South Karelia

South Karelia (Finnish: Etelä-Karjala; Swedish: Södra Karelen; Russian: Южная Карелия) is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Kymenlaakso, Southern Savonia and North Karelia, as well as Russia.

Historical province

For history, geography and culture see: Finnish Karelia

Regional Council

The Regional Council of South Karelia is a joint municipal authority of nine member municipalities. The Council operates as the authority for regional development and unit for regional planning and looks after regional interests and to promote economic development and cultural well-being in South Karelia. The Council has a statutory responsibility for regional development and planning.

The EU’s regional Objective Programmes for South Karelia have partly been prepared in the Council as it also implements and coordinates various projects. The Council is also represented in several international organisations, such as AEBR.

Municipalities

South Karelia is divided into nine municipalities. Two of these are cities.

Karelia

Coordinates: 63°N 32°E / 63°N 32°E / 63; 32

Karelia (Karelian, Finnish and Estonian: Karjala; Russian: Карелия, Kareliya; Swedish: Karelen), the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden. It is currently divided between the Russian Republic of Karelia, the Russian Leningrad Oblast, and Finland (the regions of South Karelia and North Karelia).

Use of name

Various subdivisions may be called Karelia. Finnish Karelia was a historical province of Finland, and is now divided between Finland and Russia, often called just Karjala in Finnish. The eastern part of this chiefly Lutheran area was ceded to Russia after the Winter War of 1939–40. This area is the "Karelia" of the Karelian question in Finnish politics.

The Republic of Karelia is a Russian federal subject, including the so-called "East Karelia" with a chiefly Russian Orthodox population.

Within present-day Finland, Karjala refers to the regions of South and North Karelia, although parts of historical Karelia also lies within the region of Kymenlaakso (Miehikkälä and Virolahti, Northern Savonia (Kaavi, Rautavaara and Säyneinen) and Southern Savonia (Mäntyharju).

Karelia Suite

Jean Sibelius's Karelia Suite, Op. 11, was written in 1893 for the Viipuri Students' Association. It was premiered in the Imperial Alexander University in Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, under the title Karelia Music. The suite is one of Sibelius's earlier works and remains one of his most popular.

Karelia Music was written in the beginning of Sibelius' compositional career, and the complete music consists of an Overture, 8 Tableaux, and 2 Intermezzi. The music runs about 44 minutes, as opposed to the suite, which lasts about 12 minutes.

The rough-hewn character of the music was deliberate - the aesthetic intention was not to dazzle with technique but to capture the quality of "naive," folk-based authenticity. Historical comments have noted the nationalistic character of the music.

Orchestration

Ralph Wood has commented on the role of the percussion in this composition.

History

"The noise in the hall was like an ocean in a storm. I was at the opposite end of the hall and could not distinguish a single note. The audience did not have the patience to listen and was hardly aware of the music. The orchestra was actually there, behind the pillars. I thrust my way through the crowd and managed to reach the orchestra after a good deal of effort. There were a few listeners. Just a handful."

Karelia Fine Tobaccos

Karelia Fine Tobaccos is the name of the oldest tobacco company in Greece. It was founded in 1888 in Kalamata, where it has its headquarters until today .It is the leading exporter of cigarettes in Greece with exports to 65 countries. The company is led by Victoria Karelia as chairman. The Karelias family have an estimated fortune of around €200 million.

References

Sources