# Karelia

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /kəˈɹiːlɪə/ · frequency rank #79,667

## Definitions
1. A historical region of Northern Europe, located to the north of Saint Petersburg and politically split between Russia and Finland.
2. A republic and federal subject of Russia. Official name: Republic of Karelia. Capital: Petrozavodsk.

## Etymology
From Medieval Latin Carelia (akin to Russian Каре́лия (Karélija)), a Latinized form of Swedish Karelen. The Swedish word was probably mediated through Old Novgorodian Корѣла (Korěla), itself from the Finnic endonym (compare Finnish Karjala, which see for more).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/karelia