between the Russian Republic of Karelia, the Russian Leningrad Oblast, and two Regions of Finland, South Karelia and North Karelia. Download high resolution version (445x764, 30 KB)Traditional divisions of Karelia File links The following pages link to this file: Talk:Republic of Karelia User:Jniemenmaa/images Karelia Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (445x764, 30 KB)Traditional divisions of Karelia File links The following pages link to this file: Talk:Republic of Karelia User:Jniemenmaa/images Karelia Categories: GFDL images ... The Karelians is a name used, bit confusingly, of two different Finnic groups. ... Northern Europe is marked in blue Northern Europe is a name of the northern part of the European continent. ... The Republic of Karelia (Russian: Респу́блика Каре́лия; Karelian: Karjalan Tazavalla) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ... Leningrad Oblast (Russian: Ленингра́дская о́бласть; tr. ... Finland is divided into 20 regions (maakunta/landskap in Finnish/Swedish). ... The Region of South Karelia is a region (maakunta / landskap) of Finland. ... The Region of North Karelia is a region (maakunta / landskap) in eastern Finland. ...

In the Karelian and Finnish languages Karelia is called Karjala; in Russian Карелия, and in Swedish Karelen. The Karelian language is a variety closely related to Finnish. ...

History

Main article: History of Karelia.

Karelia was bitterly fought over by Sweden and Novgorod Republic in the 13th century. The Treaty of Nöteborg in 1323 divided Karelia between the two. Vyborg became the capital of the new Swedish province. Medieval walls of Novgorod City The Novgorod Feudal Republic (Новгородская феодальная республика in Russian, or Novgorodskaya feodalnaya respublika) was a powerful medieval state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th century. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... The Treaty of Nöteborg, also known as Treaty of Orekhovo signed at Orechovets (Pähkinäsaari) on August 12, 1323, was a treaty between Sweden and Novgorod regulating their border. ... Events Canonization of Saint Thomas Aquinas Lithuania: Vilnius becomes capital August 12 - The Treaty of Nöteborg between Sweden and Novgorod (Russia) is signed, regulating the border for the first time Pharos of Alexandira Lighthouse (one of the Seven Wonders of the world) is destroyed by a series of earthquakes... Vyborg from the tower of the castle Vyborg (transcription of Russian Выборг) is a town with 70,000 inhabitants at Russias border to Finland, on the Karelian Isthmus, close to Saint Petersburg. ...

The Treaty of Nystad in 1721, between Imperial Russia and Sweden, ceded most of Karelia to Russia. After Finland had been conquered by Russia in the Finnish War, parts of the ceded provinces (Old Finland) were incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Finland. In 1917 Finland became independent and the border was confirmed by the Treaty of Tartu in 1920. The Treaty of Nystad (1721), signed at the present-day Finnish town of Uusikaupunki (Swedish Nystad), ended the Great Northern War, in which Russia received the territories of Estonia, Livonia and Ingria, as well as much of Karelia and Tsar Peter I of Russia replaced King Frederick I of Sweden... 1721 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... The Finnish War was fought between Sweden and Russia from February 1808 to September 1809. ... Old Finland (Vanha Suomi in Finnish) is a name used for the areas that Sweden lost to Russia in the Great Northern War and in the Hats Russian War. ... The Grand Duchy of Finland was a state that existed 1809–1917. ... 1917 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Finnish declaration of independence was adopted by the Parliament of Finland on December 6, 1917. ... The Treaties of Tartu were treaties between Bolshevist Russia on one side and the recently independent Estonia and Finland, formerly belonging to Imperial Russia, on the other. ... 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ...

Many fine examples of old Russian wooden architecture survive in Karelia.

During the 1920s, Finns were involved in attempts to overthrow the Bolshevists in Russian Karelia (East Karelia), for instance in the failed Aunus expedition. Image File history File links Photo of Kizhi, taken in the 1963. ... Image File history File links Photo of Kizhi, taken in the 1963. ... Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America as the Roaring Twenties. // Events and trends Technology John T. Thompson invents Thompson submachine gun, also known as Tommy gun John Logie Baird invents the first working television system (1925) Charles Lindbergh becomes the first person to fly... Bolshevist Russia is a common term that refers to the Red side in the Russian government between the Bolsheviks October Revolution (November 7, 1917) and the constitution of the Soviet Union (December 30, 1922). ... East Karelia and West Karelia with borders of 1939 and 1940/1947. ... The Aunus expedition was an attempt by Finnish volunteers to occupy parts of East Karelia in 1919, during the Russian Civil War. ...

