Närpes covers an area of 2,334.14 square kilometres (901.22 sq mi) of which 1,357 km2 (524 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 9.84 inhabitants per square kilometre (25.5/sq mi). Economically, the municipality is known for extensive greenhouse farming of tomatoes and manufacture of trailers for trucks.
Närpes is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. The population consists of 5% Finnish speakers, 74% Swedish speakers, and 21% speakers of other languages, which is well above the national average. Närpes has been a bilingual municipality since 2016. Before that, Närpes was the last unilingual Swedish-speaking municipality in mainland Finland.[6] Most residents speak a variant of Ostrobothnian Swedish.
Närpes has a history that can be dated back to 1331, when Klas Bengtsson in "Nærpes" pawned goods to bishop Bengt in Turku.[7]
In 1348 king Magnus IV of Sweden declared "all who live in Nerpis socken, Mustasaari socken and Pedersöre socken" the right to buy and sell "all eatables".[8] Thus creating the first official marketplaces in Ostrobothnia.
Demographics
Languages spoken natively in Närpes, 2013. Blue: Swedish; Brown: Finnish Yellow: Other languages
Närpes has attracted many immigrants, and has also welcomed refugees.[9]