Sotkamo is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, located in the Kainuu

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

about east of

Kajaani Kajaani (; sv, Kajana) is the most populous town and the capital of the Kainuu Region of Finland. It is located southeast of Lake Oulu (Oulujärvi), which drains into the Gulf of Bothnia through the Oulu River (Oulujoki). As of , it had a pop ...

, the capital of Kainuu.

Vuokatti Vuokatti is an urban area that is a physically separate part of the municipality of Sotkamo, Finland. It is home to more than 6,000 inhabitants, making it the second most populous urban area in the region of Kainuu, after the main urban area ...

, in west of Sotkamo, is the most populous village in the municipality and also a popular skiing resort. Both

Hiidenportti National Park Hiidenportti National Park ( fi, Hiidenportin kansallispuisto) is a national park in Sotkamo in the Kainuu region of Finland. Hiidenportti National Park was established in 1982 to preserve the region's wilderness. A mosaic mix of mires and dry f ...

and Tiilikkajärvi National Park are located in the municipality. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

is . In sports, Sotkamo is known for its

pesäpallo Pesäpallo (; sv, boboll, both names literally meaning "nest ball", colloquially known in Finnish as pesis, also referred to as Finnish baseball) is a fast-moving bat-and-ball sport that is often referred to as the national sport of Finland a ...

team, Sotkamon Jymy. The Hiukka Stadium is the home field of Sotkamon Jymy, and its well-known competitor is Vimpelin Veto from

Vimpeli Vimpeli (; sv, Vindala) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the South Ostrobothnia region, northeast of Seinäjoki and northwest of Jyväskylä. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The p ...

, known as long-time arch-enemy of Sotkamon Jymy.Viiden ottelun sunnuntai Superpesiksessä
- Faneille.com (in Finnish) One of the major landmarks of Sotkamo is the sandy beach of Hiukka, which locates by the lake Iso Sapsojärvi, just beside the Sotkamo center. In Vuokatti ski center you can find the lake

Nuasjärvi Nuasjärvi is a medium-sized lake in Kainuu region in northern Finland. It is located in Sotkamo and it belongs to the Oulujoki main catchment area.Vuokatti Hill Vuokatti is an urban area that is a physically separate part of the municipality of Sotkamo, Finland. It is home to more than 6,000 inhabitants, making it the second most populous urban area in the region of Kainuu, after the main urban area of ...

History

Sotkamo has grown beside a water route formed by a continuous band of lakes and rivers. The waters of the Sotkamo route run through

Kajaaninjoki The Kajaani, fi, Kajaaninjoki; sv, Kajana älv, is a river in the region of Kainuu, Finland. The river runs from Lake Nuasjärvi to Lake Oulujärvi through the town of Kajaani. From there the waters flow through the Oulujoki river into the G ...

into

Oulujärvi Oulujärvi (; sv, Ule träsk; also known as Lake Oulu) is a large lake in the Kainuu region of Finland. With an area of it is the fifth largest lake in the country. The lake is drained by the Oulu River, which flows northwestward from the lake ...

and finally to the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

, but in the past the waterways also created an important commercial route to

White Sea The White Sea (russian: Белое море, ''Béloye móre''; Karelian and fi, Vienanmeri, lit. Dvina Sea; yrk, Сэрако ямʼ, ''Serako yam'') is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is s ...

in the east. The same water route has been used by soldiers of Russia, Sweden and Denmark to rob and ravage this remote countryside for centuries. The name Sotkamo comes either from the Finnish word "sotku" which means a mess and refers to the obscure water route, or from the word "sotka" which was a general name for water birds in ancient

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

and now designates the

common goldeneye The common goldeneye or simply goldeneye (''Bucephala clangula'') is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus ''Bucephala'', the goldeneyes. Its closest relative is the similar Barrow's goldeneye. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek ...

. During the 19th century Sotkamo was visited by notable Finnish artists such as Akseli Gallen-Kallela and

Hugo Simberg Hugo Gerhard Simberg (24 June 1873 – 12 July 1917) was a Finnish symbolist painter and graphic artist. Life and career Simberg was born on 24 June 1873, at Hamina (in the original Swedish: ''Fredrikshamn''), Finland, the son of Colonel Nico ...

. On November 17, 2007 first pictures of the

Kern arc KERN (1180 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Wasco- Greenacres, California, and serving the Bakersfield metropolitan area. The station is owned by American General Media. The radio studios and offices are in the American General M ...

were made in the town of Sotkamo by Marko Mikkilä.

Villages

* Alasotkamo * Heinämäki * Halmetvaara * Jormaskylä * Juholankylä * Korholanmäki * Kontinjoki * Laakajärvi * Losovaara * Naapurinvaara * Nuasjärvi * Ontojoki * Paakinmäki *

Pohjavaara Pohjavaara is a village in the municipality of Sotkamo in Kainuu, Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the n ...

* Riekinranta * Sipinen * Sipola * Soidinvaara * Sumsa * Suovaara * Tipasoja * Torinkylä * Tuhkakylä *

* Ylisotkamo * Ärväänkylä * Maanselkä

Economy

Beside tourism, mining is important for the economy of Sotkamo. One of the largest

nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow ...

deposits in Europe is located in Talvivaara where the

Talvivaara Mining Company Ahtium (known until 2017 as the Talvivaara Mining Company; fi, Talvivaaran Kaivososakeyhtiö Oyj) was a Finnish mining company that operated the Talvivaara nickel mine from the company's establishment in 2004 until the mining business was sold ...

started its operation in late 2008. Also

Mondo Minerals Mondo Minerals, nowadays part of Elementis, is a leading globally active producer of talc products. Its main brands are Finntalc, Plustalc and Microtalc. The company develops and markets specialized products for paints and coatings, plastics, ...

mines

talc Talc, or talcum, is a clay mineral, composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula Mg3Si4O10(OH)2. Talc in powdered form, often combined with corn starch, is used as baby powder. This mineral is used as a thickening agent a ...

in Lahnaslampi.

Notable people

Anders Chydenius Anders Chydenius (; 26 February 1729 – 1 February 1803) was a Swedish-Finnish Lutheran priest and a member of the Swedish Riksdag, and is known as the leading classical liberal of Nordic history. Born in Sotkamo, Finland (then part of Swed ...

(1729–1803), Lutheran priest and a member of the Swedish Riksdag * Kalle Arantola (1913–1940), skier * Veikko Huovinen (1927–2009), author and forester *

Pirjo Häggman Airi Pirjo Maritta Wilmi-Rokkanen (née Wilmi, formerly Häggman; born 8 June 1951) is a retired Finnish sprinter who specialized in the 400 metres. Häggman was a member of the Finnish silver medal 4 × 400 m relay team at the 1974 European Athl ...

(born 1951), sprinter

References

External links

Municipality of Sotkamo
– Official website {{authority control Municipalities of Kainuu Mining towns in Finland Populated lakeshore places in Finland