How is that different from nation-states? It's an accident of history that some Karelians became Finns while others didn't. It's an accident that Finns and Estonians exist as separate nations. It's an accident that Savonians and Tavastians became Finns but Kvens and Tornedalians didn't. It's an accident that Izhorians, Livonians, Votes, Ludians, and Vepsians were assimilated by non-Finnic peoples. It's an accident that Finns exist as a nation instead of becoming Swedes or Russians.

Administrative borders shape how national identities evolve and endure. And when long-distance communication and travel became easier in the 1800s, administrative borders shaped the new wider national identities.