After the end of the Russian Civil War, and the establishment of the Soviet Union in 1922, the Russian part of Karelia became the Karelian Autonomous republic of the Soviet Union (ASSR) in 1923. The Russian Civil War was fought between 1918 and 1922. ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... In its final decades of its existence, the Soviet Union consisted of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (SSR), often called simply Soviet republics. ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In the 1940s, most of Finnish Karelia was first ceded to the Soviet Union in the Peace of Moscow that followed the Winter War (1939–1940), then re-conquered for three years during the Continuation War 1941–1944 when also East Karelia was occupied by the Finns. The Winter War and the resulting Soviet expansion caused considerable bitterness in Finland that lost its second biggest city, Vyborg, its industrial heart along the river Vuoksi, the Saimaa canal that connected central Finland to the Gulf of Finland, access to the fishing waters of Lake Ladoga, and made an eighth of her citizens refugees without hope of return. // Events and trends The 1940s were dominated by World War II, the most destructive armed conflict in history. ... Finnish Karelia, historically also Swedish Karelia or Carelia, is a historical province in eastern Finland. ... The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed by Finland and the Soviet Union on March 12, 1940. ... The Winter War (also known as the Soviet-Finnish War or the Russo-Finnish War) broke out when the Soviet Union attacked Finland on November 30, 1939, three months after the start of World War II. As a consequence, the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations on... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Continuation War was fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II; from the Soviet bombing attacks on June 25, 1941, to cease-fire September 4, 1944 (on the Finnish side) and September 5 (on the Soviet side). ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Vyborg from the tower of the castle Vyborg (transcription of Russian Выборг) is a town with 70,000 inhabitants at Russias border to Finland, on the Karelian Isthmus, close to Saint Petersburg. ... The River Vuoksi (Finnish) or River Vuoksa (Russian standard transcription) runs in the northernmost part of the Karelian Isthmus, from Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland flowing into Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. ... Saimaa Canal (Finnish: Saimaan kanava, Swedish: Saima kanal) is a canal in a system of 120 interconnected lakes in the south-central and south-east part of Finland. ... The Baltic Sea The Gulf of Finland is an arm of the Baltic Sea that extends between Finland (to the north) and Estonia (to the south) all the way to the city of Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. ... Map of Scandinavia Lake Ladoga (Russian: Ладожское озеро, Finnish: Laatokka) is the largest lake in Europe, located in Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia (since WWII), near the border to Finland. ...

As a consequence of the Peace of Moscow, the Karelian ASSR was incorporated with the Karelo-Finnish SSR 1941–1956; After which it became an ASSR again. The Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic (Karelo-Finnish S.S.R., Finnish Karjalais-Suomalainen sosialistinen neuvostotasavalta, Russian Карело-Финская Советская Социалистическая Республика or Karelo-Finskaya Sovietskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) was a republic of the Soviet Union that existed between 1940 and 1956. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1991 the Republic of Karelia was created of the ASSR. 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Republic of Karelia (Russian: Респу́блика Каре́лия; Karelian: Karjalan Tazavalla) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ...

Politics

Map showing the Republic of Karelia and the two Finnish regions.

Karelia is divided between Finland and Russia. The Republic of Karelia is an autonomous republic of Russia, which was formed in 1991 from the Karelian ASSR. The Karelian Isthmus belongs to the Leningrad Oblast. The Finnish parts of Karelia are part of the regions (maakunta) of South Karelia and North Karelia. Map of current political divisions of Karelia File links The following pages link to this file: Republic of Karelia Talk:Republic of Karelia North Karelia User:Jniemenmaa/images South Karelia Karelia Categories: GFDL images ... Map of current political divisions of Karelia File links The following pages link to this file: Republic of Karelia Talk:Republic of Karelia North Karelia User:Jniemenmaa/images South Karelia Karelia Categories: GFDL images ... The Karelian Isthmus is the narrow stretch of land between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. ... Leningrad Oblast (Russian: Ленингра́дская о́бласть; tr. ... The Region of South Karelia is a region (maakunta / landskap) of Finland. ... The Region of North Karelia is a region (maakunta / landskap) in eastern Finland. ...

There are some small but fervent groups of Finns campaigning for closer ties between Finland and Karelia. Thus the irredentist hopes for Finland's re-acquisition of the ceded Finnish Karelia live on in for instance the Karjalan liitto and Karelia question. The ambitions for closer ties with East Karelia does usually not include territorial changes. Irredentism is claiming a right to territories belonging to another state on the grounds of common ethnicity and/or prior historical possession, actual or alleged. ... Finnish Karelia, historically also Swedish Karelia or Carelia, is a historical province in eastern Finland. ... Karjalan Liitto (Karelian Association) is an interest group for Karelian evacuees. ... Karelia question is a dispute in Finnish political society about attempting to have Finnish Karelia and other territories ceded in the Winter War and Continuation War returned to Finland from Russia. ... East Karelia and West Karelia with borders of 1939 and 1940/1947. ...

