Karelia
Karelia ( Karelian and fi, Karjala, ; rus, Каре́лия, links=y, r=Karélija, p=kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə, historically ''Korjela''; sv, Karelen), the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for ...
. Savonia is now divided into two provinces: North Savonia and South Savonia. The largest cities in Savonia by population are
Kuopio
Kuopio (, ) is a Finnish city and municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia. It has a population of , which makes it the most populous municipality in Finland. Along with Joensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic, and cult ...
In the 19th century, Savonia was divided between Kuopio Province and
Mikkeli Province
The Mikkeli Province ( fi, Mikkelin lääni, sv, S:t Michels län) was a province of Finland from 1831 to 1997. The province was named after the city of Mikkeli.
Parts of the province were transferred to the Central Finland Province in 1960. In ...
. From 1997 to 2010, it lay within the administrative province of Eastern Finland. The provinces have no administrative function today but survive as ceremonial units. Since 2010, Savonia has been divided between the regions of North Savonia and South Savonia.
History
The province of Savo represents the original homeland of the Savonians, one of the subgroups that later became assimilated to form the Finns. It was the heartland of the east Finnish or Savonian dialects.
The people of Savonia traditionally pursued slash-and-burn agriculture, which settlers successfully imported into Ostrobothnia and
Kainuu
Kainuu ( sv, Kajanaland) is one of the 19 regions of Finland (''maakunta'' / ''landskap''). Kainuu borders the regions of North Ostrobothnia, North Savo and North Karelia. In the east, it also borders Russia (Republic of Karelia).
Culturally Kai ...
, Värmland in southwestern Sweden, and eastern Norway. Savonian settlers also migrated to Finnish Karelia, Ingria (see: Ingrian Finns) and to southern Sweden, parts of northern
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
from the late-13th century, was separated from Sweden when Finland was ceded to Russia in September 1809.
Culture
Traditionally, the Savonian people have often been considered as "sneaky". Recent research has shown that this reputation is largely due to misunderstandings caused by Savonians' traditional lack of social directness.Yle News - Savolainen kierous onkin vaarinymmarrys : http://yle.fi/uutiset/3-5338205
Minna Canth
Minna Canth (; born Ulrika Wilhelmina Johnson; 19 March 1844 – 12 May 1897) was a Finnish writer and social activist. Canth began to write while managing her family draper's shop and living as a widow raising seven children. Her work addres ...
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Maria Jotuni
Maria Gustaava Jotuni (Haggrén until 1906, Jotuni-Tarkiainen from 1911, born 9 April 1880Juice Leskinen
Heraldry
The arms of Savonia are crowned by a count's coronet, though by Finnish tradition this more resembles a Swedish baronial coronet. Blazon: "Sable, a drawn hand bow in and arrow aimed toward dexter chief, or; bow string, arrowhead and feathered tail, argent." The traditional colors of the province are black and gold.