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Ilomantsi

Ilomants
Ilomantsi Ilomants
Municipality
	Ilomantsin kunta; Ilomants kommun
	Church of Saint Prophet Elijah
	Coat of arms
	Location of Ilomantsi in Finland
	Coordinates: 62°40′N 030°56′E / 62.667°N 30.933°E
Country	Finland
Region	North Karelia
Sub-region	Joensuu
Charter	1875
Government
• Municipal manager	Markku Lappalainen
Area (2018-01-01)
• Total	3,172.69 km2 (1,224.98 sq mi)
• Land	2,763.4 km2 (1,067.0 sq mi)
• Water	409.01 km2 (157.92 sq mi)
• Rank	19th largest in Finland
Population (2024-10-31)
• Total	4,372
• Rank	183rd largest in Finland
• Density	1.58/km2 (4.1/sq mi)
Population by native language
• Finnish	95.4% (official)
• Swedish	0.2%
• Others	4.4%
Population by age
• 0 to 14	8.9%
• 15 to 64	50.1%
• 65 or older	41%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Website	www.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, beautiful scenery and nature, several unique cultural sights and events, as well as tasty culinary delights.

A few places to visit:

Orthodox Church (built in 1892) Ilomantsin_ortodoksinen_kirkko^[fi]
Lutheran Church (built in 1796) Ilomantsin_kirkko^[fi]
Katri Vala Culture Center
Lutheran Church of Kivilahti (built in 1954), Clock tower (built in 1969) Kivilahden_rajaseutukirkko^[fi]
Research Center of Mekrijärvi Mekrijärven_tutkimusasema^[fi]
Möhkö^[fi] - A nearby village which was one of the key battlefields of the Winter War.
Gun Workshop in Naarva - Museum (built in 1790) Asesepän_paja^[fi]
Lutheran Church of Naarva (built in 1958), Clock tower (built in 1971) Naarvan_rajaseutukirkko^[fi]
The Poetry Village of Parppeinvaara^[fi] and the Poet's Pirtti. (An animal museum and a restaurant available)
National Park of Patvinsuo^[fi]
National Park of Petkeljärvi^[fi]
Taistelijan talo^[fi] (The Fighters' House) - Museum about the Winter War and the Continuation War (built in 1988).