Geography

Main article: Geography of Karelia.

Karelia in relation to Kola Peninsula, Petersburg, Moscow, and foreign countries.

Karelia streches from the White Sea coast to the Gulf of Finland. It contains the two largest lakes in Europe, Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega. The Karelian Isthmus is located between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga. Download high resolution version (467x739, 87 KB) This work is copyrighted. ... Download high resolution version (467x739, 87 KB) This work is copyrighted. ... The Kola Peninsula in relation to Scandinavia, the White Sea, Barents Sea, Lake Onega, Lake Ladoga, and foreign countries. ... Several places in the United States of America have the name Petersburg: Petersburg, Alaska Petersburg, Illinois Petersburg, Indiana Petersburg, Iowa Petersburg, Michigan Petersburg, Nebraska Petersburg, Ohio Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg, West Virginia Slight variations appear in the names of: Petersburgh, New York Saint Petersburg, Russia Saint Petersburg, Florida Petersburg was the... Saint Basils Cathedral and Spasskaya Tower of Moscow Kremlin at Red Square. ... Barents Sea, the Kola Peninsula and the White Sea. ... The Baltic Sea The Gulf of Finland is an arm of the Baltic Sea that extends between Finland (to the north) and Estonia (to the south) all the way to the city of Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. ... Map of Scandinavia Lake Ladoga (Russian: Ладожское озеро, Finnish: Laatokka) is the largest lake in Europe, located in Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia (since WWII), near the border to Finland. ... Lake Onega (also known as Onego, Onezhskoe ozero (from Russian, Онежское озеро), and Onezhskoe lake) is a lake in the Russian Federation. ... The Karelian Isthmus is the narrow stretch of land between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. ... The Baltic Sea The Gulf of Finland is an arm of the Baltic Sea that extends between Finland (to the north) and Estonia (to the south) all the way to the city of Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. ... Map of Scandinavia Lake Ladoga (Russian: Ладожское озеро, Finnish: Laatokka) is the largest lake in Europe, located in Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia (since WWII), near the border to Finland. ...

The border between Karelia and Ingria, the land of the closely related Ingrian people, is traditionally held to follow the rivlet Sestra/Rajajoki (Russian: Сестра/Раяйоки), today in the Saint Petersburg metropolitan area, but 1812–1940 the Russo-Finnish border. The Ingrian flag Map of Karelia giving an idea of where Ingria lies. ... Ingrians refer to the Finnic people that before the foundation of Saint Petersburg inhabited Ingria (east and south of the Gulf of Finland) Ingrian Finns (Lutherans) Izhorians (Orthodox) Categories: Finnic peoples ... ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland...

On the other side of Lake Ladoga, River Svir is usually thought of as the traditional southern border of Karelian land, like Lake Saimaa marks the Western border while Lake Onega and the White Sea marks the Eastern border. In the North there were the nomadic Samis, but no natural border except for huge woods (taiga) and tundra. Map of Scandinavia Lake Ladoga (Russian: Ладожское озеро, Finnish: Laatokka) is the largest lake in Europe, located in Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia (since WWII), near the border to Finland. ... Categories: Russia geography stubs | Russian rivers | Karelia ... Land is sometimes used synonymously with country. ... A Picture of Saimaa Saimaa, or Saimen in Swedish, is a lake in southeastern Finland. ... Lake Onega (also known as Onego, Onezhskoe ozero (from Russian, Онежское озеро), and Onezhskoe lake) is a lake in the Russian Federation. ... Barents Sea, the Kola Peninsula and the White Sea. ... Communities of nomadic people move from place to place, rather than settling down in one location. ... Sami flag The Sami people (there are other names and spellings including Sámi, Saami and Lapp) are an indigenous people of northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia, covering a total area in the Nordic countries corresponding to the size of Sweden. ... Taiga (pronounced , from Russian тайга́) is a biome characterized by its coniferous forests. ... In physical geography, tundra is an area where tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. ...

In historical texts Karelia is sometimes divided into East Karelia and West Karelia, which are also called Russian Karelia and Finnish Karelia respectively. The area to the north of Lake Ladoga which belonged to Finland before World War II is called Ladoga Karelia, and the parishes on the old pre-war border are sometimes called Border Karelia. White Karelia is the northern part of East Karelia and Olonets Karelia is the southern part. East Karelia and West Karelia with borders of 1939 and 1940/1947. ... Finnish Karelia, historically also Swedish Karelia or Carelia, is a historical province in eastern Finland. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ... This article is about Karelia, the land of the Karelians, in its broadest meaning. ... This article is about Karelia, the land of the Karelians, in its broadest meaning. ... East Karelia and West Karelia with borders of 1939 and 1940/1947. ... This article is about Karelia, the land of the Karelians, in its broadest meaning. ...

