Simo 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 ...

located in the province of

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 ...

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 ...

, about from the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

border. 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 . In 2001, Simo's debt per capita was 946.39

Euro The euro (symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

s. Simo's three largest neighbouring towns are

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 ...

( inhabitants), Kemi ( inhabitants) and Tornio ( inhabitants). Some of the bigger neighbouring municipalities are Keminmaa ( inhabitants) and Ii ( inhabitants).

History

Early history

The oldest residential areas of Simo are the Simonkylä and Maksniemi regions. The oldest records of human habitation within Simo is found in the village of Simonkylä, which was occupied during the 1300s. In the 1500s the population of Simo began to grow as a result of migration, the population increased especially in the villages of Simonkylä and Simoniemi. Simo was known for its large farms and fishermen.

Development over the course of time

In the 1800s the population gradually began to expand along the beaches of the Simojoki river. In the year of 1865, a large municipal reform occurred in which the municipality, named Simo, received its actual borders, even though the area had long been referred to as ''Simo'' and the residents as ''simolaiset''.

Lapland War

During the Lapland War, the village of Maksniemi suffered serious damage. Bridges along the Simojoki river were blown up by the German forces, which is why for quite some time after the war Simojoki had to be crossed by ferry. The destruction of the connection that the bridges provided was important as it cut off the municipality of Simo from Finnish Highway Four.

Geography

Simo is situated by the Bothnian Bay, at the mouth of river Simojoki. In Simo there is a rural landscape and also in the planning of the centre an attempt has been made to emphasise the nature vicinity. Simo consists of many small and vital village communities. Simo's sights include Simo's Church which was completed in 1846 during the late Empire time and light infantryman place with its statues which will be a memory from the war of independence when the route goes through Simo's wildernesses.

Islands

Islands within Simo are inclusive of: * Haahka * Halttari * Harvakari * Härkäletto * Junkiletto * Koivuluoto * Korkiakari * Kuralanletto * Laitakari * Lammasletto * Leipäre * Leipäreenkrunni *

Lissabon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

* Louekari * Montaja * Munakari * Möyly * Oravainen * Paavonletto * Palokarinletto * Paskaletto * Pensasletot * Peurankallio * Pihlajakari * Pikku-Leipäre * Pirttisaari * Rajaletto * Saapaskari * Selkäkari * Selkäkarinmatala * Tiuranen * Tiurasenkalla * Tiurasenkrunni * Tynttyrit * Vatunki * Ykskivi * Ööperit

Villages

The villages of Simo are inclusive of: * Alaniemi * Asemakylä * Hamari * Karisuvanto * Koivuoja * Maksniemi * Malininperä * Matala * Ojalanperä * Onkalonperä * Patokoski * Pömiö * Simoniemi * Simonkylä * Siperianperä * Soikko * Taininiemi * Viantie * Ylikärppä

Economy

In Simo there is no industry. In 2007–2011, Fennovoima considered to build a 1,500 to 2,500 megawatt nuclear power plant in Karsikko and Laitakari.Fennovoima press release, 11 March 2008
/ref> However, Fennovoima announced in October 2011 that the power plant would be built at Pyhäjoki.

Education

Simo has three elementary schools, one secondary school and a high school. The nearest

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

is in

Notable individuals

* Aarne Orjatsalo, actor * Esko Tavia, Mayor of Simo from 2002 - 2015 *

Juha Marttila Juha is a masculine given name of Finnish origin derived from Johannes (or John in English language contexts). Notable people with the name include: * Juha Alén * Juha Gustafsson * Juha Hakola * Juha Harju * Juha Haukkala * Juha Hautamäki * J ...

, MTK chairman * Martti Miettunen, Minister of State, three times Prime Minister *

Matti Lackman Matti may refer to: * Matti (given name), people with the given name * Matti (surname), people with the surname * Matti, Karnataka, a village in India * '' Matti: Hell Is for Heroes'', a 2006 film about Matti Nykänen See also * Masa (disambig ...

, Ph.D, principal investigator and philosopher *

Seppo Lohi Seppo is a masculine given name of Finnish origin. It has two distinct origins; Seppo is a character in the Kalevala, whose name is derived from the Finnish word ''seppä'', meaning smith, and the name is also a diminutive for Sebastian in Finla ...

, Doctor of Theology *

Tuomas Lohi Tuomas is a male given name common in Finland. It is the Finnish version of the name Thomas. Common variations of Tuomas in Finland include Tuomo, Toomas, Tomas and Thoma. The nameday is the 21st of December. As of 2013 there are more than 32,00 ...

, Mayor of

Kempele Kempele is a municipality south of the city of Oulu and south of the Oulu Airport in Northern Finland. Historically it was in the province of Oulu, but today it is in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia. The population of Kempele is () and the ...

Veikko Huovinen Veikko Huovinen (7 May 1927 – 4 October 2009) was a Finnish novelist and forester. As a novelist, his writing was known for its realism, pacifism, sharp intellect, and peculiar humor. He wrote 37 books, and one of his best-known humorous novels ...

, writer (born in Simo)

References

External links

Municipality of Simo
– Official website {{Authority control Populated coastal places in Finland Populated places established in 1608 1608 establishments in Sweden