Republic of Karelia - The Pearl of Northern Russia
The Republic of Karelia shares the longest border with the European Union in Russia (it borders Finland to the west) and is surrounded by the White Sea to the northeast.
With an area of 180,520 square kilometers, it ranks 5th among the republics of the Russian Federation. Its capital is Petrozavodsk, founded by Peter the Great in 1703. The population of the region is 614,000.
Karelia is famous for its beautiful and diverse nature. It is an ecologically unspoiled region covered with pine forests, lakes, rivers, and cliffs. More than 25% of its land is water. There are approximately 27,000 rivers and about 60,000 lakes in Karelia, including Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega, which are among the largest lakes in Europe.
Its economy is based on mining, timber processing, paper industry, metallurgy, and mechanical engineering.
Main Economic Sectors
1. Forestry and Wood Industry:
This is the basis of the Karelian economy. The region is one of Russia's important timber and pulp production areas.
Main products produced:
- Logs
- Timber
- Plywood
- MDF / particle board
- Pulp
- Paper products
2. Mining and Quarries
Karelia is one of Russia's important regions in terms of granite and natural stone.
Main products extracted:
- Granite
- Gabbro-diabase
- Marble types
- Mica and various minerals
3. Metallurgy and Iron Processing
- iron processing,
- machine parts,
- ship equipment,
- small-scale metal production
- are available.
4. Tourism
Tourism is one of the economically growing sectors.
Specifically:
- nature tourism,
- lake tourism,
- fishing,
- hunting tourism,
- winter tourism,
- Soviet/Finnish cultural heritage
- are highlighted.
