Karelia is a region lying in both modern day
Finland and the
Russian Federation.
Karelia was annexed to
Russia by
Peter the Great in 1721, as part of the Grand Duchy of
Finland. In 1917 part of
Karelia was retained by
Finland when it gained its independence from
Russia. The remainder became an autonomous region in 1920, and an
autonomous republic of the
USSR in 1923. Following the wars of 1939-40,
Finland ceded 46,000km
2 to the
USSR. Part of this territory was incorporated into the
Russian Soviet Republic, and part into the
Karelian Autonomous Republic in 1956. A
Karelian reunification movement emerged in the 1980s.
The people of the area speak either Russian or Karelian. The Karelians have a strong oral culture.
See also:
Russian Karelia: