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General Information aboutthe Republic of Karelia
Territory
 The Republic is situated in the North-West of Russia. On the west, the Republic borders with Finland, in the south – with Leningrad and Vologda regions, in the north – with Murmansk region, and in the east – with Archangelsk region. In the north-east the Republic is washed by the White Sea. The western border of Karelia coincides with the state border of Russia and Finland; the length of the border is 798 kilometers.
The area of the Republic is 180,500 square kilometers (1% of the territory of the Russian Federation); the maximum distance from north to south is 660 kilometers; from east to west – 424 kilometers.
The climate of the Republic of Karelia is Atlantic-continental. The average temperature in January, according to data for many years, is -8.0° C; in July +16.4 C°. Average annual precipitation is 500-700 millimeters.
The majority of the territory is hilly plains with clear marks of glacier activity. Even today the surface has the remains of the ancient mountains. Karelian landscape is often metaphorically called “rocky-lake-forest,” emphasizing the key elements of the landscape, unique combinations, created by the picturesque silhouettes of multiple lakes and dividing them green forests covering old, worn off mountains.
There are more than 61,000 lakes in Karelia, about 27,000 rivers, 29 water reserves. The totals surface of all the lakes is 18,800 square kilometers. 80% of Onega Lake and 40% of Ladoga Lake are within the territory of Karelia.
54.5% of the territory is covered by forests, 23.3% - by water, 1.1% - agricultural land. More than 50 mineral resources have been found in Karelia, which are located in more than 400 deposits, among them iron ore, titanium, vanadium, molybdenum, precious metals, diamonds, mica, building materials (granites, diabase, marble,) ceramic raw materials (pegmatite, spar, carbonate ores, alkaline amphibole-asbestos).
Population
On January1, 2008 the permanent population of the Republic of Karelia was 690,600 people.
The average density of population is 4 persons per 1 square kilometer; urban population comprises 75.5% of the total population.
By age, 64.8% of the population belongs to the work age, 15.9% are younger than work age, and 19.3% are older than work age.
By national composition, the majority of the population are Russians – 73.6%; 10% are Karels, 7% are Byelorussians, 3.6% are Ukrainians, 2.3% are Finns, 0.8% are Vepps, 2.7% are other nationalities.
Labor Resources
The situation in the labor market in the Republic is quite stable. The tendencies of employments have been positive during the last several years.
The official unemployment level has decreased from 5.6% in 1998 to 2.5% in 2007.
On January1, 2008 9,700 people were registered as unemployed at the employment agency, which is 2.5% of the economically active population.
In order to decrease the social tension at the labor market the Government of Karelia is implementing the program of creating 9,000 jobs, as well as other measures in order to foster the employment and activity of the population. This allowed decreasing the level of unemployment in 15 municipal districts and towns of the Republic.
Positive tendencies have begun in decreasing unemployment levels in Belomorsk, Kalevala, Louhi, Pudozh districts, although the level of unemployment in these districts is still rather high.
The allocations from the federal budget for measures to help employment of population in 2007 were 189.1 million rubles; from local budgets – 3.6 million rubles, from employers – 17.1 million rubles.
Besides, the Government has prepared and approved the regional program “Development of Personnel Potential of the Republic of Karelia” for 2008-2012. The main results of the program will be:
- Increasing the share of employed economically active population, including, most importantly, young people, from 92.9% to 95.0%, and consequently, increasing the level of well-being of the citizens. Increase in tax revenues due to the increase of the number of taxed physical persons;
- Decreasing the level of registered unemployment. This will allow saving 89.0 million rubles from the payment of unemployment benefits.
- Further increasing and development of cooperation of the organs of executive power, organs of local self-administration, and employers on the basis of social partnership;
- Increasing of the socially useful pay-off of the system of vocational training in preparing labor resources;
- Decreasing social tension and crime level.
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