It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the North Karelia region. The town has a population of 8,573 (31 December 2009)^[2] and covers an area of 1,854.82 square kilometres (716.15 sq mi) of which 253.71 km² (97.96 sq mi) is water.^[1] The population density is 5.35 inhabitants per square kilometre (13.9 /sq mi).

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Nurmes railway station is now the northern terminus of a twice-daily VR passenger train service from Joensuu. The railway north of Nurmes is open for freight only.

Hotel club Bomba is situated in Nurmes.

Nurmes is also the official Christmas Carol city of Europe.

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b "Area by municipality as of 1 January 2009" (in Finnish and Swedish) (PDF). Land Survey of Finland. http://www.maanmittauslaitos.fi/Pintaalat_kunnittain_1.1.2009.pdf. Retrieved 20 February 2009.
^ ^a ^b "Population by municipality as of 31 December 2009" (in Finnish and Swedish). Population Information System. Population Register Center of Finland. http://www.vrk.fi/vrk/files.nsf/files/4AD425C09E8E9093C22576AA001D7112/$file/091231.htm. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
^ "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. http://pxweb2.stat.fi/Dialog/varval.asp?ma=060_vaerak_tau_107_fi&ti=V%E4est%F6+kielen+mukaan+sek%E4+ulkomaan+kansalaisten+m%E4%E4r%E4+ja+maa%2Dpinta%2Dala+alueittain++1980+%2D+2008&path=../Database/StatFin/vrm/vaerak/&lang=3&multilang=fi. 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. http://pxweb2.stat.fi/Dialog/varval.asp?ma=050_vaerak_tau_104_fi&ti=V%E4est%F6+i%E4n+%281%2Dv%2E%29+ja+sukupuolen+mukaan+alueittain+1980+%2D+2008&path=../Database/StatFin/vrm/vaerak/&lang=3&multilang=fi. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
^ "List of municipal and parish tax rates in 2010". Tax Administration of Finland. 24 November 2009. http://www.vero.fi/download.asp?id=5853;25512. Retrieved 13 January 2010.

[edit] External links

Media related to Nurmes at Wikimedia Commons
Town of Nurmes – Official website

[hide] v • d • e Municipalities of North Karelia

Municipalities	Ilomantsi · Joensuu · Juuka · Kesälahti · Kitee · Kontiolahti ·Lieksa · Liperi · Nurmes · Outokumpu · Polvijärvi · Rääkkylä ·Tohmajärvi · Valtimo

Former municipalities	Eno · Kiihtelysvaara · Nurmeksen maalaiskunta · Pälkjärvi · Pielisensuu · Pielisjärvi · Pyhäselkä · Tuupovaara · Värtsilä

North Karelia · Finland

keskiviikko 17. helmikuuta 2010

KOLI-FINLAND,KOLI NATIONAL PARK

Koli National Park

Coordinates:

63°03′27″N 29°53′14″E / 63.0575°N 29.88722°E

Koli National Park (Kolin kansallispuisto)
Protected area
An elevated view at Koli
Country	Finland
Region	North Karelia

Coordinates	63°03′27″N 29°53′14″E / 63.0575°N 29.88722°E / 63.0575; 29.88722

Area	30 km² (12 sq mi)

Established	1991
Management	Metsähallitus

IUCN category	II - National Park


Website: http://www.outdoors.fi/kolinp

Koli National Park (Finnish: Kolin kansallispuisto) is a national park in the municipalities of Joensuu, Lieksa and Kontiolahti in the North Karelia region of Finland. It covers 30 square kilometres (12 sq mi) in the forested hills on the western shore of lake Pielinen, and was established in 1991. Contrary to the other national parks in Finland, Koli National Park was originally governed by the Finnish Forest Research Institute Metla. It is now governed by the Metsähallitus like the other national parks^[1].

Koli has lots to offer cultural heritage-wise. Former it was a sacrificial site. Later it was used for slash-and-burn agriculture. The aim of Koli National Park isn't to reserve wild nature but traditional agricultural heritage is cherished in Koli. Some fields are slashed, burnt and re-cultivated and hay is cut yearly. Traditional Finnish breeds of cows and sheep are grazing in the meadows of Koli.

[hide]

[edit] Nature

The national park of Koli has been divided into three different zones according to central protection objectives.

