Kokkola
Kokkola
| |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Kokkolan kaupunki Karleby stad | |
 Old Kokkola town hall | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Kokkola in Finland | |
| Coordinates:63°50.2′N023°08′E/ 63.8367°N 23.133°E | |
| Country |  Finland |
| Region | Central Ostrobothnia |
| Sub-region | Kokkola sub-region |
| Charter | 1620 |
| Government | |
| • Town manager | Stina Mattila |
| Area (2018-01-01)[1] | |
| • Total | 2,730.80 km2(1,054.37 sq mi) |
| • Land | 1,446.27 km2(558.41 sq mi) |
| • Water | 1,286.61 km2(496.76 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 46th largestin Finland |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
| • Total | 48,295 |
| • Rank | 22nd largestin Finland |
| • Density | 33.39/km2(86.5/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| •Finnish | 83% (official) |
| •Swedish | 12% |
| • Others | 5% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 18.6% |
| • 15 to 64 | 58.8% |
| • 65 or older | 22.6% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00(EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00(EEST) |
| Website | www |
Kokkola(Finnish:[ˈkokːolɑ];Swedish:Karleby,Finland Swedish:[ˈkɑrleˌbyː]) is atowninFinlandand the regional capital ofCentral Ostrobothnia.It is located on the west coast of the country, on theGulf of Bothnia.The population of Kokkola is approximately 48,000, while thesub-regionhas a population of approximately 54,000. It is the 22nd most populousmunicipalityin Finland, and the 20th most populousurban areain the country.
Kokkola covers an area of 2,730.80 square kilometres (1,054.37 sq mi) of which 1,286.61 km2(496.76 sq mi) is water.[1]The population density is 33.39 inhabitants per square kilometre (86.5/sq mi). Neighbour municipalities areHalsua,Kalajoki,Kannus,Kaustinen,Kronoby,Lestijärvi,LarsmoandToholampi.
Kokkola is abilingualmunicipality withFinnishandSwedishas its official languages. The population consists of83% Finnish speakers,12% Swedish speakers, and5% speakers of other languages.
Kokkola celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2020.
Etymology
[edit]Name
[edit]
In the oldest Swedish sources Kokkola is mentioned asKarlabi.The town was known in Swedish by the nameGamlakarlebyuntil 1 January 1977 when the surrounding land municipality of Kaarlela (Swedish:Karleby) was consolidated with Kokkola, and the town took over the Swedish name ofKarleby.The wordgamlameans "old",karl(anglicanized Charles), is a Germanic males name, a name of many kings, meaning simply "man" andbymeans "village", so the town name is ambiguous meaning both "old village of Charles" or "old man village". The Latin name wasCarolina Vetus.Gustav II Adolf,the founder of the city, possibly named the town in honor of his father KingKarl IXof Sweden. The Finnish name is possibly derived from Kokkolahti, a narrow bay located at the place of the town. According to a tale thesea eagles(in Finnish merikotka or kokko) used to live there.[6]Another theory claims that the name comes from ancient signal fires (kokko), which were used to warn people about approaphing enemy troops.
Heraldry
[edit]Thecoat of armsof Kokkola is based on thecity sealissued in 1620 in connection with the founding of the city. The pattern is a symbol oftarburning and tar trade, which have played a significant part in the history of the city since its founding until the 19th century. The coat of arms was designed by Olof Eriksson and Into I. Suominen, and it was confirmed for use on December 17, 1956.[7][8][9]
History
[edit]
The town of Kokkola was chartered in 1620 by KingGustav II Adolfof Sweden when Finland was a part of theSwedish Empireand is one among the oldest towns in Finland. The king also decided that a tar barrel, with three burning flames coming from both the ends and the plug, should be used as the town seal, because of thetartrade at that time, for which Kokkola was founded as a shipping port.Anders Chydenius(1729-1803) who was one of the leading politicians ofSweden,was a keen supporter of economic freedom and fought in theSwedish Parliamentfor free foreign trade and further social reforms. In 1765 the Swedish Parliament granted the city of Kokkola thestaple rights.Kokkola also became an importantshipbuildingcentre in Finland. As a result of tar trade and shipbuilding industry, Kokkola was for a time one of the richest towns in Finland.