Tver Karelia denotes the villages in the Tver Oblast that are inhabited by Karelians. [1] [2] Categories: Stub | Oblasts of Russia ... The Karelians is a name used, bit confusingly, of two different Finnic groups. ...

Towns and cities

View of the old town of Kem in 1911.

• in the Republic of Karelia
  • Petrozavodsk (Петрозаводск, Petroskoi)
  • Medvezhyegorsk (Медвежьегорск, Karhumäki)
  • Kalevala (Калевала, Uhtua)
  • Kem (Vienan Kemi, compare with Kemi)
  • Kostomuksha (Kostamus)
  • Kondopoga (Кондопога, Kontupohja)
  • Sortavala (Сортавала)
  • Segezha (Сегежа)
  • Unitsa (Уница)

• on the Karelian Isthmus
  • Vyborg (Viipuri)
  • Priozersk (Käkisalmi/Keksholm)

• in South Karelia
  • Imatra
  • Lappeenranta (Villmanstrand)

• in North Karelia
  • Joensuu
  • Kitee
  • Lieksa
  • Nurmes
  • Outokumpu

Image File history File links View of Kem, Karelia in 1911. ... Image File history File links View of Kem, Karelia in 1911. ... View of Kem in 1911. ... 1911 was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... The Republic of Karelia (Russian: Респу́блика Каре́лия; Karelian: Karjalan Tazavalla) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ... Petrozavodsk (Петрозаво́дск) or Petroskoi (in Karelian/Finnish) is the capital of the Russian Republic of Karelia, with a population of 282,900. ... View of Kem in 1911. ... Kemi is a town and municipality of Finland. ... Kondopoga is a town in Karelia, Russia. ... Sortavala (Сортавала) is a town in the Russian Republic of Karelia, located at the northern tip of Lake Ladoga. ... Unitsa (Уница) is a village in Karelia, Russia on a bank of Unitskaya guba (Unitskaya gulf) of Onego lake. ... The Karelian Isthmus is the narrow stretch of land between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. ... Vyborg from the tower of the castle Vyborg (transcription of Russian Выборг) is a town with 70,000 inhabitants at Russias border to Finland, on the Karelian Isthmus, close to Saint Petersburg. ... Priozersk (Приозерск) is a town on the Karelian Isthmus, in the Leningrad Oblast of Russia, centered on an island at the southwestern shore of Lake Ladoga, at the estuary of the northern armlet of River Vuoksi (Вуокса (Vuoksa) in Russian). ... The Region of South Karelia is a region (maakunta / landskap) of Finland. ... Imatra is a town and municipality in eastern Finland, founded in 1948 around three industrial settlements near the Finnish-Russian border. ... Lappeenranta or Villmanstrand in Swedish is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about 30 km from the Russian border. ... The Region of North Karelia is a region (maakunta / landskap) in eastern Finland. ... Joensuu City Hall Joensuu is a city in eastern Finland. ... Kitee is a municipality of Finland. ... Lieksa is a town and municipality of Finland. ... Nurmes is a municipality of Finland. ... Outokumpu is a group of companies headquartered in Espoo, Finland, aimed at stainless steel, copper products and technology. ...

Demographics

The Karelian language is spoken in the Republic of Karelia and also in the Tver Karelian villages. The Veps language is spoken on both sides of the River Svir. The dialect spoken mainly in South Karelia is part of the South-Western dialects of Finnish. [3] The dialect in North Karelia is part of the large group of Savonian dialects. [4] Karelians who evacuated from Finnish Karelia resettled all over Finland and today there are approximately one million people in Finland having Karelian roots. In Finland, about 5,000 people speak Karelian. The Karelian language is a variety closely related to Finnish. ... Veps language, spoken by Vepses, belongs to the Baltic-Finnic group of the Finno-Ugric languages. ... Categories: Russia geography stubs | Russian rivers | Karelia ...

Culture

Main article: Culture of Karelia.

• Kalevala
• Karelian Hot Pot
• Karelian language
• Karelian pasties

The Kalevala is an epic poem which Elias Lönnrot in the 19th century said that he had compiled from Finnish folk sources. ... The Karelian language is a variety closely related to Finnish. ... Karelian pasties (Karjalanpiirakat in Finnish) are traditional pasties from North Karelia, Finland. ...

External links

• Karelians (The Peoples of the Red Book)
• The Many Karelias - Virtual Finland