Karelian Isthmus

Coordinates: 60°30′N 29°54′E / 60.5°N 29.9°E / 60.5; 29.9
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Amorphis album, see The Karelian Isthmus. For other meanings of the name "Karelia", see Karelia (disambiguation).
Map of the Karelian Isthmus. Shown are some important towns, the current Finnish-Russian border in the North-West and the pre-Winter War border further South.

The Karelian Isthmus (

Bay of Vyborg to the westernmost point of Lake Ladoga, Pekonlahti. If the Karelian Isthmus is defined as the entire territory of present-day Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast to the north of the Neva and also a tiny part of the Republic of Karelia
, the area of the isthmus is about 15,000 km2 (5,800 sq mi).

The smaller part of the isthmus to the southeast of the old Russia-Finland border is considered historically as Northern

Karelo-Finnish SSR. However, since World War II the entire isthmus has been divided between the city of Saint Petersburg (mostly Kurortny District), as well as Priozersky District, Vsevolozhsky District and Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast
.

According to the

2002 census, the population of the Kurortny District of Saint Petersburg and the parts of Leningrad Oblast situated on the Karelian Isthmus amounts to 539,000. Many Saint Petersburg residents also decamp to the Isthmus during their vacations. The main population centers of the Isthmus are Vyborg (Выборг; Finnish: Viipuri; Swedish: Viborg), Priozersk (Приозе́рск; Finnish: Käkisalmi; Swedish: Kexholm) and Primorsk (Примо́рск; Finnish: Koivisto; Swedish: Björkö).[2][3]

Geography and wildlife

Lake Vuoksa near Priozersk
in the autumn of 2009.
Leipäsuo
Calluna vulgaris
on the Karelian Isthmus
There are about 700 lakes on the isthmus
Bog near Komarovo
Lake Yastrebinoye

The isthmus' terrain has been influenced dramatically by the Weichselian glaciation. Its highest point lies on the Lembolovo Heights moraine at about 205 m (670 ft). There are no mountains on the isthmus, but steep hills occur in some places.

The

Bay of Vyborg passing through the city of Lappeenranta in South Karelia
, Finland.

The Karelian Isthmus lies within the

Holarctic Kingdom
.

The isthmus is mostly covered by

podsol, which contains massive boulders, especially in the north and northwest, where large granite
rocky outcrops occur.

Pine forests (with

Avenella flexuosa and Carex globularis, mosses Pleurozium schreberi, Sphagnum angustifolium and S. russowii, and lichens Cladonia spp. Prominent in various spruce forests are wood horsetail, common wood sorrel, bilberry, lingonberry, graminoids Avenella flexuosa, Calamagrostis arundinacea, Carex globularis, and mosses Polytrichum commune and Sphagnum girgensohnii. Prominent vegetation of various birch forests include meadowsweet, common wood sorrel, bilberry and graminoids Calamagrostis arundinacea and C. canescens.[5]

1184 species of wild

boar
(reintroduced) are typical inhabitants of the forests.

The climate of the isthmus is moderately continental, with 650–800 mm (25–32 in) average precipitation per year, long snowy winters lasting from November through mid-April and occasionally reaching about -40 °C (-40 F), moderately cool summers and short frost-free period. Compared to other parts of the Leningrad Oblast, the winter here is usually milder due to the moderating influence of the Gulf of Finland, but longer.

The city of Vyborg and the town of Priozersk are situated on the northwestern part of the isthmus.

The Karelian Isthmus is a popular place for

Saint Petersburg–Priozersk railroads, hosts numerous dachas
.

A 20–35 km wide stretch of land in

FSB (by KGB during the time of the Soviet Union
).

Geological history

Burnaya River

Geologically the Karelian Isthmus lies on the southern edge of the Baltic Shield's crystalline bedrock. During the final part of the last Weichselian glaciation, deglaciation in the central parts of the Isthmus started as early as 14000 BP, when it formed the bottom of a large lake dammed by the surrounding ice sheet. During further deglaciation, at the time of the Baltic Ice Lake, an early high water stage of the Baltic Sea, when the ice sheet retreated to Salpausselkä, the upland area of the Isthmus remained a large island and many upland lakes emerged.[8]

Prior to 12650 BP, the land was characterized by harsh

Steppe-tundra complexes developed after this point. Around 11000 BP climate began to warm and became humid, first pine and birch forests were established.[9]

Around 9000 BP

Bay of Vyborg, possibly as late as in the 12th century AD.[8][11]
The connection disappeared due to ongoing land uplift in the 2nd millennium AD.

