North Savo

• 1. Introduction

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  North Savo is a region in eastern Finland where a baked pie called Kalakukko is packed with fish and bacon. That single dish points to a place shaped more by lakes and small towns than by any one dominant landmark. Who lives across this stretch of inland Finland, how is the region organized, and where does its influence reach? Its map, its towns and its people offer a way into an answer.

• 2. Land And Neighbors

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  Kuopio stands as the largest city in North Savo, and Lake Kallavesi ranks as the region's largest lake. Five regions border North Savo: South Savo, Central Finland, North Ostrobothnia, Kainuu and North Karelia. That ring of neighbors keeps North Savo landlocked, deep in Finland's eastern interior. Organizing a stretch of country this size, threaded with lakes and forest, means splitting it into smaller units of local government.

• 3. Nineteen Municipalities

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  North Savo is made up of 19 municipalities, five of which hold official city status. The region splits into five sub-regions, each grouping a handful of towns. Northeast Savo groups Kaavi, Rautavaara and Tuusniemi. The Kuopio sub-region pairs Kuopio itself with Siilinjärvi. Inner Savo covers Rautalampi, Suonenjoki, Tervo and Vesanto. The Varkaus sub-region links Joroinen, Leppävirta and Varkaus. Upper Savo spans Iisalmi, Keitele, Kiuruvesi, Lapinlahti, Pielavesi, Sonkajärvi and Vieremä. Together these municipalities cast the votes that reach all the way to Finland's Parliament.

• 4. A Voice In Parliament

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  For parliamentary elections, North Savo joins North Karelia to form the Savo-Karelia constituency. As of 2023, that constituency elects 15 of the 200 members of Finland's Parliament. North Savo is also home to institutions of higher education based in Kuopio, Varkaus and Iisalmi.

• 5. Campuses And Classrooms

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  The University of Eastern Finland runs a campus in Kuopio with about 6,000 students enrolled. Savonia University of Applied Sciences enrolls roughly 6,000 students as well, spread across Kuopio, where about 4,500 study, plus sites in Varkaus and Iisalmi. Kuopio also hosts a department of the Sibelius Academy, where about 150 students work toward a Master of Music in church music or a Master of Arts in arts management. A Kuopio department of Humak University of Applied Sciences trains roughly 100 students to become sign language interpreters, sending them out into communities across Finland.