North Karelia
North Karelia
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| Region of North Karelia Pohjois-Karjalan maakunta Landskapet Norra Karelen | |
North Karelia on a map of Finland | |
| Coordinates: 63°00′N 30°00′E / 63.000°N 30.000°E | |
| Country | Finland |
| Historical province | Karelia |
| Capital | Joensuu |
| Other towns | Kitee, Lieksa, Nurmes and Outokumpu |
| Area | |
• Total | 21,584.41 km2 (8,333.79 sq mi) |
| Population (2023) | |
• Total | 162,312 |
| • Density | 7.5/km2 (19/sq mi) |
| GDP | |
| • Total | €4.814 billion (2015) |
| • Per capita | €29,174 (2015) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | FI-13 |
| NUTS | 133 |
| Regional animal | Brown bear |
| Regional bird | Cuckoo |
| Regional fish | Lake salmon |
| Regional flower | Prickly rose |
| Regional stone | Soapstone |
| Regional lake | Lake Pielinen |
| Website | pohjois-karjala.fi |
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. The city of Joensuu 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 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.