This review focuses on rare-earth carbonate materials of nano- and micro-size. It discusses in depth the different types of rare-earth carbonate compounds, diverse synthetic approaches and possibilities for chemical tuning of the size, shape and morphology. The interesting luminescence properties of lanthanide doped rare-earth carbonates and their potential applications for example as efficient white light sources and biolabels are reviewed. Additionally the use of these materials as precursors for the synthesis of nano-/micro-sized oxides, and their application as sacrificial templates for morphology-controlled synthesis of other materials such as YVO4, LaF3, NaYF4 and others is overviewed.