Oulainen ( sv, Oulainen, also ) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

and 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 ...

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

Northern Ostrobothnia North Ostrobothnia ( fi, Pohjois-Pohjanmaa; sv, Norra Österbotten) is a region of Finland. It borders the Finnish regions of Lapland, Kainuu, North Savo, Central Finland and Central Ostrobothnia, as well as the Russian Republic of Karelia. ...

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 ...

, south of the city of

Oulu Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after ...

. 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 . Oulainen is founded in 1865, and it received township rights in 1977. The municipality is unilingually Finnish. The municipality has previously also been known as "" in Swedish documents, but is today referred to as "Oulainen" also in Swedish.

Geography

Neighbouring municipalities are Alavieska, Haapavesi,

Merijärvi Merijärvi is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia North Ostrobothnia ( fi, Pohjois-Pohjanmaa; sv, Norra Österbotten) is a region of Finland. It borders the Finnish r ...

Pyhäjoki Pyhäjoki (; literally the "Holy River") is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the defunct province of Oulu, which was split in two regions; Pyhäjoki is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. It is located southwest of the city of O ...

, Raahe and Ylivieska. In addition to the town center, the municipality includes the villages of Kilpua, Lehtopää, Matkaniva, Petäjäskoski, Piipsjärvi and Honkaranta.

History

Oulainen was first mentioned in 1572 as ''Oulahais'' and as a part of the

parish. A farm named ''Oulahainen'' was established earlier. The name comes from a dialectal word ''oulu'' meaning "flooding waters" (see also

) and seems to suggest a Tavastian origin. Alpo Räisänen suggests that the name could be of Savonian or Karelian origin. Oulainen became a chapel community in 1682, a parish in 1870, a ''kauppala'' in 1967 and a town in 1977.

Events

Notable annual events include the National Veteran Machines Fair ()Waltakunnalliset Weteraanikonepäivät
/ref> and Oulainen Music Weeks (). Oulainen Music Weeks were organized for the twentieth time in 2006. The Oulainen Youth Choir () has received international acclaim.

Notable people

Eeli Erkkilä Eeli Johannes Erkkilä (21 November 1909 - 1 April 1963) was a Finnish smallholder and politician, born in Oulainen. He served as Deputy Minister of Social Affairs from 13 January 1959 to 14 July 1961, Deputy Minister of Transport and Public Work ...

, Minister and Member of Parliament, Moped champion *

Elsi Hetemäki-Olander Elsi Maria Hetemäki-Olander (née ''Rinne''; born 26 September 1927 in Oulainen Oulainen ( sv, Oulainen, also ) is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Northern Ostrobothnia region, south of the city of Oulu. The municipali ...

, Member of Parliament *

Katja Hänninen Katja Maria Hänninen (born 26 January 1980, in Oulainen) is a Finnish politician. She has been a member of the Parliament of Finland since 2014, when she replaced Merja Kyllönen Merja Kyllönen (born 25 January 1977) is a Finnish politici ...

, Member of Parliament * Merja Kiviranta, triathlonist * Rosa-Maria Ryyti, model and Miss Finland 2015 beauty pageant titleholder

References

External links