Muonio (previously called ''Muonionniska''; ) is a

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, ...

. The town is located in fell-region of far northern Finland above the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...

on the country's western border with Sweden, the Muonio River. It lies within the area of the former Lappi (Lapland)

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 ...

in the Fell Lapland subregion. The next closest Finnish municipalities are Enontekiö to the north,

Kittilä Kittilä (, , ) is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland and a popular holiday resort. It is located in northern Finland north of the Arctic Circle within the Lapland (Finland), Lapland Regions of Finland, region. The municipality ...

on the east, and Kolari to the south. Southwest of the town, a road bridge crosses the Muonio River, across the river, in Sweden, lies the nearby hamlet of Muoniovaara ("Muonio hill") in northern

Pajala Municipality Pajala Municipality (; Meänkieli and Finnish: ''Pajalan kunta'') is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden, bordering Finland. Its seat is located in the locality of Pajala. In 1884 Tärendö was detached from Pajala Municipalit ...

Norrbotten County Norrbotten County (, Meänkieli/, ) is the northernmost county or '' län'' of Sweden. It is also the largest county by land area, almost a quarter of Sweden's total area. It shares borders with Västerbotten County to the southwest, the Gulf ...

. The area has been occupied by humans for at least 10,000 years; their arrival is thought to have coincided with deglaciation at the end of the

Younger Dryas The Younger Dryas (YD, Greenland Stadial GS-1) was a period in Earth's geologic history that occurred circa 12,900 to 11,700 years Before Present (BP). It is primarily known for the sudden or "abrupt" cooling in the Northern Hemisphere, when the ...

. They likely arrived from the south or east, since the Scandinavian Mountains rise 2,100 metres on the west, and over 1,300 metres to the north - both form a significant barrier to migration. Remains of eight dwellings from the Middle Stone Age have been excavated on the shore of Lake Akajarvi (fifteen miles from the center of the present-day village). Prior to the historical period (c.1500 AD) archeological findings in the area are consistent with those known to be of

Sámi peoples Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...

. Muonio (then called Muonionniska) first appears in written records in the mid-1500s in records of fishing-rights claims and disputes between Sámi indigenes and Finnish pioneer-hunters and fishermen. The municipality today 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, unlike many towns on the Finland–Sweden border. Muonio is good base for exploring the many things to do in the area; it offers a variety of accommodations and commercial supply establishments and is on the E8 highway which goes north to Kilpisjärvi. International air flights and train service terminate at Kittilä; local bus service connects to Muonio. Other busses will take you to Rovaniemi, Helsinki, or even to Tromsø, Norway. Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park is nearby and offers year-round activities. Muonio is known as the municipality with the longest snow season in Finland. For that reason its vocational college has a top ski class that attracts aspiring

cross-country ski Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

champions from all over Finland. The "

midnight sun Midnight sun, also known as polar day, is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When midnight sun is see ...

" is above the horizon from 27 May to 17 July (52 days), and the period with continuous daylight is during this time. The period of continuous night,

polar night Polar night is a phenomenon that occurs in the polar regions of Earth, northernmost and southernmost regions of Earth when the Sun remains below the horizon for more than 24 hours. This only occurs inside the polar circles. The opposite phen ...

, lasts from 10 December to 2 January (24 days).

Villages

The villages in Muonio include: * Ylimuonio * Kangosjärvi * Kätkäsuvanto * Kihlanki * Särkijärvi

Politics

Results of the

2011 Finnish parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 17 April 2011 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term. Early voting, Advance voting, which included voting by Finnish expatriates, was held between 6 and 12 April with a turnout o ...

in Muonio: * Centre Party 27.5% *

National Coalition Party The National Coalition Party (NCP; , Kok; , Saml) is a liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative List of political parties in Finland, political party in Finland. It is the current governing political party of Finland. Founded in 1918, the ...

23.2% *

True Finns The Finns Party ( , PS; , Sannf), formerly known as the True Finns, is a right-wing populist political party in Finland. It was founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. The party achieved its electoral breakthro ...

16.4% *

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

15.9% * Left Alliance 9.8% *

Green League The Green League, ( , Vihr; ; ; ; ) shortened to the Greens, (; ) is a green political party in Finland. Ideologically, the Green League is positioned on the centre-left of the political spectrum. It is a reformist party and it supports femi ...

3.0% * Christian Democrats 2.4% * Swedish People's Party 1.5% *Other parties 0.3%

Climate

References

External links

Municipality of Muonio
– Official website
Information on Muonio's ski resorts and the Lapland super pass
{{Authority control Populated places established in 1868 Finland–Sweden border crossings 1868 establishments in Finland Municipalities of Lapland (Finland)

Villages

Politics

Climate

See also

References

External links