The Karelians are a nation that belongs to Baltic-Finnic ethnic group currently living in Finland and Russia.

In Russia Karelians mostly settle in the Republic of Karelia and in other north-western parts of the Russian Federation.

There are also significant Karelian enclaves in the Tver and Novgorod region, as some Karelians migrate to those areas after Swedish-Russian War of 1656-58.

In Finland they traditionally settle in the regions of Savonia and Northern and Southern Karelia.

The historic homeland of the Karelians has been the Karelian Isthmus, Ladoga Karelia, Olonets Karelia in Russia and the provinces of Northern and Southern Karelia and Savonia in Finland.