Kilpisjärvi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
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Village
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Kilpisjärvi village seen from Saana fell.
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 Location in Finland
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| Country | Finland |
| Region | Lapland |
| Municipality | Enontekiö |
| Population
(2000)
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| • Total | 114 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Kilpisjärvi is a small but special village in the municipality of Enontekiö, located in Lapland, Finland. It sits in the northwestern "arm" of Finland, very close to where Finland, Sweden, and Norway meet.
Even though Kilpisjärvi is one of the larger villages in its area, it's still quite small. In the year 2000, only 114 people lived there. Like many villages in this region, Kilpisjärvi is built mainly along two important roads: Käsivarrentie (the "Arm Road") and Neljäntuulentie (the "Four Winds' Road"), which is also known as E8. Near Kilpisjärvi, you'll find the highest point of Finland's road network, at an elevation of 565.8 meters.
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Life in Kilpisjärvi
Kilpisjärvi has its own school and a hotel for visitors. It's also home to a research station from the University of Helsinki, which is the northernmost one they have. Another cool research place there is the KAIRA facility.
Popular Tourist Spots
Kilpisjärvi is famous for a few amazing places that many tourists love to visit:
- Saana fell: This is a large, beautiful mountain that stands out in the landscape. It's a popular spot for hiking and enjoying nature.
- Three-Country Border Point: This is a special monument where the borders of Finland, Sweden, and Norway all meet. It's about 2.5 kilometers northwest from the end of Lake Kilpisjärvi. You can see Sweden across the lake, and Norway is less than 10 kilometers away by road to the north. It's a unique place where you can stand in three countries at once!
Kilpisjärvi School Fire in 2015
On May 3, 2015, the building of the Kilpisjärvi school unfortunately burned down. The fire started from a recreational vehicle parked next to the school.
Sadly, thousands of euros that had been saved for a school trip were destroyed in the fire. This money had been collected as donations to help the students go on a study trip. The money was stored at the school because the staff couldn't find a bank nearby that could deposit the cash into the school's account. The closest bank that could handle cash deposits was in Rovaniemi, which is 440 kilometers away from Kilpisjärvi. After the fire, the bank, Nordea, promised to donate 4000 euros to the school to help replace the lost money.
Kilpisjärvi's Climate
Kilpisjärvi has a subarctic climate. This means it has very long, cold, and snowy winters. Winter usually starts in October and lasts until May. Summers are typically cool and can be rainy, with chilly nights. Only two months of the year usually have average temperatures above 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit).
| Climate data for Enontekiö Kilpisjärvi (1991-2020 normals, extremes 1979-present) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 6.2 (43.2) |
6.4 (43.5) |
8.2 (46.8) |
12.7 (54.9) |
26.1 (79.0) |
26.6 (79.9) |
28.3 (82.9) |
26.7 (80.1) |
20.2 (68.4) |
12.9 (55.2) |
9.4 (48.9) |
6.8 (44.2) |
28.3 (82.9) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 2.1 (35.8) |
2.1 (35.8) |
3.6 (38.5) |
7.5 (45.5) |
14.0 (57.2) |
20.3 (68.5) |
23.0 (73.4) |
21.4 (70.5) |
16.1 (61.0) |
9.1 (48.4) |
4.2 (39.6) |
3.4 (38.1) |
24.1 (75.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −7.7 (18.1) |
−7.9 (17.8) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
0.9 (33.6) |
6.2 (43.2) |
12.2 (54.0) |
16.2 (61.2) |
14.3 (57.7) |
9.1 (48.4) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
2.7 (36.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −12.2 (10.0) |
−12.3 (9.9) |
−8.8 (16.2) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
2.3 (36.1) |
7.7 (45.9) |
11.6 (52.9) |
10.1 (50.2) |
5.7 (42.3) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−10.1 (13.8) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −17.3 (0.9) |
−17.4 (0.7) |
−14.1 (6.6) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
3.8 (38.8) |
7.9 (46.2) |
6.8 (44.2) |
2.9 (37.2) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−10.0 (14.0) |
−14.7 (5.5) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | −33.0 (−27.4) |
−32.1 (−25.8) |
−29.1 (−20.4) |
−22.8 (−9.0) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
2.7 (36.9) |
0.7 (33.3) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
−11.7 (10.9) |
−22.3 (−8.1) |
−29.3 (−20.7) |
−36.0 (−32.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −40.2 (−40.4) |
−41.0 (−41.8) |
−37.7 (−35.9) |
−31.0 (−23.8) |
−22.0 (−7.6) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−24.0 (−11.2) |
−34.6 (−30.3) |
−39.1 (−38.4) |
−41.0 (−41.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 52 (2.0) |
39 (1.5) |
37 (1.5) |
27 (1.1) |
28 (1.1) |
49 (1.9) |
73 (2.9) |
50 (2.0) |
38 (1.5) |
37 (1.5) |
36 (1.4) |
49 (1.9) |
516 (20.3) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 105 |
| Source: FMI | |||||||||||||
