Kalajoki (; literally translated the "fish river") is a coastal
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares ...
and
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality ...
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 Bo ...
. It is located in the immediate vicinity of the
Gulf of Bothnia in the
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
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 ...
and is part of 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. T ...
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 and t ...
.
The town 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 .
The municipality is unilingually
Finnish.
History
The first reference to Kalajoki can be found from the beginning of 16th century and it got the status of a parish in 1525, it was designated as a regional parish in 1545. This status ended with the abolishment of the parish form of organization in the early 1860s. Kalajoki was a significant market place and controlled the whole region's
tar
Tar is a dark brown or black viscosity, viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic matter, organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. ...
trading. By the end of 19th century the meaning of tar was diminishing as a good and the importance of Kalajoki was reduced thereafter.
The tar trade was a derivative of the
forestry industry
The wood industry or timber industry (sometimes lumber industry -- when referring mainly to sawed boards) is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products (e.g. furn ...
, and Kalajoki has long been the location of forestry activities. There are still sawmills in operation in the city today.
In addition to tar trading, Kalajoki has long been a
farming
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...
community, producing a variety of agricultural products, including wheat and rye. There are many farms still operating in the city, and there is a weekly market during the spring and summer months where local farmers and merchants sell their products.
Government
There were many attempts to reorganize Kalajoki as a city, which would confer additional authorities on the municipality. The first attempt was in 1865, and there were several subsequent attempts throughout the 20th century. Kalajoki was finally reorganized as a city in 2002.
Just like any
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality ...
in
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 Bo ...
, the city of Kalajoki is composed of several sub-units, called a
kylä. The following compose the city of Kalajoki: Vasankari, Plassi, Mehtäkylä, Pohjankylä, Pitkäsenkylä, Etelänkylä, Kääntä, Tynkä, Rahja, Kurikkala, Kärkinen, Typpö,
Rautio.
Every four years, the voters of Kalajoki elect a city council of 35 members which meets monthly. The Council then elects a governing council of nine members that meets more regularly to transact the business of the city. As of the most recent municipal election in 2004, 19 members of the city council are from the Centre Party, 6 are from the local Pro Kalajoki Party, 4 are from the centre-right National Coalition Party, 3 are from the Left Alliance, 2 are from the centre-left Social Democratic Party, and one member is from the Christian Democrats Party.
The next municipal elections will be held throughout Finland in 2012.
The municipality of
Rautio was consolidated with Kalajoki in 1973. The neighboring municipality of
Himanka
Himanka ( sv, Himango) is a former municipality of Finland.
Himanka was consolidated with the neighboring town of Kalajoki on January 1, 2010.
It is located in the Central Ostrobothnia region. The municipality had a population of 3,123 (31 D ...
was consolidated with Kalajoki on January 1, 2010.
Tourism

Kalajoki is a well known tourist attraction place in Finland due to long
sandy beaches at shores of the
Bothnian Bay
The Bothnian Bay or Bay of Bothnia (; ) is the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia, which is in turn the northern part of the Baltic Sea. The land holding the bay is still rising after the weight of ice-age glaciers has been removed, and wi ...
, and related activities.
People born in Kalajoki
*
Kalle Myllylä (1844 – 1923)
*
Tuomas Pohjanpalo (1861 – 1933)
*
Leonard Typpö (1868 – 1922; born in
Rautio)
*
Sakari Ainali (1874 – 1938; born in
Himanka
Himanka ( sv, Himango) is a former municipality of Finland.
Himanka was consolidated with the neighboring town of Kalajoki on January 1, 2010.
It is located in the Central Ostrobothnia region. The municipality had a population of 3,123 (31 D ...
)
*
Wäinö Palmqvist (1882 — 1964)
*
Vilho Kivioja Vilho Heikki Kivioja (21 January 1896 – 2 November 1977) was a Finnish Lutheran clergyman and politician, born in Kalajoki. He was a member of the Parliament of Finland from 1929 to 1945, representing the Agrarian League. Anna-Maja Henriksson
...
(1896 – 1977)
*
Elias Simojoki (1899 – 1940; born in Rautio)
*
Kauko Tuupainen
Kauko Ilmari Tuupainen (born 8 May 1940 in Kalajoki) is a Finnish accountant and politician. He was a member of the Parliament of Finland between 2011 and 2015, representing the Finns Party
The Finns Party, formerly known as the True Finns ( ...
(1940 – )
*
Antti Haapakoski
Antti Ensio Haapakoski (born February 6, 1971 in Kalajoki) is a retired Finnish hurdler.
He won the gold medal at the 1990 World Junior Championships, finished fifth at the 1992 European Indoor Championships, sixth at the European Championshi ...
(1971 – )
*
Rainer Nygård (1972 – )
*
Jussi Jokinen (1983 – )
*
Juho Jokinen (1986 – )
*
Benedek Oláh table tennis player (1992 – )
* (1872 – 1926)
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Kalajoki is
twinned
Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to:
* In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so;
* Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning
* Twinning inst ...
with:
*
Izumo, Shimane
is a city in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. Izumo is known for noodles and the Izumo-taisha Shinto shrine.
History
Izumo Taisha is the oldest Shinto shrine in Japan. In 2008, the holy area was open to the public from 1 August until August 17, ...
, Japan (2003)
* Taki, Japan
*
Vansbro
Vansbro () is a locality in Dalarna and the seat of Vansbro Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden. It had 2,026 inhabitants in 2010, out of a total municipal population of 7,000.
The town is situated by the end of the rivulet Vanån (Van River), ...
, Sweden
[ List of twin towns and sister cities in Sweden]
See also
*
Kallankari Islands
The Kallankari Islands ( fi, Kallankarit) are two islands, Maakalla and Ulkokalla, located on the Bothnian Bay in North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is officially part of the town of Kalajoki and is located from the mainland.
Approximately 4,000— ...
References
External links
*
Town of Kalajoki– Official website
{{authority control
Seaside resorts in Finland
Cities and towns in Finland