Kalevalan National Rayon

District & flag

It is the only district of Karelia with the majority of the native Karelian population, hence the designation "National" in its name.

Karelians	45.1 %
Russians	40.9 %
Belorussians	6.6 %
Ukrainians	4.4 %

non-Karelian population is concentrated exclusively in the urban settlements
Total population was 10,252 in 2005

The district has many lakes (1/6 of the area), taiga-type forests, rivers and swamps. Total area: 13,300 sq.km

The capital is in the small town of Kalevala (pop. 5,500) known, until 1963, as Ukhta (Uhtua) - the birthplace of the first Karelian independent government in 1918.

The District is named after an ancient epic Finnish poem - Kalevala.