Sonkajärvi

Sonkajärvi
Municipality
Sonkajärven kunta
Sonkajärvi kommun
Sonkajärvi town hall
Sonkajärvi town hall
Coat of arms of Sonkajärvi
Coat of arms
Location of Sonkajärvi in Finland
Location of Sonkajärvi in Finland
Coordinates: 63°40′N 27°31′E / 63.667°N 27.517°E / 63.667; 27.517
Country Finland
RegionNorthern Savonia
Sub-regionUpper Savonia
Charter1922
Government
 • Municipal managerSimo Mäkinen
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total
1,576.78 km2 (608.80 sq mi)
 • Land1,465.93 km2 (566.00 sq mi)
 • Water110.86 km2 (42.80 sq mi)
 • Rank44th largest in Finland
Population
 (2024-10-31)[2]
 • Total
3,593
 • Rank200th largest in Finland
 • Density2.45/km2 (6.3/sq mi)
Population by native language
[3]
 • Finnish98.7% (official)
 • Swedish0.1%
 • Others1.2%
Population by age
[4]
 • 0 to 1412.2%
 • 15 to 6453.4%
 • 65 or older34.5%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Websitewww.sonkajarvi.fi

Sonkajärvi (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈsoŋkɑˌjærʋi]; formerly known as Rutakko[6]) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in Northern Savonia region, 105 kilometres (65 mi) north of Kuopio. The municipality has a population of 3,593 (31 October 2024)[2] and covers an area of 1,576.78 square kilometres (608.80 sq mi) of which 110.86 km2 (42.80 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 2.45 inhabitants per square kilometre (6.3/sq mi). The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

The coat of arms of Sonkajärvi is inspired by the many watermills in the region, which the picture of the water wheel refers to, and the slash-and-burn cultivation of the past, which the flames on top of the wheel refer to. The coat of arms was designed by Ahti Hammar, and the Sonkajärvi municipal council approved it at its meeting on July 15, 1954. The Ministry of the Interior approved the coat of arms for use on October 15 of the same year.[7][8]

Geography

Neighbouring municipalities are Iisalmi, Kajaani, Lapinlahti, Rautavaara, Sotkamo and Vieremä.

Nature

There are 204 lakes in the area of Sonkajärvi. Biggest of them are Laakajärvi, Sälevä and Kiltuanjärvi.[9]

There are unique nature sights in the municipality of Sonkajärvi, for example the northernmost in Finland reliably confirmed habitats of wild small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata) in the vicinity of the lake of Kangaslampi, 63° 45′ N and near the hill of Salmisenmäki, 63° 43′ 42" N.[10][11][12]

History

Sonkajärvi Church

The municipality was founded in 1922.[13] Before it Sonkajärvi was a part of Iisalmen maalaiskunta.[14]

Transport

Highway 5 (E63) is located about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of the center of Sonkajärvi.

Wife carrying competition

Sonkajärvi has gained a worldwide fame[citation needed] for the alternative sport of wife-carrying (Finnish: akankanto or eukonkanto). The first Wife Carrying World Championship dates to 1994, but the creation of the contest, apart from its humorous aspects, has deep roots in the local history. In the late 19th century there was in the area a brigand called Rosvo-Ronkainen, who is said to have accepted in his troops only those men who proved their worth on a challenging track. In those days, it was also a common practice to steal women from the neighbouring villages.

In the Wife Carrying competition each team has one male and one female member, the objective being for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle track. The basic rules are that the woman must be over 17 years of age and have a weight of at least 49 kilograms (108 lb). If she is below that weight, she must be burdened with such a heavy rucksack so that the total weight to be carried by the man is at least 49 kilograms. The only equipment allowed is a belt worn by the carrier and a helmet worn by the carried. The track in Sonkajärvi used annually for the World Championship is 253.5 metres (832 ft) long.

Notable people

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Finland

Twin towns — Sister cities

References

  1. ^ a b "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Finland's preliminary population figure was 5,635,560 at the end of October 2024". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-11-19. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  3. ^ "Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-04-26. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  6. ^ Yrjö Karilas (1958). Pikku jättiläinen (in Finnish). Porvoo: WSOY. p. 469.
  7. ^ Suomen kunnallisvaakunat (in Finnish). Suomen Kunnallisliitto. 1982. p. 163. ISBN 951-773-085-3.
  8. ^ "Sisäasiainministeriön vahvistamat kaupunkien, kauppaloiden ja kuntien vaakunat 1949-1995 I:13 Sonkajärvi" (in Finnish). Kansallisarkiston digitaaliarkisto. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  9. ^ Jarviwiki Sonkajärvi. Retrieved 2014-03-05. (in English)
  10. ^ Ylä-Savon Instituutti - Sonkajärven luonto. (in Finnish) (PDF).
  11. ^ NatureGate: Small-leaved Lime (Tilia cordata) (in English)
  12. ^ Helsingin yliopisto. Kasviatlas. Suomen putkilokasvien levinneisyyskartasto. Metsälehmus (Tilia cordata) (in Finnish)
  13. ^ Tietoa Sonkajärvestä – Sonkajärvi.fi (in Finnish)
  14. ^ Nenola, Pirjo (January 10, 2022). "Matka itsenäisiksi kunniksi oli pitkä – Sonkajärvi ja Vieremä erosivat Iisalmen maalaiskunnasta viimeisinä sata vuotta sitten". Miilu (in Finnish). Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  15. ^ "Sõprusvallad" (in Estonian). Väike-Maarja vald. Retrieved 21 March 2011.

Media related to Sonkajärvi at Wikimedia Commons