North Karelia

North Karelia (or Northern Karelia, Finnish: Pohjois-Karjala; Swedish: Norra Karelen) is a region in eastern Finland. It borders the regions of Kainuu, North Savo, South Savo and South Karelia, as well as Russia's Republic of Karelia. It is the easternmost region of Finland and shares a 300 kilometres (190 mi) border with Russia.[1] The city of Joensuu is the capital and the largest settlement of the region.

For other uses, see Northern Karelia Province.
North Karelia
Pohjois-Karjala (Finnish)
Norra Karelen (Swedish)
Region
Region of North Karelia
Pohjois-Karjalan maakunta
Landskapet Norra Karelen
Flag of North Karelia
Flag
Coat of arms of North Karelia
Coat of arms
North Karelia on a map of Finland
North Karelia on a map of Finland
Coordinates: 63°00′N 30°00′E
CountryFinland
Historical provinceKarelia
CapitalJoensuu
Area
 • Total21,584.41 km2 (8,333.79 sq mi)
Population
 (2019)
 • Total161,211
 • Density7.5/km2 (19/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 codeFI-13
NUTS133
Regional animalBrown bear
Regional birdCuckoo
Regional fishLake salmon
Regional flowerPrickly rose
Regional stoneSoapstone
Regional lakeLake Pielinen
Websitepohjois-karjala.fi

North Karelia has successfully reduced chronic diseases through public health measures.[2][3] In the 1960s Finland led industrialized nations in heart disease mortality rates; North Karelia had Finland's highest incidence. In 1972 a long-term project was undertaken which targeted this risk in North Karelia.[4] The resulting improvement in public health is still considered remarkable, a model for the rest of the nation.[5] North Karelia is also known as the most sociable region in Finland.[6]

View from a hill in Koli National Park, the most famous tourist attraction in North Karelia

Historical province
For history, geography and culture, see Karelia.

Municipalities
Main article: Municipalities of North Karelia

The region of North Karelia is made up of 13 municipalities, of which five have city status (marked in bold).

Heraldry
Main article: Coat of arms of the Province of Karelia

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

Education

Institutions of higher education in North Karelia include:

Politics

Results of the 2019 Finnish parliamentary election in North Karelia:

The song "Pohjois-Karjala" ("North Karelia") by the Finnish pop rock band Leevi and the Leavings tells the story of an urban man who dreams of returning to his native region of North Karelia.[7] It has become such a big hit in North Karelia that it is almost perceived as a regional song.[8]

References
  1. "North Karelia". English.
  2. "The North Karelia Project: 30 years successfully preventing chronic diseases" (PDF). International Diabetes Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  3. "Finland's bold push to change the heart health of a nation". Knowable Magazine. 2018.
  4. Puska, P; Salonen, JT; Nissinen, A; Tuomilehto, J; Vartiainen, E; Korhonen, H; Tanskanen, A; Rönnqvist, P; Koskela, K; Huttunen, J (1983). "Change in risk factors for coronary heart disease during 10 years of a community intervention programme (North Karelia project)". Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 287 (6408): 1840–4. doi:10.1136/bmj.287.6408.1840. PMC 1550066. PMID 6423038. After the second world war cardiovascular diseases, predominantly coronary heart disease, became the leading public health problem in most of the industrialised world. Mortality statistics and other studies showed that in the 1960s the highest heart disease mortality rates were observed in Finland, predominantly in men. Within Finland the highest rates were registered in eastern Finland and were particularly high in the county of North Karelia.
  5. "THE NORTH KARELIA PROJECT: FROM NORTH KARELIA TO NATIONAL ACTION". National Institute for Health and Welfare (Finland). Archived from the original on 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2012-08-05. In first five years of the North Karelia Project, for example, most of the reduction in cigarette smoking took place in the first year of the programme; most hypertensive individuals who brought their blood pressure under control achieved this by the end of the third year; dietary changes took place gradually over a five-year period; and, as noted earlier, at the end of five years, a net reduction in risk-factor levels was observed. Concerning mortality, CHD incidence and mortality rates started to decline surprisingly quickly after the start of the intervention in North Karelia. In the rest of the country, a similar decline started several years later. Thus a significant net change in favour of North Karelia was observed, especially in 1974 to 1979 (Salonen et al, 1983). Thereafter, although the decline in North Karelia continued, the net decline was gradually reduced. Thus maximal difference in favour of the intervention area was observed some 5-8 years after its start (Puska et al, 1995). For cancer mortality, a net reduction in favour of North Karelia could be observed much later, i.e., 5 to 10 years after the intervention commenced.
  6. "Ever heard the saying "quiet like a Finn"?". December 15, 2020.
  7. Kling, Joni (2013-10-29). "Leevi and the Leavings Top 40: #4 Pohjois-Karjala (1986)". NRGM (in Finnish). Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  8. Jarva, Hannu. "Muhkea paketti Leevi and the Leavingsia". Karjalainen (in Finnish). Retrieved 2021-07-02.
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