Ranua 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 ( 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

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 ...

Lapland Lapland may refer to: Places *Lapland or Sápmi, an ethno-cultural region stretching over northern Fennoscandia (parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia) **Lapland (Finland) (''Lappi''/''Lappland''), a Finnish region *** Lapland (former pr ...

. The municipality 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.

Geography

Neighbouring municipalities are Ii, Simo,

Tervola Tervola is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Lapland, Finland. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbour municipalities are Keminmaa, Ranu ...

Rovaniemi Rovaniemi ( , ; sme, Roavvenjárga ; smn, Ruávinjargâ; sms, Ruäʹvnjargg) is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland, and its southern part Per� ...

Posio Posio is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Lapland. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbour municipalities are Rovaniemi, Kemijärvi, Ranua, ...

and

Pudasjärvi Pudasjärvi () is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region, northeast of the city of Oulu and southwest of the town of Kuusamo. The town has a population of () ...

Villages

Villages within the municipality of Ranua are inclusive of: * Asmunti * Hosio *

Impiö Impiö is a Finnish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Lauri Impiö (1929–2006), Finnish Lutheran clergyman and politician * Taina Impiö Taina Itkonen (born Taina Impiö on 10 April 1956) is a Finnish former cross-country s ...

* Kelankylä * Kortteenperä * Kuha * Kuukasjärvi * Mauru * Nuupas * Petäjäjärvi * Pohjaslahti–Piittisjärvi * Portimo * Putkivaara * Raiskio * Rovastinaho * Saariharju * Saukkojärvi * Sääskilahti * Teerivaara * Telkkälä * Tolja

Nature of Ranua

There are 569 lakes in Ranua. The biggest of them are lake

Ranuanjärvi Ranuanjärvi is a small and shallow lake of Finland located in the center of municipality of Ranua, in the region of Lapland. It belongs to Iijoki Iijoki is a river of Finland in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia. The river has many tributar ...

and lake Simojärvi. There are also quite many rapids and natural salmon living in the rapids.

History

Ranua was originally the name of a farm established in the 18th century. It gets its name from the lake Ranuanjärvi, which was first mentioned in 1553. Its name is likely of Tavastian origin, as ''ranu-'' toponyms are rare and mainly found in Tavastia. The parish of Ranua was formed from parts of Simo,

and

Rovaniemen maalaiskunta Rovaniemen maalaiskunta () was a municipality of Finland. It merged with the city of Rovaniemi on January 1, 2006. It was located in the province of Lapland Lapland may refer to: Places *Lapland or Sápmi, an ethno-cultural region stretc ...

in 1899. The area became a separate municipality in 1917. A part of it was given to the newly formed

municipality in 1926. It is the only municipality in Lapland where the dialect is a Northern Ostrobothnian one, albeit with some influence from the Kainuu dialects, which are a subset of

Savonian dialects The Savonian dialects (also called Savo Finnish)( fi, Savolaismurteet) are forms of the Finnish language spoken in Savonia and other parts of Eastern Finland. Finnish dialects are grouped broadly into Eastern and Western varieties; Savonian dial ...

Tourism

Perhaps the most well known attraction is the

Ranua Zoo Ranua Resort (better known as Ranua Zoo or Ranua Wildlife Park) is a zoo and a holiday resort that opened in 1983 in the municipality of Ranua, Lapland, Finland. It is the northernmost zoo in Finland and the second northest in the world. The zo ...

, the northernmost zoo in the world,Ranua Zoo - Northernmost Zoo in the World - Nordic Adventures
– Visit Rovaniemi which has many arctic animals, including the polar bear, which is the mascot of the zoo. Ranua Zoo is the only place where you can see a living polar bear in Finland. Other notable attractions within the municipality of Ranua are inclusive of the Saukkojärvi Local History and School Museum located in the village of Saukkojärvi, Finland, the Hillamarkkinat, Poro Island and the Church of Ranua.

Sister cities

* Iwasaki, Japan (since 1990)

Notable people

* Eero Lohi (born 1927), Finnish modern pentathlete *

Lauri Impiö Lauri Johannes Impiö (8 September 1929, in Ranua – 28 January 2006) was a Finnish Lutheran clergyman and politician. He was a member of the Parliament of Finland The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legisla ...

(1929–2006), Finnish Lutheran clergyman and politician *

Jouko Kuha Jouko Santeri Kuha (born 30 September 1939 in Ranua) is a Finnish former long-distance runner, who specialized in the 3000 metres steeplechase. In 1968 he broke the World record with a result of 8:24.2. Career Kuha's international breakthroug ...

(born 1939), Finnish long-distance runner *

Taina Impiö Taina Itkonen (born Taina Impiö on 10 April 1956) is a Finnish former cross-country skier who competed during the late 1970s. She won a gold medal in the 4 × 5 km relay at the 1978 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti, and finished ...

(born 1956), Finnish cross country skier *

Ilkka Koivula Ilkka Koivula (born 16 March 1966) is a Finnish actor. He has appeared in 28 films and television shows since 1988. He starred in the film ''Lights in the Dusk'', which was entered into the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Selected filmography * ''Fre ...

(born 1966), Finnish actor * Kaisa H. Hietala (born 1971), Finnish business executive

References

External links

* *
Municipality of Ranua
– Official website {{Authority control Populated places established in 1917