Ilomantsi
Ilomantsi (Swedish: Ilomants) is municipality and a village of Finland.
Ilomantsi Ilomants | |
---|---|
Municipality | |
Ilomantsin kunta Ilomants kommun | |
Church of Saint Prophet Elijah | |
Coat of arms | |
Location of Ilomantsi in Finland | |
Coordinates: 62°40′N 030°56′E | |
Country | |
Region | North Karelia |
Sub-region | Joensuu sub-region |
Charter | 1875 |
Government | |
• Municipal manager | Markku Lappalainen |
Area (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 3,172.69 km2 (1,224.98 sq mi) |
• Land | 2,763.68 km2 (1,067.06 sq mi) |
• Water | 409.01 km2 (157.92 sq mi) |
Area rank | 19th largest in Finland |
Population (2019-01-31)[2] | |
• Total | 4,964 |
• Rank | 169th largest in Finland |
• Density | 1.8/km2 (5/sq mi) |
Population by native language | |
• Finnish | 98.2% (official) |
• Swedish | 0.2% |
• Others | 1.7% |
Population by age | |
• 0 to 14 | 11.2% |
• 15 to 64 | 61.1% |
• 65 or older | 27.6% |
Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
Municipal tax rate[5] | 19.75% |
Website | www.ilomantsi.fi |
It is located in the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of 4,964 (31 January 2019)[2] and covers an area of 3,172.69 square kilometres (1,224.98 sq mi) of which 409.01 km2 (157.92 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 1.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (4.7/sq mi). The most eastern point of Finland and of the continental part of the European Union is located in Ilomantsi near the village of Hattuvaara. (In the EU, only Cyprus is located further to the east.)
The nearest town is Joensuu, 72 kilometres (45 mi) away; the distance to Helsinki is 511 km (318 mi). Neighbouring municipalities are Lieksa and Joensuu. In the east, Ilomantsi shares 100 km (60 mi) long border with the Russian Republic of Karelia. The municipality is sparsely populated and is mostly characterized by forests and boglands. About 250 km2 (97 sq mi) of the area is designated as natural reserves, among them the national parks Petkeljärvi and Patvinsuo. The most important bodies of water in Ilomantsi are the lakes Koitere and Nuorajärvi and the river Koitajoki.
The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Local words of Karelian or Russian extraction might be used in Ilomantsi. For example, the central village of the municipality is not called kirkonkylä as is usual in Finland, but pogosta (a Russian loan-word, originally pogost). Even the local newspaper is called Pogostan Sanomat, i.e. "The Pogosta News".
Ilomantsi has 17.4% Orthodox minority, which is the largest percentage among Finnish municipalities. The wooden Orthodox church of Ilomantsi is the largest in Finland and is dedicated to the prophet Elijah. There are also five Orthodox chapels (tsasouna) in the municipality. The Orthodox community of Ilomantsi is more than 500 years old and counts 1,100 members.
Notable residents
- Anna Margareta Salmelin (1716–1789).
Population
The following table shows the decrease in population of the municipality every five years since 1980. The regional allocation used is 1 January 2017.
Year | Population |
---|---|
1980 | 8 753 |
1985 | 8 469 |
1990 | 8 054 |
1995 | 7 832 |
2000 | 7 129 |
2005 | 6 422 |
2010 | 5 883 |
2015 | 5 336 |
Sights
Ilomantsi offers a small amount yet historical sights. There are great scenery for nature lovers, sights and events for a cultural jeweler, taste culinary delights.
Few places to visit :
- Orthodox Church (built in 1892)
- Lutheran Church (built in 1796)
- Katri Vala - Culture centre
- Lutheran Church of Kivilahti (built in 1954), Clock tower (built in 1969)
- Research centre of Mekrijärvi
- Möhkö - A nearby village which was one of the locations of the Winter War.
- Gun workshop in Naarva - Museum (built in 1790)
- Lutheran Church of Naarva (built in 1958), Clock tower (built in 1971)
- The Poetry Village of Parppeinvaara and the Poet's Pirtti. (An animal museum and a restaurant available)
- National Park of Patvinsuo
- National Park of Petkeljärvi
- Taistelijan Talo (Fighters House) - Museum about the Winter War and the Continuation War (built in 1988).
References
- "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- "Suomen virallinen tilasto (SVT): Väestön ennakkotilasto [verkkojulkaisu]. Tammikuu 2019" (in Finnish). Statistics Finland. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- "Population according to language and the number of foreigners and land area km2 by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
- "Population according to age and gender by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
- "List of municipal and parish tax rates in 2011". Tax Administration of Finland. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
External links
- Ilomantsi in English
- Municipality of Ilomantsi – Official website (in Finnish)
- Ilomantsi in Finnish
- Parpeinvaara in English