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The common characteristic of Karelian Republic
The Karelia Republic is located in the north-west of Russia and is the part of the North-West Federal region of the Russian Federation. The republic consists of 19 municipal educations, 808 settlements. Among them the following areas are distinguished – Whitesea (Belomorsky), Kalevalsky, Kemsky, Kondopojsky, Lahdenpohsky, Louhsky, Medvejiegorsky, Muezersky, Olonezky, Pitkyarantsky, Prionejsky, Pryajinsky, Pudojsky, Segejsky, Suoyarvsky – and the cities of rebuplican significance, including Petrozavodsk, Kostomuksha and Sortavala.
By the way, the analogous land space are occupied, may be, Greece and Bulgaria. And Karelia surpasses Sweden, Denmark and Netherlands in 4 times. The west border of Karelia coincides with state border of Finland, in the south – with Leningrad and Volgograd regions, in the north – with Murmansk, in the east – Arkhangelsk regions. In the north-east the republic is washed by the White sea. The population of Karelia consists of more than 700 thousands people. On the territory of the republic were settled as Russians, represented the main part of the republic, as Belarusians, Ukrainians, Finns. One can meet the natives – karelians.
In the republic are well – developed the industry, based on natural resources potential: timber industry, woodworking industry, paper industry, building trade and ferrous metallurgy.
Earlier on the territory of Karelia there are glaciers, which having thawed, stitched round the numerous granite rocks, forming the general landscape of the republic, and gave them, at times, the forms of whale’s back. The rocks stretches from the north to the south and, moving forward to the south, form tens of narrows, in which waters of numerous lakes repose. They are more than 60 thousand in the republic. Short but rash rivers twist between them, rage at the feet of the volcanoes and sweepingly fall from the rocks like waterfalls.
The lakes are not large here – about 1 sq km. In summer their water warms up to 22-25 degrees, creating the bathing season, favourable for the holiday-makers. The only disadvantage of summer period is its short-terming. Summer lasts here from July till August. As the result, water of rivers and lakes freezes very quickly. For example, already in autumn the White sea is covered with ice, which keep till May. However Karelian winter is absolutely atypical for the north latitudes, as at this time the air is cooling maximum to 14 C, and in the south-west the temperature falls down to – 8C. Such contrasting climate is explained by the prevalence of the western winds, which bring both thaw and frost.
The northern climate of Karelia is favourable for the flora. For the most part fir trees grow here, but deciduous trees, for example, Karelian birch, which doesn’t reach large sizes in these places, also can be found. Its wood is used, as a rule, in wood industry, and the furniture, made of it, is famous for its durability and aromatic smell.
The amateurs of “berry life” can find here numerous bushes of great bilberry, cloudberry, cranberry, cowberry, on the south of the republic are currants and wild strawberries. Several kinds of mammals live there (seal, squirrel) there are some birds which include in the Red Book of Karelia.
Here also love bear, trot, badger, wolf, Canadian beaver, hazel hen, white ptarmigan, wood grouse, and water birds – ducks, see gulls, sandpipers, eider – ducks, some species of reptiles – viper, grass – snake, lizards.
Karelia is rather enigmatic land. What can be more wonderful than so called labyrinths, petroglifs! And just these enigmatic caves on the land surface can be found in Karelia here and there. So, labyrinths are located on the shores of the White sea and in some island of the republic. There are a number of hypotheses, in this or that way explaining the destination of the labyrinths. For example, one part of the population of Karelia thinks that they were formed in order to muddle dead souls and prevent them to alive. Another hypothesis says that tese land constructions were built for arranging of magic rites, which favoured to the success in the sea trade. There is also the suggestion, according to which the labyrinths were built by extraterrestrials. However that may be, human origination of these terrestrial spirals is proved by the human remains, which were found here, and goods of life, dated the end of the 1st millennium B.C.
Petroglifs (rock paintings) were found on the eastern coast of Onega and in the lower Vig, almost in the boundary of the White sea territory.
They are hundred thousands here. And the sadies (the huge boulders-idols, resembling the man’s body or his head, sometimes they were stood on feet – smaller stones) were found in the islands Kuzova in 30 km from Kemya. Scientists consider that these boulders, being the idols, were considered to protect family. Other representatives of the science say that the stones patronized family and gave trade happiness to those who accomplished sacrifices. The entrants are absorbed in various kinds of tourism with great pleasure. Fishing, hunting, is developed here, country and ecological, cultural, cognitive, extremal and water tourisms enjoy the great popularity among the tourists.
To recognized objects of tourism belong to such resorts as: the Marzialnie Waters resort ( the oldest resort in Russia, created in 1719 year by oder of Peter the Great), the Kizhi island – is universally known monument of wood architecture, the Kivatch waterfall, the Balaam island with Balaam cloister, marble open pits not far from near border of the town Sortoval, and also the Ice – Palace and the Palace of arts at the town Kondopoga and Karelian puppet – show.
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