Karelian Language - Geographic Distribution

Geographic Distribution

Karelian is spoken by about 100,000 people mainly in the Republic of Karelia, Russia but notable Karelian-speaking communities can also be found in Tver region northwest of Moscow. Karelian is also spoken in Finland where Karelian-speakers are estimated to be around 5,000, most of whom belong to the older generations. Due to post-WWII mobility and internal migration, Karelians now live scattered throughout Finland, and Karelian is no longer spoken as a local community language.