North Karelia
regionscoat of armsarmsword
The coat of arms of North Karelia features the same 'arm of Karelia' found in South Karelia — a golden arm holding a curved sword on a red field. The two Karelian regions share this ancient frontier symbol. North Karelia borders Russia to the east and is known for its vast forests, Orthodox cultural heritage, and the national epic Kalevala's roots in Karelian folk poetry.
Elias Lonnrot collected much of the poetry for the Kalevala, Finland's national epic, from singers in the Karelian borderlands, making North Karelia the spiritual home of Finnish national identity.
Adopted: 1997
