Investment Portal of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation
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Investment Portal of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation

Republic of Karelia

General information

The Republic of Karelia is located in northwest Russia, has access to the White Sea, and borders on Finland in the west.

The Arctic zone encompasses the following parts of the republic:

  • The city of Kostomuksha.
  • The Belomorsky, Kalevalsky, Kemsky, Loukhsky, and Segezhsky Districts.

Administrative centre: Petrozavodsk.

Population of the region: more than 600,000 people, including approximately 109,000 people in the Arctic zone.

Area of the republic: 180,500 km2.

Area of the republic’s Arctic territories: 71,400 km2.

Time zone: UTC+3. Moscow and the Republic of Karelia are in the same time zone.

Cities

Petrozavodsk
Founded in 1703
Population: over 280,000
Kostomuksha
Founded in 1977
Population: over 30,000
Segezha
Founded in 1914
Population: approximately 25,000

Economy

Fishing industry
In 2021, the republic’s enterprises caught 135,000 tonnes of fish in the Barents Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. They also raised 5,800 tonnes of fish and 30 tonnes of mussels.
135,000
tonnes of fish caught
Logging and timber processing
The Segezha Pulp and Paper Mill project is on the list of priority investment projects for forest development and production modernization.

Investments are planned at more than

RUB
3 billion
Mining industry
The Arctic zone of Karelia is home to rich reserves of iron ore, molybdenum, copper, gold, and building stone. Average annual ore production at the Kostomuksha iron ore deposit is 23.2 million tonnes.
23.2
million tonnes

Sightseeing attractions

Paanajarvi National Park

The park is specially protected conservation area that is home to Lake Paanajarvi, rivers, and waterfalls, which have all been preserved in their original form, and is also a habitat for 238 plants and animals included in the Red Book.

White Sea Petroglyphs

This historical and archaeological site includes rock drawings and more than 30 ancient dwellings. The Karelian petroglyphs of the White Sea rank 4th in Northern Europe in terms of the number of depictions (more than 2,000 individual figures).

Kuzov Archipelago

The site is home to the ancient places of worship of the Sami people: labyrinths and seita sanctuaries, as well as a bird nesting area. Three of the 16 islands of the archipelago are open to active tourism.