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Puolanka | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
| Puolangan kunta Puolanka kommun | |
 Puolanka Church | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Puolanka in Finland | |
| Coordinates: 64°52′05″N 027°40′15″E / 64.86806°N 27.67083°E | |
| Country |  Finland |
| Region | Kainuu |
| Sub-region | Kehys-Kainuu |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Harri Peltola |
| Area (2018-01-01)[1] | |
| • Total | 2,598.68 km2 (1,003.36 sq mi) |
| • Land | 2,461.17 km2 (950.26 sq mi) |
| • Water | 137.3 km2 (53.0 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 24th largest in Finland |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
| • Total | 2,359 |
| • Rank | 242nd largest in Finland |
| • Density | 0.96/km2 (2.5/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 97.2% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.2% |
| • Others | 2.5% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 9.1% |
| • 15 to 64 | 51.5% |
| • 65 or older | 39.5% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Website | www.puolanka.fi |
Puolanka (Finnish: [ˈpuo̯lɑŋkɑ] ;Swedish: Puolanka, also Puolango) is a municipality in Finland located in the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of 2,359 (31 December 2023)[2] and covers an area of 2,598.68 square kilometres (1,003.36 sq mi) of which 137.3 km2 (53.0 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 0.96 inhabitants per square kilometre (2.5/sq mi). The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
The fir-tree topped line in the coat of arms of Puolanka refers to local forestry and the cattle bells to livestock management and past grazing in forest lands. The coat of arms was designed by Aake Kaarnama, and the Puolanka municipal council approved it at its meeting on 8 June 1962. The Ministry of the Interior approved the coat of arms for use on 29 August of the same year.[5]
Puolanka has been called the "most pessimistic municipality in Finland".[6] In 2019, the municipality gained worldwide publicity when the BBC published a video about Puolanka, describing it as the "most pessimistic town in the world".[7] Pessimism has a long tradition in the Kainuu region, and the residents of Puolanka decided to make it their trademark, which is why the residents organize various events related to the topic every year.[6]
- ^ a b "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ a b c "Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 26 April 2024. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ Suomen kunnallisvaakunat (in Finnish). Suomen Kunnallisliitto. 1982. p. 157. ISBN 951-773-085-3.
- ^ a b "Pessimistinen Puolanka". Yle (in Finnish). 3 January 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ "The world's most pessimistic town". BBC. 1 November 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2023.