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 / 64.86806°N 27.67083°E / 64.86806; 27.67083
Country Finland
RegionKainuu
Sub-regionKehys-Kainuu
Government
 • MayorHarri Peltola
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total2,598.68 km2 (1,003.36 sq mi)
 • Land2,461.17 km2 (950.26 sq mi)
 • Water137.3 km2 (53.0 sq mi)
 • Rank24th largest in Finland
Population
 (2023-09-30)[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

Puolanka (Finnish: [ˈpuo̯lɑŋkɑ] ;Swedish: Puolanka, also Puolango) is a municipality in Finland located in the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of 2,369 (30 September 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). The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

The fir-tree topped line in the coat of arms of Puolanka refers to local forestry and the cattle bells to livestock management and past grazing in forest lands. The coat of arms was designed by Aake Kaarnama, and the Puolanka municipal council approved it at its meeting on 8 June 1962. The Ministry of the Interior approved the coat of arms for use on 29 August of the same year.[5]

Puolanka has been called the "most pessimistic municipality in Finland".[6] In 2019, the municipality gained worldwide publicity when the BBC published a video about Puolanka, describing it as the "most pessimistic town in the world".[7] Pessimism has a long tradition in the Kainuu region, and the residents of Puolanka decided to make it their trademark, which is why the residents organize various events related to the topic every year.[6]

History

The first permanent settlers in Puolanka came in the 1550s.[8]

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.[8]

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.[8]

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.

Climate data for Puolanka Kotila (1991-2020 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average precipitation mm (inches) 55
(2.2)		 47
(1.9)		 43
(1.7)		 37
(1.5)		 64
(2.5)		 74
(2.9)		 99
(3.9)		 88
(3.5)		 75
(3.0)		 80
(3.1)		 76
(3.0)		 68
(2.7)		 806
(31.7)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 23 19 16 14 16 16 18 17 18 21 23 23 224
Source: https://www.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/1991-2020-sadetilastot

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

References

  1. 1 2 "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. 1 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. ↑ Suomen kunnallisvaakunat (in Finnish). Suomen Kunnallisliitto. 1982. p. 157. ISBN 951-773-085-3.
  6. 1 2 "Pessimistinen Puolanka". Yle (in Finnish). 3 January 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "The world's most pessimistic town". BBC. 1 November 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 "Historia". www.puolanka.fi. Retrieved 2016-07-14.

Media related to Puolanka at Wikimedia Commons Puolanka travel guide from Wikivoyage


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