Between 1634 and 2009, Finland was administered as several provinces. Finland had always been a unitary state: the provincial authorities were part of the central government's executive branch and apart from Åland, the provinces had little autonomy. There were never any elected provincial parliaments in continental Finland. The system was initially created in 1634. Its makeup was changed drastically on 1 September 1997, when the number of the provinces was reduced from twelve to six. This effectively made them purely administrative units, as linguistic and cultural boundaries no longer followed the borders of the provinces. The provinces were eventually abolished at the end of 2009. Consequently, different ministries may subdivide their areal organization differently. Besides the former provinces, the municipalities of Finland form the fundamental subdivisions of the country. In current use are the regions of Finland, a smaller subdivision where some pre-1997 läänis are split into multiple regions. Åland retains its special autonomous status and its own regional parliament.
Eastern Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Western Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered Russia to the east.
Finland is divided into 19 regions.
Karelian is a Finnic language spoken mainly in the Russian Republic of Karelia. Linguistically, Karelian is closely related to the Finnish dialects spoken in eastern Finland, and some Finnish linguists have even classified Karelian as a dialect of Finnish, though in the modern day it is widely considered a separate language. Karelian is not to be confused with the Southeastern dialects of Finnish, sometimes referred to as karjalaismurteet in Finland. In the Russian 2020–2021 census, around 9,000 people spoke Karelian natively, but around 14,000 said to be able to speak the language.
Joensuu is a city and municipality in North Karelia, Finland, located on the northern shore of Lake Pyhäselkä at the mouth of the Pielinen River (Pielisjoki). It was founded in 1848 by Russian Emperor Nicholas I. The population of Joensuu is 77,480, and the economic region of Joensuu has a population of 115,000. It is the 12th largest city in Finland. The nearest major city, Kuopio in North Savonia, is located 136 kilometres (85 mi) to the west. From Joensuu, the distance to Lappeenranta, the capital of South Karelia, is 233 kilometres (145 mi) along Highway 6.
North Karelia 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.
Heinävesi is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of 3,086 and covers an area of 1,319.58 square kilometres (509.49 sq mi) of which 288.71 km2 (111.47 sq mi) is water. The population density is 3 inhabitants per square kilometre (7.8/sq mi). Neighbouring municipalities are Savonlinna, Varkaus, Leppävirta, Tuusniemi, Outokumpu and Liperi. The city of Joensuu is located 81 kilometres (50 mi) northeast of Heinävesi. The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
Kontiolahti is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Joensuu. The municipality has a population of 15,144 and covers an area of 1,029.82 square kilometres (397.62 sq mi) of which 230.1 km2 (88.8 sq mi) is water. The population density is 18.94 inhabitants per square kilometre (49.1/sq mi). Neighbouring municipalities are Joensuu, Juuka, Lieksa, Liperi and Polvijärvi. The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
Liperi is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region. Liperi is a community of 11,976 with the growth rate of 83 newcomers in 11 months in 2007. The population density is 16.48 inhabitants per square kilometre (42.7/sq mi). The municipality covers an area of 1,161.23 square kilometres (448.35 sq mi) of which 434.33 km2 (167.70 sq mi) is water.
Joensuu Church is located in the centre of Joensuu, North Karelia, Finland. The church was built in 1903 and designed by a Finnish church architect Josef Stenbäck. Architecturally it represents the Gothic Revival style, but it also has some features of National Romantic style. The high tower located in the northeast corner is the bell tower and in the lower southwest tower is the organ, which was built in 1969 by Organ Factory of Kangasala and has 36 stops. The church has 1000 seats. The altar painting is called The Crucifixion of Jesus and it is painted by Ilmari Launis in 1910.
Ladoga Karelia is a historical region of Karelia, currently largely in Russia. Today, the term refers to the part of the Republic of Karelia in the Russian Federation comprising the south-west part of the Republic, specifically Lakhdenpokhsky District, Pitkyarantsky District and Sortavala District. This region is on the northern littoral of Lake Ladoga, which borders Olonets Karelia to the East, Leningrad Oblast to the south-west and the North Karelia region of Finland to the west.
The North Karelian Museum is a museum of cultural history. This provincial museum focuses on the city of Joensuu and its surrounding Karelia region. The museum has a permanent exhibition about the history of Karelia and several changing exhibitions during the year. Special section is dedicated for children.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is a Finnish government ministry tasked with the planning and implementation of policies regarding the social affairs and health of the inhabitants of Finland. The ministry includes two ministers: the Minister of Social Affairs and Health and the Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services.
August Anselm Wesley was a Finnish journalist, trade unionist, and revolutionary who was the chief of the Red Guards general staff in the 1918 Finnish Civil War. He later served as a lieutenant in the British organized Murmansk Legion and the Estonian Army.
Krista Johanna Mikkonen is a Finnish politician for the Green League, member of parliament, and Finland's Minister of the Interior. She lives in Joensuu, but spent her childhood in Koria. She was first elected to the Finnish Parliament in the 2015 parliamentary election for the Savo-Karelia constituency. Between 2016 and 2019, Mikkonen was the chairperson of the Green League parliamentary group. Mikkonen graduated with a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Joensuu in North Karelia in 2003.
Pielisjoki Castle is a 19th-century public building in the city of Joensuu, in eastern Finland. It is located in the city centre, situated on a small island in River Pielisjoki. Built in 1852 originally as a Crown granary, the building was designed by a leading architect of public buildings of the time, Ernst Lohrmann, in the neoclassical style.
The wellbeing services counties are public bodies separate from the municipalities of Finland and the Finnish Government following the social reform instigated by the Marin Cabinet, each of which has self-government within its territory. On 23 June 2021, Parliament approved bills on social and health care reform. According to the law on the implementation of the reform, the tasks and organizational responsibility of social and health care and rescue services will be transferred from the municipalities to the counties on 1 January 2023. The first elections to the councils were held in January 2022.
Kuopio University Hospital is a teaching hospital of the University of Eastern Finland along Puijonlaaksontie at the Puijonlaakso district in Kuopio, Finland. It serves as one of the main hospitals in the country and operates in the facilities of Central Hospital of Puijo, Children's Hospital of Alava and Psychiatric Hospital of Julkula in Kuopio, and also former Tarina Hospital in Siilinjärvi.
Regional anthems of Finland are songs which were composed or later selected to be anthems of Finland's historical provinces and current regions. The best known regional anthems in Finland are Karjalaisten laulu and Nälkämaan laulu.