An interesting historical affair, known as theSkirmish of Halkokari,occurred at the town on 7 June 1854 during theÅland War,part of theCrimean War.Royal MarinesfromHMS VultureandHMS Odintried to come ashore to deal with public property in the town "in accordance with the usages of war". The marines were repelled by local defenders armed with hunting rifles supported by troops, artillery and possibly Russian advisors and military. One of the 9 smaller British craft (agunboat) fell into the hands of the defenders. As such, this boat was the only Royal Navy vessel still in foreign possession in 1914. The boat is still today a museum-object and can be seen in Kokkola's English Park. The town council has refused to return the boat despite several requests by the United Kingdom, most recently byJohn Stuttard,the Lord Mayor of London. The British Treasury annually pays a small sum to the local church congregation for the maintenance of the graves of nine Royal Marines killed in action during the skirmish.[10]
Interesting contemporaneous accounts of the disastrous action can be found in the British Newspaper Archive, citing Gamla Carleby.
The city had a Swedish-speaking majority until 1933.
In 1977, the surrounding municipality of Kaarlela (Swedish:Karleby) was consolidated into Kokkola (Swedish until then:Gamlakarleby). In 2009, the municipalities ofLohtaja,KälviäandUllavawere consolidated with Kokkola.
Geography
[edit]
Kokkola is the capital of theCentral Ostrobothniaregion, it is located on the coast ofGulf of Bothnia,the northernmost part of theBaltic Sea.The next larger cities areVaasais 121 kilometres (75 miles) southwest, andOuluis 198 kilometres (123 miles) northeast. The distance to the capital Helsinki is 483 kilometres (300 miles) to the south. Neighbouring cities and municipals areKalajokiin the northern east,KannusandToholampiin the east,HalsuaandKaustinenin the southern east,Kronobyin the south andLarsmoin the southern west.
The landscape of the region around Kokkola is flat, typical for the area ofOstrobothnia,with numerous river courses flowing through the land. The biggest river in the area isPerhonjoki,which flows intoGulf of Bothnia,north of Kokkola.
The annualpost-glacial reboundat Kokkola is 8.8 mm. Thus large areas of present-day Kokkola were under water when the town was founded.
Climate
[edit]| Climate data for Kokkola-Pietarsaari airport, normals 1991-2020, extremes 1961 - present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 9.1 (48.4) |
10.4 (50.7) |
13.9 (57.0) |
21.4 (70.5) |
29.6 (85.3) |
32.6 (90.7) |
34.3 (93.7) |
31.3 (88.3) |
27.6 (81.7) |
20.9 (69.6) |
12.3 (54.1) |
8.4 (47.1) |
34.3 (93.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −3.2 (26.2) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
0.9 (33.6) |
7.4 (45.3) |
14.1 (57.4) |
18.5 (65.3) |
21.7 (71.1) |
19.6 (67.3) |
14.2 (57.6) |
6.8 (44.2) |
1.8 (35.2) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
8.1 (46.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −6.2 (20.8) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
2.4 (36.3) |
8.3 (46.9) |
13.5 (56.3) |
16.4 (61.5) |
14.6 (58.3) |
9.6 (49.3) |
3.8 (38.8) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
4.0 (39.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −10.1 (13.8) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−7.4 (18.7) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
2.4 (36.3) |
7.6 (45.7) |
11.1 (52.0) |
9.5 (49.1) |
5.2 (41.4) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−0.3 (31.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −40.5 (−40.9) |
−41.5 (−42.7) |
−33.4 (−28.1) |
−22.2 (−8.0) |
−10.1 (13.8) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
−8.6 (16.5) |
−22.2 (−8.0) |
−32.2 (−26.0) |
−37.9 (−36.2) |
−41.5 (−42.7) |
| Source: FMI climatological normals for Finland 1991–2020 | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Kokkola Tankar (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1996- present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 6.0 (42.8) |
6.3 (43.3) |
11.1 (52.0) |
18.5 (65.3) |
23.3 (73.9) |