In 1818 a canal, which was dug to drain spring flood waters from

Kexholm
(now Priozersk) by 4 m, isolating it as a separate river basin.

Cities, towns and urban-type settlements

Vyborg as seen from the Castle Tower
Kamennogorsk (Finnish: Antrea)
Kuznechnoye (Kaarlahti)
Lesogorsky (Jääski)
Primorsk (Koivisto)
Priozersk (Käkisalmi)
Roshchino (Raivola)
Saint Petersburg (Pietari)
Sertolovo (Sierattala)
Sestroretsk (Siestarjoki)
Sovetsky (Johannes)
Svetogorsk (Enso)
Toksovo (Toksova)
Vsevolozhsk (Seuloskoi)
Vyborg (Viipuri)
Vysotsk (Uuras)
Zelenogorsk (Terijoki).

Administrative territorial division

The Karelian Isthmus is located in two regions of the

Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast
. Saint Petersburg is represented by seven districts, the Leningrad Oblast by three.

District Region
District of Vyborg Lenoblast
District of Priozersk Lenoblast
District of Vsevolozhsk Lenoblast
Kurortny District SPB
Primorsky District SPB
Vyborgsky District SPB
Kalininsky District SPB
Krasnogvardeysky District SPB
Nevsky District SPB

History

Archaeology

Vyborg Castle

Apart from the old towns of

Bay of Vyborg
).

Prehistory and Medieval

Main article: Swedish–Novgorodian Wars

Ancestors of

Baltic Finns
wandered to the Karelian Isthmus possibly around 8500BC.

In the 11th century,

Volchya
.

17th–20th centuries

Main article: Viipuri Province
Rajajoki
, Finnish-Soviet border in the 1920s

During 17th century Sweden gained the whole isthmus and also Ingria. In this time many Karelians escaped to Tver's Karelia.

From 1721–1917 the isthmus belonged to the

Nyenskans. Then in 1812, the northwestern half was transferred, as a part of Old Finland, to the Grand Duchy of Finland
, created in 1809 as an autonomous part of the Russian Empire.

Due to its size, favorable climate, rich fishing waters and proximity to

Saint Petersburg–Kexholm–Hiitola
(1917) crossed the isthmus, contributing to its economic development. By the end of the 19th century the nearby areas along the Saint Petersburg–Vyborg section had become popular place of summer resort for wealthy Saint Petersburgers.

Ingrian flag

When Finland declared its independence in 1917, the isthmus (except for the territory roughly corresponding to present-day

Valkeasaari, Lempaala, Vuole and Miikkulainen along the Finnish border was deported to Siberia and Central Asia, and replaced by a Russian-speaking population.[15]

World War II

Mannerheim Line of the Winter War


December 1939. Soviet tanks advancing
Muolaa
municipality on their way to West-Finland

A number of defensive lines crossed the isthmus during the Soviet-Finnish hostilities in

KaUR (Soviet), and fronts moved back and forth over it.[16]

In November 1939, the

Terijoki were, however, included into Leningrad Oblast.[19]

Finnish defensive lines of the Continuation War

In 1941, during

Finnish reconquest of the Karelian Isthmus (1941)
). Some 260,000 Karelian evacuees returned home.

On 9 June 1944, strong Soviet forces opened the

Moscow Peace Treaty (1940) was recognized by Finland again in the Peace of Paris, 1947.

Further information: Winter War and Continuation War

After the war

Sestroretsk

As a result of the war, the population of the Karelian Isthmus was almost completely replaced. After the war the isthmus was included in the Leningrad Oblast and people from other parts of the Soviet Union, mostly Russians, were settled there. The vast majority of the old Finnish toponyms in the conquered territories were renamed to invented Russian ones by the government around 1948.[19] The Finnish toponyms of the territories included within Karelo-Finnish SSR and of the southern part of the isthmus (albeit assimilated) mostly remained. A lot of youth summer camps were built all over the isthmus during the time of the Soviet Union. Some of them still exist.

