Karkkila facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karkkila
Högfors
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Town
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| Karkkilan kaupunki Högfors stad |
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Road Helsingintie in town centre
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Location of Karkkila in Finland
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| Country |  Finland |
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| Region | Uusimaa | |
| Sub-region | Helsinki sub-region (formerly Lohja sub-region) | |
| Charter | 1932 | |
| Town | 1977 | |
| Area
(2018-01-01)
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| • Total | 255.32 km2 (98.58 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 242.44 km2 (93.61 sq mi) | |
| • Water | 12.95 km2 (5.00 sq mi) | |
| Area rank | 248th largest in Finland | |
| Population
(2023-12-31)
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| • Total | 8,581 | |
| • Rank | 114th largest in Finland | |
| • Density | 35.39/km2 (91.7/sq mi) | |
| Population by native language | ||
| • Finnish | 90.4% (official) | |
| • Swedish | 0.7% | |
| • Others | 8.9% | |
| Population by age | ||
| • 0 to 14 | 14.9% | |
| • 15 to 64 | 58.3% | |
| • 65 or older | 26.7% | |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) | |
| Climate | Dfb | |
| Website | www.karkkila.fi | |
Karkkila (pronounced KARK-kee-la) is a small town and a municipality in Finland. It is also known as Högfors in Swedish.
Karkkila is surrounded by other municipalities. These include Lohja, Loppi, Tammela, and Vihti.
Contents
Exploring Karkkila's Location and Size
Karkkila is located in the Uusimaa region of Finland. This area is in the southern part of the country.
The municipality has about 8,581 people living there. This number was recorded on 31 December 2023.
Karkkila covers an area of about 255.32 square kilometres (98.58 sq mi). A small part of this area, about 12.95 square kilometres (5.00 sq mi), is made up of lakes and rivers. The population density is about 35 inhabitants per square kilometre (91/sq mi). This means how many people live per square kilometer.
Everyone in Karkkila speaks Finnish. It is the only official language used there.
A Look Back: Karkkila's History
Karkkila started as a small village. It was part of a larger area called Pyhäjärvi. In the 1300s, the Pyhäjärvi area was on the edge of two church districts. These were Janakkala and Lohja.
Later, in 1507, Pyhäjärvi became part of the Vihti church district. This district had separated from Lohja. By 1654, Pyhäjärvi became a smaller church group within Vihti.
The area was first known as Pahajärvi, which means "bad lake". But by the late 1600s or early 1700s, its name changed to Pyhäjärvi, meaning "holy lake".
In 1861, it was decided that Pyhäjärvi would become its own independent church district. This change happened in 1869. Then, in 1868, Pyhäjärvi started working as its own municipality. A municipality is like a local government area.
Becoming a Town
The central part of Pyhäjärvi became a separate area called the borough of Karkkila in 1932. A borough is a type of town with its own local government. This new borough included the villages of Nyhkälä and Karkkila.
Karkkila grew and became more industrial. This was helped by a narrow-gauge railway. This railway connected Karkkila to Hyvinkää, but it is now closed.
In 1969, the Pyhäjärvi municipality joined with the Karkkila borough. The church district also changed its name to Karkkila parish. Finally, in 1977, the Karkkila borough officially became a town.
Fun Facts About Karkkila's Culture
Karkkila has some interesting cultural things happening:
- Kark'kisällit is a quartet, which is a music group with four singers. They are based in Karkkila.
- The Sulattofestival is an exciting event. It is a festival that celebrates both art and music.
Famous People from Karkkila
Some well-known people have connections to Karkkila:
- Movie director Aki Kaurismäki lives in Karkkila. He is famous for his unique films.
- Markku Uusipaavalniemi is a famous Finnish curler. He comes from Karkkila. Curling is a sport played on ice.
- Sampsa Astala, also known as Kita, spent his teenage years in Karkkila. He is a member of the hard rock band Lordi.
Karkkila's International Connections
Karkkila has been part of a special group called the Douzelage. This group is a unique town twinning association. It connects 24 towns from different countries across the European Union.
This town twinning started in 1991. It involved regular events, like markets where each country shared its products. There were also many festivals. Karkkila was the Finnish town in this group from 1997 to 2016. In 2016, another Finnish town, Asikkala, took its place.
