Kalajoki (; literally translated the "fish river") is a coastal

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

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' ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. It is located in the immediate vicinity of the

Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; ; ) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the northern part of Sweden's east coast ( West Bothnia an ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Oulu Oulu ( , ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Oulujoki, River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately , while the Oulu sub-regio ...

and is part of the

Northern Ostrobothnia North Ostrobothnia (; ) 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. The easternmost corner of the region between ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

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

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

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 viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...

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 encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

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

, 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 Rautio is a former municipality, now a part of Kalajoki, Finland. It was consolidated to Kalajoki in 1973. History The name ''Rautio'' comes from a word meaning "blacksmith". Rautio has existed at least since 1547, at the time it only had th ...

. 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

was consolidated with Kalajoki in 1973. The neighboring municipality of

Himanka Himanka () 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 December 2009) a ...

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 ...

, and related activities.

People born in Kalajoki

Kalle Myllylä Kaarle (Kalle) Myllylä (14 September 1844 – 11 July 1923) was a Finnish farmer and politician, born in Kalajoki. He was a member of the Diet of Finland from 1897 to 1899 and again from 1905 to 1906 and of the Parliament of Finland from 1907 ...

(1844 – 1923) * Tuomas Pohjanpalo (1861 – 1933) *

Leonard Typpö Leonard Typpö (29 January 1868 – 27 June 1922) was a Finnish farmer and lay preacher. He was born in Rautio. He was a member of the Parliament of Finland from 1911 until his death in 1922. Typpö represented the Finnish Party from 1911 to 1 ...

(1868 – 1922; born in

) *

Sakari Ainali Sakari Ainali (3 December 1874 - 31 October 1938) was a Finnish farmer, businessman, lay preacher and politician, born in Himanka. He was a member of the Parliament of Finland from 1924 to 1929 and from 1930 to 1933, representing the National C ...

(1874 – 1938; born in

) * Wäinö Palmqvist (1882 — 1964) * Vilho Kivioja (1896 – 1977) *

Elias Simojoki Lauri Elias Simojoki (28 January 1899 – 25 January 1940) was a Finnish clergyman who became a leading figure in the country's far right movement. The son of a clergyman, Simojoki was born on 28 January 1899 in Rautio.Philip Rees, ''Biographica ...

(1899 – 1940; born in Rautio) * Kauko Tuupainen (1940 – ) * Antti Haapakoski (1971 – ) *

Rainer Nygård Diablo is a Finnish melodic death / groove metal band, formed in 1995 as Diablo Brothers. The band cite Testament, Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, Opeth, Death and Meshuggah as influences, but influence from several Gothenburg bands such as Dark ...

(1972 – ) *

Jussi Jokinen Jussi Petteri Jokinen (born April 1, 1983) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. After playing in his native Finland with Oulun Kärpät of the Liiga he was drafted by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Dallas Stars in 2001 in t ...

(1983 – ) *

Juho Jokinen Juho Jokinen (born 25 July 1986) is a Finnish former ice hockey defenceman who played professionally in Finland for Oulun Kärpät of the SM-liiga. He is the younger brother of NHL winger Jussi Jokinen Jussi Petteri Jokinen (born April 1, 1 ...

(1986 – ) *

Benedek Oláh Benedek Márton Oláh (born 29 March 1991) is a Finnish table tennis player. He is the first Finnish Olympian in table tennis competition. Career In 2016, Oláh won an ITTF World Tour title in men's singles at the Nigeria Open. He competed ...

table tennis player (1992 – ) * (1872 – 1926)

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kalajoki is twinned with: *

Izumo, Shimane is a Cities of Japan, city in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 172,841 in 69,435 households and a population density of 280 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Izumo is located in cen ...

, 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 Vanån, or Van River, the ma ...

, Sweden List of twin towns and sister cities in Sweden

References

External links

*
Town of Kalajoki
– Official website

{{authority control Seaside resorts in Finland Cities and towns in Finland