Travel Karelia Russia

Discover the Beautiful Karelia of Russia

In the north-west of Russia you will find the Republic of Karelia. It has 19 municpal districts and 808 settlements. The Capital of Karelia is Petrozavodsk which is situated on the shores of the Onego Lake, one of the largest lakes in Russia. Ladoga Lake is also found in Karelia.

A large section of Karelia is a hilly plain that was carved out by a glacier thousands of years ago. As a result, the ground has a somewhat wavy appearance. Karelia thus has a fascinating and beautiful back drop created by hills, lakes, rivers, forest and steppes. This rich and healthy landscape is a good source of raw materials and minerals, which has led to a booming industry. Some of the mineral resources found in the region are iron ore, vanadium, molibden, rare metals, diamonds, mica granite, marble, clay and asbest.

The natural beauty of Karelia has contributed to the country in another way - it has attracted tourists from all over the world. Thousands of visitors journey to Karelia annually to see the virgin woods, superbly clean lakes and rivers, and the many cultural monuments.

Karelia also has a rather good transport system. It is connected to the Barents, Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas through the various rivers, lakes and canals. It also has a federal railway system and car highways which serve to connect Murmansk with St. Petersburg, Moscow, Central Russia and Finland. Airlines are not lacking here either. You can catch a flight to Joensuu and Helsinki with some ease. Cellular communication is also good.

The region of Karelia is situated on the Russian border and this has resulted in some interesting influences on the people. To this day, you will find Karelian-Finnish runes as well as other interesting influences. Traveling to Karelia will help you to find out more about this first hand.