28.6 (83.5) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.3 (86.5) |
22.9 (73.2) |
18.4 (65.1) |
11.0 (51.8) |
7.7 (45.9) |
30.3 (86.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −2.1 (28.2) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
0.1 (32.2) |
4.3 (39.7) |
9.8 (49.6) |
14.9 (58.8) |
18.7 (65.7) |
17.9 (64.2) |
13.3 (55.9) |
7.3 (45.1) |
2.8 (37.0) |
0.1 (32.2) |
7.0 (44.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.5 (23.9) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
1.1 (34.0) |
6.1 (43.0) |
11.5 (52.7) |
15.7 (60.3) |
15.3 (59.5) |
11.1 (52.0) |
5.7 (42.3) |
1.2 (34.2) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
4.4 (39.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7.0 (19.4) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
3.9 (39.0) |
9.5 (49.1) |
13.6 (56.5) |
13.2 (55.8) |
9.1 (48.4) |
3.9 (39.0) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
2.2 (36.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −30.2 (−22.4) |
−28.3 (−18.9) |
−23.7 (−10.7) |
−16.2 (2.8) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
1.8 (35.2) |
7.3 (45.1) |
6.5 (43.7) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
−17.7 (0.1) |
−25.4 (−13.7) |
−30.2 (−22.4) |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 88 | 88 | 85 | 83 | 80 | 80 | 82 | 82 | 83 | 85 | 89 | 89 | 85 |
| Source 1: FMI normals 1991-2020[11] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Record highs and lows[12] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
[edit]Population
[edit]The city of Kokkola has 48,295 inhabitants, making it the 22nd most populous municipality in Finland. TheKokkola regionhas a population of 53,541. In Kokkola, 5.1% of the population has a foreign background, which is below the national average.[13]
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 43,267
|
| 1995 | 44,441
|
| 2000 | 44,182
|
| 2005 | 44,627
|
| 2010 | 46,260
|
| 2015 | 47,570
|
| 2020 | 47,772
|
Languages
[edit]Population by mother tongue (2023)[13]
The city of Kokkola is officiallybilingual,with bothFinnishandSwedishas official languages. The majority of the population - 40,079 people or83.0% - speak Finnish as their first language. In Kokkola, 5,816 people, or12.0% of the population, speakSwedish.[13]5% of the population of Kokkola have amother tongueother than Finnish or Swedish.[13]AsEnglishand Swedish - or Finnish for Swedish speakers - are compulsory school subjects, functional bilingualism or trilingualism acquired through language studies is not uncommon.
Kokkola marks the northernmost settlement area of theSwedish-speakers(Fenno-Swedish) on the western coast of Finland. The Swedish-speaking inhabitants of Kokkola are spread unevenly around Kokkola: Whereas the centre of the city is bilingual, the majority of the villages around Kokkola mostly speak Swedish. The districts which were consolidated in 2009 are, however, pure Finnish-speaking areas.
At least 30 different languages are spoken in Kokkola. The most common foreign languages areRussian(0.6%),Arabic(0.4%),English(0.4%) andChinese(0.3%).[13]
Immigration
[edit]| Population by country of birth (2022)[14] | ||
| Nationality | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Finland |
45,626 | 95.0 |
 Sweden |
435 | 0.9 |
 Soviet Union |
197 | 0.4 |
 Thailand |
135 | 0.3 |
 China |
115 | 0.2 |
 Vietnam |
91 | 0.2 |
 Russia |
89 | 0.2 |
 Bangladesh |
71 | 0.1 |
 Sudan |
65 | 0.1 |
 Nepal |
64 | 0.1 |
 Estonia |
53 | 0.1 |
| Other | 1,065 | 2.2 |
As of 2023[update],there were 2,485 persons with a migrant background living in Kokkola, or 5.1% of the population.[note 1]The number of residents who were born abroad was 2,724, or 5.6% of the population. The number of persons with foreign citizenship living in Kokkola was 1,716.[13]Most foreign-born citizens came fromSweden,the formerSoviet Union,ThailandandChina.[14]
The relative share of immigrants in Kokkola's population is below the national average. However, the city's new residents are increasingly of foreign origin. This will increase the proportion of foreign residents in the coming years.
