Puolanka

Puolanka (Swedish: Puolanka, also Puolango) is a municipality in Finland located in the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of 2,369 (26 October 2023)[2] and covers an area of 2,598.68 square kilometres (1,003.36 sq mi) of which 137.3 km2 (53.0 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 0.96 inhabitants per square kilometre (2.5/sq mi).

Puolanka
Municipality
Puolangan kunta
Puolanka kommun
Puolanka Church
Puolanka Church
Coat of arms of Puolanka
Coat of arms
Location of Puolanka in Finland
Location of Puolanka in Finland
Coordinates: 64°52′05″N 027°40′15″E
Country Finland
RegionKainuu
Sub-regionKehys-Kainuu
Government
 • MayorHarri Peltola
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total2,598.68 km2 (1,003.36 sq mi)
 • Land2,461.45 km2 (950.37 sq mi)
 • Water137.3 km2 (53.0 sq mi)
 • Rank24th largest in Finland
Population
 (2023-10-26)[2]
 • Total2,369
 • Rank241st largest in Finland
 • Density0.96/km2 (2.5/sq mi)
Population by native language
[3]
 • Finnish98% (official)
 • Swedish0.2%
 • Others1.8%
Population by age
[4]
 • 0 to 149.1%
 • 15 to 6451.5%
 • 65 or older39.5%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Websitewww.puolanka.fi

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

History

The first permanent settlers in Puolanka came in the 1550s.[5]

The municipality of Puolanka was established in the year of 1867. In that same year the Puolanka parish became independent from the Hyrynsalmi church to which it had previously belonged to administratively. The municipal council of Puolanka was formed in the year of 1916.[5]

At its peak Puolanka had a population of about 7,520 in 1960. Towards the end of the 1960s, however, Puolanka's population began to decline, alike other municipalities within Kainuu.[5]

Geography

Ranked one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Finland, the 24-metre-high (79 ft) Hepoköngäs, is located 16 kilometres (10 mi) from the center of Puolanka.

Villages

Villages within Puolanka are as follows:

  • Aittokylä
  • Auho
  • Joukokylä
  • Kivarinjärvi
  • Kotila
  • Kongasmäki
  • Leipivaara
  • Lylykylä
  • Naulaperä
  • Puokio
  • Puolanka
  • Rasinkylä
  • Suolijärvi
  • Vihajärvi
  • Väyrylä
  • Yli-Oterma
  • Törmänmäki

Notable individuals
  • Lake Kalettomanlampi in Puolanka, seen from the southernmost shore towards northeast.
    Lake Kalettomanlampi in Puolanka, seen from the southernmost shore towards northeast.
  • With its drop of 24 meters Hepoköngäs is the highest waterfall in Finland.
    With its drop of 24 meters Hepoköngäs is the highest waterfall in Finland.
  • The river Keskijoki in Puolanka.
    The river Keskijoki in Puolanka.
  • The lake of Pirttijärvi in Puolanka, seen from the beach at the North-Western end of the lake towards southeast.
    The lake of Pirttijärvi in Puolanka, seen from the beach at the North-Western end of the lake towards southeast.

References
  1. "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. "Preliminary population statistics 2023, September". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  3. "Demographic Structure by area as of 31 December 2022". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  4. "Population according to age (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  5. "Historia". www.puolanka.fi. Retrieved 2016-07-14.

Media related to Puolanka at Wikimedia Commons


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.