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The Republic of Karelia is a remarkably beautiful land of white nights, boundless forests, and blue lakes.
It is located on the border of Western and Eastern Europe, on the border of cultures and religions.
While being one of the North-Western territories of Russia with its Orthodox Christianity, Karelia has always been influenced by Western, in particular Scandinavian countries which affected the culture and the mentality of its inhabitants.
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Severe beauty of its nature, the climate, not too favourable in these latitudes, the coexistence and intermingling of various peoples inhabiting this land for centuries, all that conditioned the character of the people living here: very laconic, self-assured, contemplative, and tolerant.
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Karelia is justly called a "national park" in Russia.
It was this land that preserved the runes of the Karelian and Finnish epic "Kalevala", as well as numerous ancient Russian epics ("bylinas").
It was this land that preserved the great monuments of wooden architecture, attracting millions of tourists from all over the world.
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