In between the Lakeland and Lapland, the central strip of Finland is a transitional regioncomprising the province of Oulu to the west, the wilderness area of Kainuu to the east,and Koillismaa in the northeast. Administratively, the entire region is called Oulu Province. Ouluitself is a vibrant, exciting city with a booming technology industry, lively marketsquare, and, in summer, some memorable terraced bars and cafés. It’s the undisputed capital of the region, and a great stop on the way north. Kainuu is a heavily forested wilderness traversed by the famed UKK trekking route close to the border with Russia. Koillismaa, near the Russian border, is the transitional region between the south and Lapland,and includes the rugged Kuusamo area and Oulanka National Park – one of the naturalhighlights of Finxland. It is an area of tumbling rivers, isolated lakes and dense forests.Finns entered the Kainuu region in the 16th century, violating the earlier border treaty between Sweden and Russia. In the late 16th century, the region witnessed fierce frontier wars between Russians and citizens of the Swedish Empire. After these bloody wars, Swedish territory was pushed further east, to where the border stands today. By the 19th century tar had become the salvation of the economically depressed Kainuuregion, but most of the profits were sent downriver to Oulu, along with the barrels of tar.During WWII, bloody battles were fought against the Red Army in the area around Kuhmo,and soon after the war a flood of emigrants escaped poverty-stricken Kainuu for Sweden and elsewhere. The region remains sparsely populated.