Attention is paid to a national landscape and geology in a zone which covers the highest tops of Koli. The culture zone is located quite near a village. In the culture zone the multiformity of the tradition landscapes is maintained by burn-beating, by grazing and by managing open fields by among others mowing. The yard circles with their old buildings on the open field and on the pasturage graze the pearls of the burn-beaten area culture in the middle of the open manmade landscape lined by the koivikko, the kyyttö and sheep are. Especially the multiform flora of open fields needs annual maintenance mowing in order to be preserved. To the nature zone the forest nature of dangers is protected. The nature of Koli is well varying from the point of view of the terrain and thanks to it there is a large number of different biotopes even in a small area and thus the species a very multiform one. The laws of rocks are fairly rugged, the shady slopes in the covering of the old spruces or birches and from the field slopes of valleys shadily moist groves grow rank.

[edit] Attractions

The most well-known vantage point in the park is Ukko-Koli, with a grand view to the East, over the lake Pielinen. Near the top there's the Heritage Center Ukko and Hotel Koli. In the summer, two long scenery lifts are working in Koli.

There are also many caves in Koli area, e.g. the cave named Pirunkirkko. It is 34 metres (110 ft) long and 1–7 metres (3.3–23 ft) high.

Koli has inspired many painters and composers, e.g. Jean Sibelius, Juhani Aho and Eero Järnefelt. Eero Järnefelt painted together with A.W. Finch and Ilmari Aalto a large scenery about Koli in 1911. It can be seen in the restaurant of Helsinki railway station. Painters found Koli in the 19th century and after that Koli has been called one of the national sceneries of Finland.

Nowadays there are two ski resorts in Koli area: Loma-Koli for families and Ukko-Koli for more advanced downhill skiing. There are three ski lifts and six ski slopes in Ukko-Koli. The highest vertical drop is 230 metres (750 ft) and ski slopes are 800–1,500 metres (2,600–4,900 ft) long. There are four ski lifts and six ski slopes in Loma-Koli. The highest vertical drop is 145 metres (480 ft) and ski slopes are 530–1,050 metres (1,700–3,400 ft) long. Two of the slopes are streets for snowboarding. There are also snow castles for children.

Lake Pielinen seen from a hill in Koli National Park.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ "Metla : Kolin kansallispuisto : Kolin matkailupalvelut monipuolistuvat : Tiedote 3.1.2006" (in Finnish). 2007-09-07. http://www.metla.fi/koli/tiedotteet/koli-tiedote-20070907-puisto.htm. Retrieved February 18 2008.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Koli National Park

Outdoors.fi – Koli National Park
Koli National Park webpage
Video about travelling in Koli area - by students from Koli area
Video about downhill skiing in Koli - by students from Koli area

[hide]

National parks of Finland

Archipelago · Eastern Gulf of Finland · Ekenäs Archipelago · Helvetinjärvi · Hiidenportti ·Isojärvi · Kauhaneva-Pohjankangas · Koli · Kolovesi · Kurjenrahka · Lauhanvuori ·Leivonmäki · Lemmenjoki · Liesjärvi · Linnansaari · Nuuksio · Oulanka · Päijänne ·Pallas-Yllästunturi · Patvinsuo · Perämeri · Petkeljärvi · Puurijärvi-Isosuo · Pyhä-Häkki ·Pyhä-Luosto · Repovesi · Riisitunturi · Rokua · Salamajärvi · Seitseminen · Syöte ·Tiilikkajärvi · Torronsuo · Urho Kekkonen · Valkmusa

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koli_National_Park"

Categories: National parks of Finland | Ski areas and resorts in Finland | Protected areas established in 1991

maanantai 15. helmikuuta 2010

FINLAND(SUOMI-FINLAND)

Main articles: Administrative divisions of Finland, Regions of Finland, Sub-regions of Finland, Municipalities of Finland, and Historical provinces of Finland

Municipalities and regions map of Finland (2009).
Thin borders refer to municipalities and thicker ones to regions.

The fundamental administrative divisions of the country are the municipalities, which may also call themselves towns or cities. They account for half of public spending. Spending is financed by municipal income tax, state subsidies, and other revenue. There are 342 municipalities,^[6] and most have fewer than 6,000 residents. People often identify with their municipality.

In addition to municipalities, two intermediate levels are defined. Municipalities co-operate in seventy-four sub-regions and twenty regions. These are governed by the member municipalities but have only limited powers. The Åland region has a permanent democratically elected regional council as a part of the autonomy. In the Kainuu region, there is a pilot project underway with regional elections. Sami people have a semi-autonomous Sami Domicile Area in Lapland for issues on language and culture.

