Joensuu in the context of "Ståhlberg kidnapping"

North Karelia (or Northern Karelia, Finnish: Pohjois-Karjala; Swedish: Norra Karelen; Karelian: Pohjois-Karjala) is a region in eastern Finland. It borders the regions of Kainuu, North Savo, South Savo and South Karelia, as well as Russia's Republic of Karelia. It is the easternmost region of Finland and shares a 300 kilometres (190 mi) border with Russia. The city of Joensuu is the capital and the largest settlement of the region.

North Karelia has successfully reduced chronic diseases through public health measures. In the 1960s Finland led industrialized nations in heart disease mortality rates; North Karelia had Finland's highest incidence. In 1972 a long-term project was undertaken which targeted this risk in North Karelia. The resulting improvement in public health is still considered remarkable, a model for the rest of the nation. North Karelia is also known as the most sociable region in Finland.

The Finnish national road 9 (Finnish: Valtatie 9, Swedish: Riksväg 9) is a main route. It runs from Turku through Loimaa, Tampere, Jämsä, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Outokumpu and Joensuu to the Niirala border guard station in Tohmajärvi, right next to the Russian border. The length of the road is 663 kilometres (412 mi).

Apart from the short section right near the center of Turku, highway 9 from Turku to Vuorela of Siilinjärvi is also part of the European route E63, which continues from Kuopio via Kajaani and Kuusamo to Sodankylä. In the case of Jyväskylä, the highway is known as the four-lane Vaajakoski Motorway (Finnish: Vaajakosken moottoritie). The road belongs to the main roads defined by the Ministry of Transport and Communications and to the Trans-European road network.

Kuopio (/kuˈoʊpioʊ/ koo-OH-pee-oh, Finnish: [ˈkuo̯pio] ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Savo. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland.Twinned with Oldham. The population of Kuopio is approximately 125,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 147,000. It is the 8th most populous municipality in Finland, and the seventh most populous urban area in the country.

Kuopio has a total area of 4,326.35 square kilometres (1,670.41 sq mi), of which 719.85 km (277.94 sq mi) is water and half is forest. Although the city's population is spread over 39/km (100/sq mi), the city's urban areas are comparatively densely populated (urban area: 1,618 /km²), making Kuopio the second most densely populated city in Finland. At the end of 2018, its urban area had a population of approximately 90,000. Together with Joensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic and cultural centres of Eastern Finland.

Joensuu railway station (in Finnish: Joensuun rautatieasema) is located in Joensuu, North Karelia, Finland. The station was opened in 1894.

The station is served by passenger trains to Helsinki (via Lappeenranta, Kouvola and Lahti), Nurmes and Pieksämäki. The line to Helsinki via Lappeenranta is electrified, all other routes are operated by diesel hauled trains. The passenger train service to Nurmes was originally to close in 2016, but as of 2019 is still in service.