Karel the Robot is a fictional educational tool used to teach programming concepts. In Karel’s world, he can move, turn, pick and put beepers, and sense his surroundings. Karel’s behavior is controlled by programs using conditional (if/else) and looping (while) control structures, as well as additional entities like ‘main’ and ‘def’ functions. Karel serves as an effective educational tool, promoting logical thinking, problem-solving, and introductory programming skills.