Askola facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Askola
Municipality
Askolan kunta Askola kommun
Askola church
Coat of arms
Location of Askola in Finland
Country	Finland
Region	Uusimaa
Sub-region	Porvoo sub-region
Charter	1896
Area  (2018-01-01)
• Total	218.03 km2 (84.18 sq mi)
• Land	212.44 km2 (82.02 sq mi)
• Water	5.61 km2 (2.17 sq mi)
Area rank	260th largest in Finland
Population  (2023-12-31)
• Total	4,700
• Rank	175th largest in Finland
• Density	22.12/km2 (57.3/sq mi)
Population by native language
• Finnish	92.3% (official)
• Swedish	3.8%
• Others	3.9%
Population by age
• 0 to 14	18.7%
• 15 to 64	61%
• 65 or older	20.2%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Climate	Dfb
Website	www.askola.fi

Askola (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈɑskolɑ]) is a municipality, or a local government area, in Finland. It is located in the Uusimaa region. Askola has about 4,800 people living there and covers an area of about 218 square kilometers. Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.

Monninkylä is the largest village in Askola, with over 1,300 residents. Askola's neighboring municipalities are Myrskylä, Mäntsälä, Pornainen, Porvoo, and Pukkila. The official language spoken in Askola is Finnish. It is one of the few municipalities in the Uusimaa region that does not have a Swedish name.

History of Askola

Askola was once part of the larger Porvoo area. It became its own chapel parish in 1639. Finally, in 1896, Askola became a completely independent municipality. The main church in Askola was finished in 1799.

The coat of arms, which is like a special symbol for the municipality, tells a story about Askola's past. The millstone on the coat of arms reminds us of the many mills that used to be in Askola. These mills were known for making famous breads. The roses on the coat of arms are a nod to a famous Finnish writer, Johannes Linnankoski. He was born in Askola and wrote many of his stories there. His most famous book is The Song of the Blood-Red Flower.

Nature and Places in Askola

The Vakkola village

Askola has some interesting natural features. The most important river is the River Porvoo. It flows through the center of Askola, between Orimattila and Porvoo. There are also eleven lakes in the eastern part of the municipality.

While Askola doesn't have any large Natura 2000 nature protection areas, it does have five important rock areas. One of these is Kirnukallio, where you can find Askola's famous glacial potholes. These are cool, deep holes in the rock made by melting ice from ancient glaciers. The beautiful valley of the River Porvoo is also a nationally important landscape that stretches into Askola. Some areas like Prestbacka Manor and Pappilanharju's natural reserve are also protected because of their cultural and natural beauty.

Askola's Villages

In 1967, Askola had 12 official villages. These villages are:

• Askola
• Huuvari
• Juornaankylä
• Korttia
• Monninkylä
• Nalkkila
• Nieto
• Puharonkimaa
• Särkijärvi
• Tiilää
• Vahijärvi
• Vakkola

People in Askola

In 2020, about 18.7% of the people in Askola were under 15 years old. Most of the population, 61.0%, were between 15 and 64 years old. About 20.2% were over 65. The average age in Askola was 42.3 years. Most people (93.7%) speak Finnish. A smaller group (3.4%) speak Swedish. About 2.9% of the people speak other languages.

The number of people living in Askola has changed over time. Here's how the population has grown and shrunk since 1975:

Main Living Areas

In 2019, most people in Askola lived in two main urban areas. These are places where buildings are closer together. The rest of the people lived in more spread-out rural areas. The two main urban areas are:

Services in Askola

Monninkylä school

Askola has several schools for young people. There are four primary schools for younger students. For older students, there are two secondary schools. There is also one vocational school where students can learn practical skills for jobs. The secondary schools in Askola also welcome students from the nearby municipality of Pukkila, as Pukkila does not have its own schools for older students.

The Askola library has six different locations. You can find library services in the main church village, in Monninkylä, and at four of the schools in the municipality.

For healthcare, people in Askola can go to the Askola Health Center.

When it comes to shopping for groceries, Askola has two Sale grocery stores. One is in the church village, and the other is in Monninkylä. Some local people have said they would like to have a third grocery store from a different chain, like Kesko or Lidl, to have more choices.

Askola's Economy

In 2018, most people in Askola worked in the services sector. This includes jobs like teaching, healthcare, and retail. A good number of people also worked in secondary production, which means things like manufacturing, construction, and building roads. A smaller number worked in primary production, which includes farming, forestry, and fishing.

In 2019, the unemployment rate in Askola was 6.7%. This means that about 6.7% of people who wanted to work did not have a job. About 23% of the population were pensioners, meaning they were retired.

Here are the ten largest employers in Askola in 2019:

• TerraWise Oy, with 323 employees
• Municipality of Askola, with 293 employees
• Hakevuori Oy, with 37 employees
• Fimet Oy, with 35 employees
• Eteva kuntayhtymä, with 31 employees
• Kuljetusliike M. Lindberg Oy, with 30 employees
• SimFors Oy, with 28 employees
• Kymppirakenne Oy, with 27 employees
• Oy Meyer vastus Ab, with 25 employees
• Ginola Oy, with 25 employees

Famous People from Askola

• Juho Laakso (1854–1915)
• Erkki Peltonen (1861–1942)
• Johannes Linnankoski (1869–1913)
• Oskar Kumpu (1889–1935)

See also

In Spanish: Askola para niños