Eastern Finland Province
Eastern Finland (, ) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Western Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered Russia to the east. History. On September 1, 1997, the Mikkeli Province, the Kuopio Province and Northern Karelia Province were joined to form the new Eastern Finland Province. All the provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010. Administration. The State Provincial Office was a joint regional authority of seven different ministries. It promoted national and regional objectives of the State central administration. Eastern Finland State Provincial Office had branch offices  in Mikkeli, Joensuu, and Kuopio. Regions. Eastern Finland was divided into three regions: Municipalities in 2009 (cities in bold). Eastern Finland was divided into 54 municipalities in 2009. Heraldry. The coat of arms of Eastern Finland was composed of the arms of Savonia and Karelia.