

Karelia can generally be defined as the region of land between the Baltic Sea and White Sea settled by the Karelian ethnic group approximately 8,000 years ago.
The region has been culturally divided since the 13th century into two halves, Western Karelia (also known as Swedish Karelia or Finnish Karelia) and Eastern Karelia (also known as Russian Karelia and the Republic of Karelia). Traditionally this split has been most obvious by the dominance in the west of Catholicism and later Lutheranism while the east was predominantly Orthodox. The national borders defining east and west Karelia have moved numerous times in the last thousand years as the power and influence of neighbouring empires has waxed and waned. The focus of the members of this project is on western Karelia, the provinces of Karelian Isthmus and Ladoga Karelia (which within living memory were a part of Finland until the Winter War of 1940) and the provinces of South Karelia and North Karelia, which are still within Finnish national borders. This project is not focused on the peoples or history of Eastern Karelia, if this is your specific interest let us know through the discussion board and we will either incorporate your interests into this project or assist you with setting up of a complimentary project.
South Karelia
North Karelia
The Ceded Parishes
Hiski, parishes in Karelia - no. 21