Religion
[edit]In 2023, theEvangelical Lutheran Churchwas the largest religious group with 72.5% of the population of Kokkola. Other religious groups accounted for 2.1% of the population. 25.4% of the population had no religious affiliation.[16]
Economy
[edit]
Kokkola is the capital and biggest city in the region ofCentral Ostrobothnia.Thechemical industryis a major employer. An industrial area and the city's port are located in Ykspihlaja.OMGhas acobaltplant. The Freeport/Umicore refinery is the only large cobalt refinery outside China.[17]Bolidenhas azincplant.Kemira,a chemical conglomerate, built an industrial park that is now divided among several corporations. In addition, industries represented in the town include metalworking, casting, textiles, plastics, food and carpentry. Largest employers are as follows (2011):
- The city of Kokkola approx. 2.350
- Central Ostrobothnian Joint Municipal Authority for Social and Health Services (Soite) 2.500
- Boliden Kokkola Oy (zinc) 500
- Umicore(was Freeport Cobalt Oy until 2019)[17](cobalt) 420
- KPOgroup (retail) 400
- Halpa-Halli (retail) 300
- CABB Oy(fine chemicals) 200
ThePort of Kokkolais located in Ykspihlaja, approximately 5 km (3 mi) from the city center, and it is one of the busiest ports in Finland. Oil, ore and limestone are imported, refined products and timber are exported, and iron ore is transited.
TheChydenia Shopping Center,completed in 2006, is located in the center of Kokkola;[18]about 2 million people visit at the shopping center every year.[19]
Transport
[edit]
Kokkola is located on the coast ofGulf of Bothnia,and the coastalEuropean route E8(Finnish highway 8) goes through, connectingOuluandTurkuviaVaasa.Finnish highway 28 begins from Kokkola and runs toKajaani.Finnish highway 13 begins from Kokkola and runs through Finland into theNuijamaaborder toRussiacrossing viaJyväskyläandMikkeli.The scenic '7 Bridges Archipelago Road' (road 749) runs along the coast between Kokkola andJakobstad(Finnish:Pietarsaari).
Kokkola-Pietarsaari Airportis situated 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Kokkola inKronoby.
TheKokkola railway stationis a stop along theSeinäjoki–Oulu railway,with service between Helsinki andKemijärviviaTampereandSeinäjoki,where the fastPendolinobullet train operates.
There is no passenger ferry traffic from Kokkola.
Politics
[edit]Results of the2021 Finnish municipal electionsin Kokkola:
| Party | Seats |
|---|---|
| Centre Party | 10 |
| Social Democratic Party | 8 |
| True Finns | 7 |
| National Coalition Party | 6 |
| Swedish People's Party | 4 |
| Christian Democrats | 4 |
| Left Alliance | 2 |
| Green League | 2 |
Culture and sights
[edit]
The city is the home of the world-renownedOstrobothnian Chamber Orchestra,which was founded by theconductorJuha Kangas in 1972.[citation needed]
Buildings
[edit]The area of old wooden houses in the downtown area ofNeristanhas been the setting for the life and livelihood of its inhabitants for hundreds of years. Today these houses are offering restaurants, cafés, little shops and even accommodation for tourists. With its old charm it invites visitors to discover Neristan step by step.
Tankar island, alighthouseisland, is in the outerarchipelago,about 18 km (11 mi) northwest from Kokkola. Theislandhouses alighthousewhich is still in use today, a museum of seal-hunting, a bird-watching tower, a lot of nature trails and even accommodations for tourists. It is easy to reach the island by ferry m/s Jenny from Kokkola.
The stoneEvangelical-LutheranChurch of Kaarlelahas been a landmark since 1550 and is a popular venue for weddings and concerts. Next to the church, there is a local history museum at Kirkonmäki with an Ostrobothnian farmhouse, as well as an old smithy, a tannery, a wool-carding workshop, a threshing barn, a smoke sauna, a granary barn and a loft.
K.H.Renlund Museum is devoted toKarl Herman Renlund,who donated his large art collection to the town of Kokkola. The museum houses some temporary exhibitions and the museum shop. Next to the museum is the Pedagogio, a school-house, which is Finland's oldest urban secular wooden building (built in 1696). In this quarter, there is also the Lassander House which offers a glimpse into a merchant home in the 18th century.
Sport
[edit]
During the winter time, Kokkola offers 20 skiing tracks with a total length of 150 km (93 mi). Kokkola is the home of theice hockeyclubHermes,which plays in the second highest Finnish league (mestis). Moreover, there are the soccer clubsKokkolan Palloveikot(KPV), which plays in the second highest Finnish league (Ykkönen) andGamlakarleby Bollklubb(GBK), which plays in the third highest Finnish league (Kakkonen). Kokkola's volleyball teamKokkolan Tiikeritis active in the highest Finnish volleyball league and current Finnish champions for men (Lentopallon Mestaruusliiga). Sailing clubs includeGamlakarleby Segelförening,Kokkolan PurjehtijatandKokkolan venekerho.There is also an american football teamKarleby Goats,which plays in the third highest Finnish american football league (Amerikkalaisen jalkapallon II-divisioona).