In the following chart, the number of inhabitants includes those living in the entire municipality (kunta/kommun), not just in the built-up area. The land area is given in km², and the density in inhabitants per km² (land area). The figures are as of 31 December 2009. The capital region — comprising Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen— forms a continuous conurbation of one million people. However, common administration is limited to voluntary cooperation of all municipalities, e.g. in Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council.

City	Population^[57]	Land area^[58]	Density
Helsinki	583,484	213	2,739.36
Espoo	244,353	312.22	782.63
Tampere	211,544	524.97	402.96
Vantaa	197,663	238.38	829.19
Turku	176,157	245.63	717.16
Oulu	139,151	1,410.13	98.68
Jyväskylä	129,634	1,171.23	110.68
Lahti	100,861	135.06	746.79
Kuopio	92,642	1,124.03	82.42
Kouvola	88,193	2,560.06	82.42
Pori	76,641	517.14	148.2
Joensuu	72,718	2,381.84	30.53
Lappeenranta	70,447	1,072.54	65.68
Hämeenlinna	66,643	1,820.1	36.62
Rovaniemi	59,831	7,582.28	7.89

Further information: List of Finnish municipalities, List of Finnish municipalities by population, List of Finnish municipalities by area, and Former municipalities of Finland

KUOPIO-FINLAND

Kuopio

— City —

Kuopion kaupunki

Central Kuopio seen from the Puijo tower

Coat of arms

Coordinates:

62°53′33″N 027°40′42″E / 62.8925°N 27.67833°ECoordinates:

62°53′33″N 027°40′42″E / 62.8925°N 27.67833°E

Kuopio sub-region

Settled

Government

Area (2009-01-01)^[1]

- Total

1,728.54 km² (667.4 sq mi)

- Land

1,124.03 km² (434 sq mi)

- Water

604.51 km² (233.4 sq mi)

Area rank

54th largest in Finland

Population (2009-12-31)^[2]

- Total

92,642

- Density

82.42/km² (213.5/sq mi)

Population rank

9th largest in Finland

Population by native language ^[3]

- Finnish

97.8% (official)

- Swedish

0.1%

- Others

2.1%

Population by age ^[4]

- 0 to 14

15.6%

- 15 to 64

68.9%

- 65 or older

15.4%

Time zone

EET (UTC+2)

- Summer (DST)

EEST (UTC+3)

Postal code

FI-70100

Municipal tax rate^[5]

19.5%

Website

www.kuopio.fi

Kuopio is a Finnish city and municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia. A population of 92,642^[2] makes it the ninth biggest city in the country. The city has a total area of 1,728.54 square kilometres (667.39 sq mi), of which 604.51 km² (233.40 sq mi) is water^[1] and half forest. The population density is only 82 /km² (210 /sq mi), but the city's urban areas are populated very densely (urban area: 1 617.6 /km²^[6]), nationally second only to capital Helsinki (urban area: 1 690.0 /km²^[6])^[7]. The population of the entire Kuopio region is 119,472.^[8]

Kuopio was founded in 1653 by Governor Peter Brahe, but the official date is recognized as November 17, 1775, when King Gustav III of Sweden ordered the establishment of the city of Kuopio. The municipality of Vehmersalmi joined the city of Kuopio on January 1, 2005 like the municipality of Kuopion maalaiskunta in 1969 and the municipality of Riistavesi in 1973. Karttula will join Kuopio in 2011^[9].

Kuopio is almost completely surrounded by lake Kallavesi.

The city is surrounded by lake Kallavesi, and several parts of it are built on islands. Kuopio's ample waterfronts and islands are also utilized in the Saaristokaupunki (lit. Archipelago city) -project, the biggest residential area currently being built in Finland^[10]. Saaristokaupunki will accommodate a total of 14,000 inhabitants in 2015. All houses will be situated no more than 500 meters from the nearest lakeshore^[11].

Kuopio is known for its association with a national delicacy, Finnish fish pastry (Kalakukko), and the dialect of Savo, as well as the hill of Puijo and the Puijo tower. Besides being a very popular outdoor recreation area, Puijo serves also as a stage for a yearly World Cup ski jumping competition.

The city has a nationally unique feature in its street network, where every second street is practically a pedestrian and cycle street^[12], so called "rännikatu" (lit. rain gutter street). These streets provide pedestrians a calm environment aside from the main street traffic^[13]. This setup dates back all the way to 1776 and the first town plan by Pehr Kjellman. Originally rännikatu, gränd (in Swedish) were created as a fire barrier to prevent a possible fire escalating in a city mostly built with wood.^[14]

The Finnish Orthodox Church is headquartered in Kuopio, where its primate, archbishop of Karelia and all Finland Leo (Makkonen) is seated. The largest church of Finland, Evangelical Lutheran Church has a diocese in Kuopio, which is shepherded by bishop Wille Riekkinen.

