Savukoski (; ; ) 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' ...
of
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
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 ...
of
Lapland, Finland. The municipality 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 , which is the lowest in relation to other Finnish municipalities. Neighbour municipalities are
Pelkosenniemi,
Salla and
Sodankylä
Sodankylä (; ; ; ) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the region of Lapland, and lies at the northern end of Highway 5 ( E63) and along Highway 4 ( E75). The Kitinen River flows near the center of Sodankylä. Its neighbouring mun ...
.
The municipality is unilingually
Finnish.
According to Finnish folklore, the
Korvatunturi Fell
A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or Moorland, moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of M ...
in Savukoski municipality is the location of
Father Christmas's (
Joulupukki) secret workshop, where toys, trinkets and gifts are made and eventually wrapped by
gnome
A gnome () is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors, including those of modern fantasy literature. They are typically depict ...
s.
The name Korvatunturi translates into English as "Ear Fell". Finnish children are told that from "Ear Fell" Father Christmas can hear what all the children are saying so he can find out if the children behave and obey their parents (and therefore may receive gifts next Christmas).
Savukoski is one of the largest municipalities in Finland, areawise, and the most sparsely settled. The river
Kemijoki runs through it. Forestry and
reindeer
The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, taiga, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only re ...
husbandry have traditionally been the main livelihood of the local population. There are ten times more reindeer than people in Savukoski. Nowadays tourism is also getting more important.
The
Urho Kekkonen National Park is also located partly in Savukoski.
A bog region called
Äteritsiputeritsipuolilautatsijänkä is in Savukoski. It has the longest place name in Finland.
Notable people
*
Markus Mustajärvi (born 1963), Finnish politician
See also
*
Seitajärvi, a former community in Savukoski
References
External links
Municipality of Savukoski– Official website
Korvatunturi– Ear Mountain
Savukoski– The Home of Father Christmas
Populated places established in 1916
1916 establishments in Finland
Municipalities of Lapland (Finland)
{{Lapland-geo-stub