South Savo in the context of "North Karelia"

South Karelia (or Southern Karelia, Finnish: Etelä-Karjala; Swedish: Södra Karelen; Karelian: Suvi-Karjala) is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Kymenlaakso, South Savo and North Karelia, as well as Russia (Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast).

Savonlinna (UK: /ˌsɑːvɒnˈlɪnə/, Finnish: [ˈsɑʋonˌlinːɑ], lit. 'Castle of Savo'; Swedish: Nyslott, lit. 'New Castle') is a town in Finland, located in the eastern interior of the country. It lies in the Finnish Lakeland, the South Savo region. The population of Savonlinna is approximately 31,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 38,000. It is the 36th most populous municipality in Finland.

Savonlinna is located in the heart of the Saimaa Lakeland, which is why it is also known as the "Capital of Saimaa". Together with Mikkeli, they are the two largest towns in the South Savo region and both are centres of the region's hospital districts. Savonlinna enclaves the municipality of Enonkoski.

Mikkeli (Finnish: [ˈmikːeli]; Swedish: S:t Michel; Latin: Michaelia; Russian: Миккели) is a city in, and the regional capital of, South Savo, Finland, located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population is approximately 52,000, while the Mikkeli sub-region of South Savo has a population of approximately 68,000. Mikkeli is the 18th most-populous municipality of Finland and the 19th most-populous urban area in the country.

Mikkeli is located on the shores of Lake Saimaa, the largest lake in the country, and Europe's fourth largest. Prior to being located within South Savo, the city was in Mikkeli Province (until 1997), before becoming part of Eastern Finland Province (1997-2009). The city covers an area of 3,229.57 square kilometres (1,246.94 sq mi), of which 424.7 km (164.0 sq mi) is water. Mikkeli is one of the largest towns in the South Savo region, and one of the main hubs in the region's hospital districts, along with Savonlinna.

Kymenlaakso (Finnish: [ˈkymenˌlɑːkso]; Swedish: Kymmenedalen; lit. "Kymi/Kymmene Valley") is a region in Finland. It borders the regions of Uusimaa, Päijät-Häme, South Savo and South Karelia and Russia (Leningrad Oblast). Its name means literally The Valley of River Kymi. Kymijoki is one of the biggest rivers in Finland with a drainage basin with 11% of the area of Finland. The city of Kotka with 51,000 inhabitants is located at the delta of River Kymi and has the most important import harbour in Finland. Other cities are Kouvola further in the inland which has after a municipal merger 81,000 inhabitants and the old bastion town Hamina.

Kymenlaakso was one of the first industrialized regions of Finland. It became the most important region for paper and pulp industry in Finland. Since the late 1900s many plants have closed, which has caused some deindustrialization, unemployment and population decline in Kymenlaakso, especially in those communities that were built around plants in Kouvola.

Savo, or Savonia (Finnish: Savo; Swedish: Savolax), is a historical province in the east of Finland. It borders Tavastia, Ostrobothnia and Karelia. Savo is now divided into two provinces: North Savo and South Savo. The largest cities in Savo by population are Kuopio, Mikkeli, Savonlinna, Varkaus and Iisalmi.

Savonlinna sub-region is a subdivision of South Savo and one of the sub-regions of Finland since 2009.

Enonkoski (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈenoŋˌkoski]) is a municipality of Finland. It is encircled by the city of Savonlinna in the South Savo region. It is the smallest municipality in South Savo in terms of population.

Karelia (Finnish: Karjala: Swedish: Karelen) is a historical province of Finland, consisting of the modern-day Finnish regions of South Karelia and North Karelia plus the historical regions of Ladoga Karelia and the Karelian Isthmus, which are now in Russia. Historical Karelia also extends to the regions of Kymenlaakso (east of the River Kymi), North Savo (Kaavi, Rautavaara and Säyneinen) and South Savo (Mäntyharju).

Karelia may also refer to the region as a whole, including the portion of Karelia within Russia. The term "Finnish Karelia" refers specifically to the historical Finnish province, while East Karelia or "Russian Karelia" refers to the portion of Karelia within Russia. Finland ceded a portion of Finnish Karelia to the Soviet Union after the Winter War of 1939–40. More than 400,000 evacuees from the ceded territories re-settled in various parts of Finland. Finnish Karelians include the present-day inhabitants of South Karelia and North Karelia, as well as the still-surviving evacuees from the ceded territories.