Transport connections to Kuopio include Pendolino trains and air service from Kuopio Airport with Finnair, Blue1 and Finncomm (domestic, to Helsinki-Vantaa), and airBaltic Riga^[15]). (international, to

Biggest Employers as of Jan 1, 2008^[16]
Employer	Staff
City of Kuopio	5 905
Kuopio University Hospital	3 898
University of Eastern Finland	1 732
PeeÄssä Co-op	734
Savo Consortium for Education	706
Niuvanniemi Hospital	629
Itella	553
ISS A/S	490
Savonia University of Applied Sciences	439
Honeywell	370
Keskisuomalainen	296
Kesko	296
Tieto	288
OP-Pohjola Group	265
Lemminkäinen Group	263

[hide]

[edit] Education and business

Higher Education in Kuopio
University	Students
University of Eastern Finland	6 229^[17]
Savonia University of Applied Sciences	5 000^[18]
HUMAK University of Applied Sciences	~150
Sibelius Academy	~100

Kuopio City Hall (built 1882–1886) on a fair day.

Kuopio has always been a city of education. Some of the first schools offering education in Finnish (such as the School for the Blind in 1871, and the Trade School in 1887) were established in Kuopio. Currently the most important institutions are the University of Eastern Finland, the Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Vocational College of Northern Savonia and the Kuopio department of the Sibelius Academy.

Kuopio is known as a strong center of health (e.g. it has the biggest yearly enrollment rate of medical students in Finland), pharmacy, environment, food & nutrition (all legalized Clinical and Public Health Nutritionists in Finland graduate from the University of Eastern Finland), safety (education in Emergency Services is centered in Kuopio^[19]) and welfare professions, as the major organisations University of Kuopio, Savonia University of Applied Sciences and Technopolis Kuopio are particularly oriented to those areas.

Technology centre Technopolis Kuopio is situated in Kuopio Science Park.

There are about 4,200 enterprises in Kuopio^[16], of which approximately 180 are export companies^[20]. These provide about 45,000 jobs^[20].

[edit] People and culture

Kuopio is known as the cultural center of Eastern Finland. A wide range of musical (from kindergarten to doctorate-level studies) and dance education is available and the cultural life is active. Notable events include ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival, Kuopio Dance Festival, Kuopio Rockcock, Kuopio Wine Festival and Finland Ice Marathon. A notable place, however, to enjoy the local flavor of Kuopio life and food is Sampo, a fish restaurant loved by locals and tourists as well.

In Finland the inhabitants of Kuopio have a special reputation: they are known as jovial and verbally joking. Within the Savo culture, the onus is placed on the listener to interpret the story. People of Kuopio region and Eastern Finland have always had many health problems and the mortality has been higher than on an average in Finland. Because of this, Eastern Finland has been a sweetspot for Public Health studies. The North Karelia Project by the University of Kuopio in coordination with the National Public Health Institute and the World Health Organization, beginning in the 1970s was one of its first steps towards world class research.

During the 2000s, Kuopio has placed very well in a number image, popularity and city-attractiveness surveys. In 2007 it was placed third, behind Tampere and Oulu.

Puijo tower, built in 1963 (3rd; 2nd from 1906 was demolished when this was completed; 1st was built in 1856)

Kuopio is the seat of the Finnish Orthodox Church. This is an autonomous cell within the autocephalous jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It is the only mainstream Orthodox faction to celebrate Easter on the Latin date. The late Archbishop Paul had been successful in producing literature of popular theology.

[edit] Notable persons

Paavo Lipponen
Pertti "Spede" Pasanen
Wille Riekkinen
Juho Rissanen
Aarno Ruusuvuori
Aulis Rytkönen
Tuomo Saikkonen
Johan Vilhelm Snellman
Kimmo Timonen
Fridolf Weurlander
Demilich, a death metal band
Brothers von Wright, Magnus, Wilhelm and Ferdinand

The Fighting Capercaillies by Ferdinand von Wright in 1886 is one of Finland's best known paintings.

[edit] Sports in Kuopio

Kuopio bid for the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics, a youth sports festival in the tradition of the Olympics. It became a finalist in November 2008, but ultimately lost to Innsbruck, Austria. Kuopio's image as a small city with a large University and many active young people was considered a model of what the International Olympic Committee seeks for the Games.^[21]