Ilomantsi

Ilomantsi
Ilomants
Municipality
Ilomantsin kunta
Ilomants kommun
Church of Saint Prophet Elijah
Church of Saint Prophet Elijah
Coat of arms of Ilomantsi
Coat of arms
Location of Ilomantsi in Finland
Location of Ilomantsi in Finland
Coordinates: 62°40′N 030°56′E / 62.667°N 30.933°E / 62.667; 30.933
Country Finland
RegionNorth Karelia
Sub-regionJoensuu
Charter1875
Government
 • Municipal managerMarkku Lappalainen
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total
3,172.69 km2 (1,224.98 sq mi)
 • Land2,763.4 km2 (1,067.0 sq mi)
 • Water409.01 km2 (157.92 sq mi)
 • Rank19th largest in Finland
Population
 (2024-10-31)[2]
 • Total
4,372
 • Rank183rd largest in Finland
 • Density1.58/km2 (4.1/sq mi)
Population by native language
[2]
 • Finnish95.4% (official)
 • Swedish0.2%
 • Others4.4%
Population by age
[3]
 • 0 to 148.9%
 • 15 to 6450.1%
 • 65 or older41%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Websitewww.ilomantsi.fi

Ilomantsi (Karelian: Il'manči or Ilomančči, Swedish: Ilomants) is municipality and a village of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of 4,372 (31 October 2024)[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 1.58 inhabitants per square kilometre (4.1/sq mi). The easternmost point of Finland and 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 Pampalo gold mine is located in Ilomantsi.[5][6]

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).[citation needed] Even the local newspaper is called Pogostan Sanomat, i.e. "The Pogosta News".[7]

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.

Demographics

The following table shows the decrease in population of the municipality every five years since 1980. The regional allocation used is 1 January 2017.

1980 - 2015
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 number of historical sights, natural features and scenery, several cultural sights and events, as well as culinary attractions.[citation needed] Places of interest include:

Notable

References

  1. ^ a b "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Finland's preliminary population figure was 5,635,560 at the end of October 2024". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 19 November 2024. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  5. ^ Pampalo - Mineral Deposit Report – Geological Survey of Finland
  6. ^ Pampalon kultakaivoksen toiminta on alkanut lupaavasti – kullan hinta on nyt riittävällä tasolla toiminnan pyörittämiseen – Yle (in Finnish)
  7. ^ "Pogostan Sanomat". pogostansanomat.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 12 July 2023.

Media related to Ilomantsi at Wikimedia Commons