Sodankylä

Sodankylä (Northern Sami: Soađegilli; Inari Sami: Suáđigil; Skolt Sami: Suäʹđjel) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the region of Lapland, and lies at the northern end of Finnish national road 5. The municipality has a population of 8,435 (31 January 2019)[2] and covers an area of 12,415.50 square kilometres (4,793.65 sq mi) of which 718.65 km2 (277.47 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 0.72 inhabitants per square kilometre (1.9/sq mi). Neighbouring municipalities are Inari, Kemijärvi, Kittilä, Pelkosenniemi, Rovaniemi, and Savukoski.

Sodankylä

Sodankylä – Soađegilli
Municipality
Sodankylän kunta
Sodankylä kommun
Centre of Sodankylä
Coat of arms
Location of Sodankylä in Finland
Coordinates: 67°25′N 026°35′E
Country Finland
RegionLapland
Sub-regionNorthern Lapland
Charter1893
Government
 • Municipal managerViljo Pesonen
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total12,415.50 km2 (4,793.65 sq mi)
 • Land11,696.81 km2 (4,516.16 sq mi)
 • Water718.65 km2 (277.47 sq mi)
Area rank2nd largest in Finland
Population
 (2019-01-31)[2]
 • Total8,435
 • Rank116th largest in Finland
 • Density0.72/km2 (1.9/sq mi)
Population by native language
 • Finnish98.1% (official)
 • Swedish0.1%
 • Sami1.3%
 • Others0.5%
Population by age
 • 0 to 1414.5%
 • 15 to 6466.1%
 • 65 or older19.4%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Municipal tax rate[5]19.5%
Websitewww.sodankyla.fi

The municipality has two official languages: Finnish and Northern Sami.

Since 1986, Sodankylä has been home to the Midnight Sun Film Festival (Sodankylän elokuvajuhlat).

The Jaeger Brigade of the Finnish Army is also located in Sodankylä. Although the name "Sodankylä" and (also "Soađegilli") directly translate to "Village of War", the etymology of the name is from a surname rather than the word "war".

One of EISCAT's scientific radar receiver stations is located outside Sodankylä, at the site of the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory. The urban area around the observatory is known as "Tähtelä", which translates as "Place of Stars", although the observatory does not observe stars.

Sodankylä has an airfield.

Key sights, events and destinations

The old church

The old church is one of the oldest churches in Lapland. The church was built in 1689 for the people of Middle Lapland. It was restored in 1926, and the shingles and the boarding were re-done between 1991 and 1995 by the National Board of Antiquities and Historical Monuments. The church is still open at summer time.

The statue "A reindeer and a Lapp"

Sculptor Ensio Seppänen designed this statue in 1970, located in the center of Sodankylä. The bronze statue presents reindeer husbandry, which still is one of the most important trades in Sodankylä.

Tankavaara Gold Museum

The International Gold Museum presents the history of Finnish gold, as well as the history of the world's major gold rushes. A display called Golden world, tells the story of gold in more than 20 countries. The outdoor museum is housed within several historic buildings and the courtyard is decorated with a large bronze statue of a gold prospector, by the artist professor Ensio Seppänen. The museum's stone and mineral collection has more than 2500 samples on display from around the world.

Andreas Alariesto (1900-1986) was painter from Sodankylä.

Museum-Gallery Alariesto was opened in July 1986. The museum's permanent exhibition displays artist Andreas Alariesto's life and works. Museum-Gallery is maintenanted by Riikkas and Andreas Alariesto's Lapinkuvat (pictures of Lapland) Foundation and the Municipality of Sodankylä. The foundations's main goal is to take care of Alariesto's collected works and to preserve old Sompio's distinctive cultural tradition.

Geography and climate

Sodankylä lies just north of the Arctic circle.

Sodankylä has a subarctic climate (Koppen: Dfc), with short, mild summers and long, freezing, extremely snowy winters. However global warming has brought more extreme snowfalls, typically an increase. Its extreme northerly location combined with frequent overcast skies leads to very low amounts of sunshine in the winter months; December will average just under two minutes of sunshine daily. Sodankylä experiences polar night between 20 and 23 December and polar day between 31 May and 14 July. The temperature is usually between −19.6 °C (−3.3 °F) and 19.4 °C (66.9 °F), but the all-time temperature range is between −49.5 °C (−57.1 °F) and 31.5 °C (88.7 °F) recorded on 18 July 2018.[6] On 26 April 2019, Sodankylä recorded its warmest April day on record with a high of 15 °C (59.0 °F).[7]

Climate data for Sodankylä
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 6.5
(43.7)		 6.5
(43.7)		 8.5
(47.3)		 15.0
(59.0)		 26.9
(80.4)		 30.5
(86.9)		 32.1
(89.8)		 31.2
(88.2)		 23.0
(73.4)		 13.5
(56.3)		 9.2
(48.6)		 10.3
(50.5)		 32.1
(89.8)
Average high °C (°F) −9.5
(14.9)		 −8.3
(17.1)		 −2.6
(27.3)		 2.6
(36.7)		 9.6
(49.3)		 16.6
(61.9)		 19.4
(66.9)		 16.1
(61.0)		 9.8
(49.6)		 2.3
(36.1)		 −4.3
(24.3)		 −7.9
(17.8)		 3.6
(38.5)
Average low °C (°F) −19.6
(−3.3)		 −18.2
(−0.8)		 −13
(9)		 −7.4
(18.7)		 0.0
(32.0)		 6.4
(43.5)		 9.1
(48.4)		 6.6
(43.9)		 2.1
(35.8)		 −3.7
(25.3)		 −11.8
(10.8)		 −17.4
(0.7)		 −5.6
(21.9)
Record low °C (°F) −49.5
(−57.1)		 −44.4
(−47.9)		 −42.7
(−44.9)		 −31.6
(−24.9)		 −17.8
(0.0)		 −3.7
(25.3)		 −0.6
(30.9)		 −5.5
(22.1)		 −11.4
(11.5)		 −28
(−18)		 −34.5
(−30.1)		 −41
(−42)		 −49.5
(−57.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 35
(1.4)		 29
(1.1)		 29
(1.1)		 28
(1.1)		 35
(1.4)		 57
(2.2)		 63
(2.5)		 61
(2.4)		 47
(1.9)		 50
(2.0)		 40
(1.6)		 35
(1.4)		 507
(20.0)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 12 57 125 196 240 268 269 183 109 60 22 1 1,542
Source: Climatological statistics for the normal period 1971–2000[8]

Twin towns
  • Sodankylä New Church
  • Sodankylä Old Church

See also

References
  1. "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. "Suomen virallinen tilasto (SVT): Väestön ennakkotilasto [verkkojulkaisu]. Tammikuu 2019" (in Finnish). Statistics Finland. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  3. "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.
  4. "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.
  5. "List of municipal and parish tax rates in 2011". Tax Administration of Finland. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  6. http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/finland/sodankyla?month=7&year=2015
  7. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/observations/uefznrtzq
  8. Climatological statistics for the normal period 1971–2000

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