Kemijärvi
Kemijärvi
Giemajávri Kiemâjävri Ǩeeʹmmjäuʹrr | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Kemijärven kaupunki Kemijärvi stad | |
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Kemijärvi in Finland | |
| Coordinates: 66°43′N 027°26′E / 66.717°N 27.433°E | |
| Country |  Finland |
| Region | Lapland |
| Sub-region | Eastern Lapland |
| Charter | 1957 |
| City rights | 1973 |
| Government | |
| • Town manager | Pekka Iivari |
| Area (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 3,930.91 km2 (1,517.73 sq mi) |
| • Land | 3,504.39 km2 (1,353.05 sq mi) |
| • Water | 425.84 km2 (164.42 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 13th largest in Finland |
| Population (2024-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 6,952 |
| • Rank | 132nd largest in Finland |
| • Density | 1.98/km2 (5.1/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 95.9% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.1% |
| • Others | 4% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 9.7% |
| • 15 to 64 | 50.3% |
| • 65 or older | 40% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Website | www |
Kemijärvi (Northern Sami: Giemajávri; Inari Sami: Kiemâjävri; Skolt Sami: Ǩeeʹmmjäuʹrr) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the sub-region of Eastern Lapland.
History
[edit]The first permanent settler inhabitant of Kemijärvi was Paavali Ollinpoika Halonen, who moved from the region of Oulu, from Niskakylä, Utajärvi to Kemijärvi about 1580. His wife was Anna Laurintytär Halonen, and they had the children. Paavali's place of residence is known today as Halosenranta. Previously the area was inhabited exclusively by the Sami people.[citation needed]
The railway reached Kemijärvi in 1934. It was extended north to Salla and what is now Russia during World War II, though the line is currently moribund beyond Kemijärvi. Kemijärvi railway station has passenger train service to Rovaniemi, Oulu and Helsinki. The direct overnight train service between Kemijärvi and Helsinki was controversially withdrawn in September 2006, with VR (Finnish Railways) stating that its new sleeping car trains could not operate with the diesel locomotives needed for the (then) non-electrified railway north of Rovaniemi.[5]
A year later, the Ministry of Transport and Communications and VR reached an agreement concerning partial public funding of the service, which was restored in 2008 with a diesel generator car supplying head-end power to the passenger cars. The generator car disappeared from the train in March 2014 when the electrification extension from Rovaniemi to Kemijärvi was inaugurated, an event which also assured Kemijärvi a permanent place in the VR network.
On 9 May 1986, a BAE Hawk Mk 51 crashed in Kemijärvi while practising for a flight display due to loss of orientation.[6] The pilot, First Lieutenant M. Kähkönen, died upon impact.[citation needed]
Geography
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Surrounding municipalities are Pelkosenniemi in the north, Salla in the east, Posio in the south and Rovaniemi in the west.
Population
[edit]The municipality has a population of 6,952 (31 December 2024)[2] and covers an area of 3,930.91 square kilometres (1,517.73 sq mi) of which 425.84 km2 (164.42 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 1.98 inhabitants per square kilometre (5.1/sq mi).
Notable people
[edit]- Pentti Kouri, investor and economist
- Matti Lahtela, Member of Parliament, municipal and provincial politician
- Olavi Lahtela, Member of Parliament and Minister
- Markus Mustajärvi, Member of Parliament
- Kari Väänänen, actor, screenwriter and director
Twin towns - sister cities
[edit]Kemijärvi is twinned with:[7]
Kandalaksha, Russia, since 1988
Sōbetsu, Japan, since 1993
Vadsø, Norway, since 1961
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ a b c "Population increased most in Uusimaa in 2024". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 23 January 2025. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ Finnish Railway News
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident 09-MAY-1986 BAe Hawk Mk 51 HW-313". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- ^ "Ystävyyskaupunkitoiminta". kemijarvi.fi (in Finnish). Kemijärvi. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Kemijärvi at Wikimedia Commons
Kemijärvi travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Town of Kemijärvi – Official website (in Finnish)
- Town of Kemijärvi – Tourist Official website
- PDF map of Kemijärvi
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