Transport

sea ports
, is also located here.

The only

motorway on the isthmus is the recently completed E18 "Scandinavia" (M10) going from Saint Petersburg through Vyborg and Vaalimaa
.

Saimaa Canal (opened in 1856) is an important link connecting inland waterways of Finland with the Gulf of Finland.

The Karelian Isthmus is served by a number of railways; the trains arrive from

Ladozhsky Rail Terminal of Saint Petersburg
:

Also on the Karelian isthmus are all lines of the St.

Petersburg metro
.

Industry

The

Vyborg-Hiitola railroad).[20]

Vyborg Shipyard is one of the largest

eggs
.

In

Ford Focus cars was opened in Vsevolozhsk
in 2002.

Military

The Karelian Isthmus is included within

early warning radar was built in Lekhtusi, Vsevolozhsky District. The port of Vysotsk is a base of the Baltic Fleet. 138th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade is located in Kamenka, and in the 56th District Training Centre in Sertolovo
.

Population

The population of the Karelian isthmus today is slightly less than 3.1 million inhabitants. Of these, about 2.4 million live in St. Petersburg and a little less than 700 thousand in the Leningrad region. The population is growing solely due to migration, as the mortality rate is much higher than the birth rate, but the migration attractiveness of St. Petersburg and the surrounding areas of the Leningrad region is very high. Thus, about 40% of the population of St. Petersburg and about 30% of the population of the Leningrad region live on the Karelian isthmus. There is strong growth in population in all the districts of the Karelian isthmus in addition to the Vyborg district and Priozersk district .

Notable people from the isthmus

Finnish period

Soviet and post soviet period

References

  1. ^ Location is approximately between 61°21’N, 59°46’N and 27°42’E, 31°08’E.
  2. ^ "Karjalankannas" (in Finnish). Karjalan Liitto. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  3. ^ "Karjalankannas" (in Finnish). Prima Tours. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  4. ^ Karelian Isthmus Archived 2007-12-06 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ISBN 978-5-87317-384-6
    .
  6. ^ Доронина, Анна. Флористическиe исследования на Карельском перешейке Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ See maps: [1] (in Russian)
  8. ^ a b Davydova, Natalia N. et al. (1996). Late- and postglacial history of lakes of the Karelian Isthmus. Hydrobiologia 322.1-3, 199–204.
  9. ^ Subetto, Dmitry A. et al. (2002). Climate and environment on the Karelian Isthmus, northwestern Russia, 13000–9000 cal. yrs BP. Boreas 31.1, 1–19.
  10. ^ Saarnisto, Matti & Tuulikki Grönlund (1996). Shoreline displacement of Lake Ladoga – new data from Kilpolansaari. Hydrobiologia 322.1-3, 205–215.
  11. ^ Timofeev, V. I. et al. (2005). Evolution of the Waterways and Early Human Migrations in the North-Eastern Baltic Area. Geochronometria 24, 81–85.
  12. ISBN 5-87403-052-2
  13. ^ Лебедев Г. С. Археологические памятники Ленинградской области. Ленинград: Лениздат, 1977.
  14. Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia
    26.2, 35–44.
  15. ^ Kurs, Ott (1994). Ingria: The broken landbridge between Estonia and Finland. GeoJournal 33.1, 107–113.
  16. ISBN 0-333-80149-0
  17. ISBN 0-7146-4314-9
    .
  18. ^ "Protocol appended to the treaty of peace". heninen.net.
  19. ^ a b Степаков, Виктор, Евгений Балашов. В «Новых районах»: Из истории освоения Карельского перешейка, 1940–1941, 1944–1950 Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine. Saint Petersburg: Нордмедиздат, 2001.
  20. ^ Малков, Виктор (2006). Потенциал недр Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine. Промышленно-строительное обозрение 93.

Further reading

External links

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60°30′N 29°54′E / 60.5°N 29.9°E / 60.5; 29.9

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