Ilomantsi ( krl, Il'manči or Ilomančči, sv, Ilomants) is

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 ...

and a village of

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 Bot ...

. It is located in the

North Karelia North Karelia ( fi, Pohjois-Karjala; sv, Norra Karelen) is a region in eastern Finland. It borders the regions of Kainuu, North Savo, South Savo and South Karelia, as well as Russia's Republic of Karelia. It is the easternmost region of Fin ...

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 ...

. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

is . The most eastern point of Finland and of the continental part of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

is located in Ilomantsi near the village of Hattuvaara. (In the EU, only

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

is located further to the east.) The nearest town is

Joensuu Joensuu (; krl, Jovensuu; ) is a city and municipality in North Karelia, Finland, located on the northern shore of Lake Pyhäselkä (northern part of Lake Saimaa) at the mouth of the Pielinen River (''Pielisjoki''). It was founded in 1848. The ...

, away; the distance to

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

is . Neighbouring municipalities are Lieksa and Joensuu. In the east, Ilomantsi shares long border with the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

Republic of Karelia The Republic of Karelia (russian: Респу́блика Каре́лия, Respublika Kareliya; ; krl, Karjalan tašavalta; ; fi, Karjalan tasavalta; vep, Karjalan Tazovaldkund, Ludic: ''Kard’alan tazavald''), also known as just Karelia (ru ...

. The municipality is sparsely populated and is mostly characterized by forests and

bogland A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg ...

s. About of the area is designated as natural reserves, among them the national parks Petkeljärvi and

Patvinsuo Patvinsuo National Park ( fi, Patvinsuon kansallispuisto) is a national park in the North Karelia region of Finland, in the municipalities of Lieksa and Ilomantsi. It was established in 1982 and covers . There are of marked walking trails in t ...

. The most important bodies of water in Ilomantsi are the lakes

Koitere ' is a rather large lake in Ilomantsi, North Karelia, Finland. The lake, which sports 451 islands and many beaches, is located in the middle of wilderness. The river Koitajoki, which is a tributary of the river Pielisjoki in North Karelia, flows ...

and

Nuorajärvi Nuorajärvi is a medium-sized lake in the Vuoksi main catchment area. It is located in the Northern Karelia region in Finland.

and the river

Koitajoki Koitajoki (or the ''Koita River'') (russian: Койтайоки) is a river in Eastern Finland and partly in Russia in Northern Europe. Having its origin just by the international boundary in Ilomantsi of Northern Karelia in Finland, the Koitajoki ...

. The Pampalo

gold mine Gold Mine may refer to: * Gold Mine (board game) *Gold Mine (Long Beach), an arena *"Gold Mine", a song by Joyner Lucas from the 2020 album ''ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characteri ...

is located in Ilomantsi.Pampalon kultakaivoksen toiminta on alkanut lupaavasti – kullan hinta on nyt riittävällä tasolla toiminnan pyörittämiseen
– '' Yle'' (in Finnish) The municipality is unilingually

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 ...

. 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 ''Pogost'' (russian: погост, from Old East Slavic: погостъ) is a historical term with several meanings in the Russian language. It has also been borrowed into Latgalian (''pogosts''), Finnish (''pogosta'') and Latvian (''pagasts' ...

'' (a Russian loan-word, originally ''

pogost ''Pogost'' (russian: погост, from Old East Slavic: погостъ) is a historical term with several meanings in the Russian language. It has also been borrowed into Latgalian (''pogosts''), Finnish (''pogosta'') and Latvian (''pagasts' ...

''). Even the local newspaper is called ''Pogostan Sanomat'', i.e. "The Pogosta News". 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.

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) * Lutheran Church (built in 1796) * Katri Vala Culture Center * Lutheran Church of Kivilahti (built in 1954), Clock tower (built in 1969) * Research Center of Mekrijärvi * - A nearby village which was one of the key battlefields of the Winter War. * Gun Workshop in Naarva - Museum (built in 1790) * Lutheran Church of Naarva (built in 1958), Clock tower (built in 1971) * The Poetry Village of and the Poet's Pirtti. (An animal museum and a restaurant available) * National Park of * National Park of * (The Fighters' House) - Museum about the Winter War and the Continuation War (built in 1988).

Notable residents

Anna Margareta Salmelin Anna Margareta Salmelin (1716–1789), was a Finnish people, Finnish prisoner of war during the Russian occupation of Finland, Russo-Swedish War (1741–43), Lesser Wrath. She became famous for defending the rights of the Finnish prisoners in Russi ...

(1716–1789).

References

External links

Ilomantsi in EnglishMunicipality of Ilomantsi
– Official website *
Parpeinvaara
in English {{Authority control Mining towns in Finland Populated places established in 1875 1875 establishments in Finland