Education
[edit]
Kokkola has a lot ofpreschools,some of them offer children a bilingual education from an early age (mostly Finnish-English or Finnish-Swedish). There are 25 Finnish-speaking and 8 Swedish-speaking schools. Moreover, there are three secondary schools for Finnish-speaking pupils and one for Swedish-speaking. Some schools offer adualvocational educationand training. TheChydenius-Institution of Kokkola,auniversityconsortium,carries out teaching and research under the auspices of the universities of Jyväskylä, Oulu and Vaasa. It is specialized in adult education. For Finnish and foreign students it arranges open university studies, further education for professionals in the fields ofeducation,social servicesandhealth servicesandmanagement.Centria University of Applied Sciences[Finnish name:Centria ammattikorkeakoulu] is also situated in Kokkola having its other partition in Ylivieska and Jakobstad is an international institute offering three different bachelor's degree program in English language along with Finnish.
Notable people
[edit]- Anders Chydenius(1729–1803), Lutheran priest and member of the SwedishRiksdag
- Otto Donner(1835–1909), linguist, professor and politician
- Juho Kuosmanen(born 1979), film director and screenwriter
- Joonas Sammalmaa(born 1991), professional ice hockey player
International relations
[edit]Twin towns – Sister cities
[edit]Kokkola istwinnedwith 15 cities:[20]
- Härnösand,Sweden
- Mörbylånga,Sweden
- Ullånger,Sweden
Averøy,Norway- Kristiansund,Norway
Fredericia,Denmark- Ambla,Estonia
- Järva-Jaani,Estonia
Marijampolė,Lithuania
Boldog,Hungary- Hatvan,Hungary
Ratingen,Germany
Fitchburg,United States
Greater Sudbury,Canada- Fushun,China
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ab"Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018"(PDF).National Land Survey of Finland.Retrieved30 January2018.
- ^"Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years".Population structure. Statistics Finland. 26 April 2024.ISSN1797-5395.Retrieved29 April2024.
- ^"Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years".Population structure. Statistics Finland. 26 April 2024.ISSN1797-5395.Retrieved29 April2024.
- ^"Population according to age (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020".StatFin.Statistics Finland.Retrieved2 May2021.
- ^ab"Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023".Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022.Retrieved7 May2023.
- ^"Historia".
- ^Suomen kunnallisvaakunat(in Finnish). Suomen Kunnallisliitto. 1982.ISBN951-773-085-3.
- ^Jussi Iltanen (2013).Suomen kuntavaakunat(in Finnish). Karttakeskus. pp. 120–121.
- ^Бойко Дм. А.Геральдика Великого Княжества Финляндского.– Запорожье, 2013. (in Russian)
- ^"Jakobstads Tidning".Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2007.Retrieved13 June2007.
- ^"FMI normals 1991-2020".fmi.fi.Retrieved22 October2023.
- ^"FMI open data".FMI.Retrieved22 October2023.
- ^abcdef"Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years".Population structure. Statistics Finland. 26 April 2024.ISSN1797-5395.Retrieved29 April2024.
- ^abc"Number of foreign-language speakers grew by nearly 38,000 persons".Statistics Finland. 31 May 2023.Retrieved12 September2023.
- ^"Persons with foreign background".Statistics Finland. Archived fromthe originalon 5 January 2021.Retrieved18 September2023.
- ^Key figures on population by region, 1990-2023Statistics Finland
- ^ab"Umicore completes US$203 million Kokkola acquisition".www.mining-journal.com.2 December 2019.
- ^Chydenia– Trevian (in Finnish)
- ^Kauppakeskukset– Kauppakeskusyhdistys ry (in Finnish)
- ^"Kokkola's twin cities".kokkola.fi.Kokkola. Archived fromthe originalon 12 November 2017.Retrieved7 June2014.
External links
[edit]
Kokkolatravel guide from Wikivoyage- OfficialCity of Kokkolawebsite
- Port of Kokkola
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