Karelia
republicsredbluegreen
The flag of Karelia is a horizontal tricolor of red, blue, and green. Red represents strength and courage, blue symbolizes the republic's thousands of lakes and its proximity to the White Sea and Baltic, and green represents the vast boreal forests of taiga that cover most of Karelia. The design's simplicity reflects the clean, austere beauty of this northwestern republic, which borders Finland and shares deep cultural ties with the Finnish and Karelian peoples. The three colors together evoke the landscape: forests, lakes, and the warmth of the northern sun.
Karelia inspired the Finnish national epic the Kalevala, compiled from oral folklore collected in Karelian villages, making it a cradle of Finnish cultural identity.
Adopted: 1993
