Russian North

The Russian North (Russian: Русский Север, Russky Sever) is a historical and cultural region situated in the northwestern part of Russia, north of Vologda. It spans the regions of Arkhangelsk Oblast (including Nenets Autonomous Okrug) and Murmansk Oblast. It also includes parts of the Vologda Oblast, Komi Republic, and Republic of Karelia. The concept of the Russian North is not universal and may include other regions. The region is known for its traditions of folk art – in particular, Russian wooden architecture, wood and bone carving and painting. Due to its remoteness, the rural parts of Russian North preserved much of the archaic aspects of Russian culture during the 19th and 20th centuries, making it of particular interest to historians, culturologists and ethnographers. The Russian North is also noted for its combination of Slavic and Finnic cultural traits. The Pomor dialects are still spoken in some parts of this region. It is likely that the region appeared in Norse sagas as Bjarmaland.