South Karelia

South Karelia is a region in southeastern Finland, within the jurisdiction of the Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland. South Karelia borders Kymenlaakso to the west, Russia to the east, and South Savo and North Karelia to the north. Together with the current Kymenlaakso region, South Karelia formed Kymen County from 1945 to 1997. The land area of ​​South Karelia is 5,326.37 km², or approximately 1.75 percent of the total land area of ​​Finland. The freshwater area of ​​the region is 1,545.76 km², which comprises approximately 4.5 percent of the freshwater area of ​​Finland. The population of the region on 31 December 2024 was 125,129 people. More than every second South Karelian lives in Lappeenranta. South Karelia has nine municipalities, two of which are cities. Lappeenranta is the provincial capital of South Karelia, its largest city and a significant center of education and trade. Another South Karelian city is Imatra.