Luhanka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Luhanka
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Municipality
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| Luhangan kunta Luhanka kommun |
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Location of Luhanka in Finland
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| Country |  Finland |
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| Region | Central Finland | |
| Sub-region | Joutsa sub-region | |
| Charter | 1864 | |
| Area
(2018-01-01)
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| • Total | 313.25 km2 (120.95 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 214.5 km2 (82.8 sq mi) | |
| • Water | 98.73 km2 (38.12 sq mi) | |
| Area rank | 256th largest in Finland | |
| Population
(2023-12-31)
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| • Total | 702 | |
| • Rank | 300th largest in Finland | |
| • Density | 3.27/km2 (8.5/sq mi) | |
| Population by native language | ||
| • Finnish | 99.1% (official) | |
| • Others | 0.9% | |
| Population by age | ||
| • 0 to 14 | 8.4% | |
| • 15 to 64 | 49.9% | |
| • 65 or older | 41.6% | |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) | |
Luhanka is a small town, also called a municipality, in Finland. It is found in the Central Finland region. Luhanka has a population of about 702 people as of 31 December 2023.
The area of Luhanka is about 313.25 square kilometres (120.95 sq mi). A big part of this area, 98.73 km2 (38.12 sq mi), is covered by water. This means there are many lakes!
Luhanka has a low population density, which means there are not many people living close together. Many people also have summer cottages here. The official language spoken in Luhanka is Finnish. In some old Swedish papers, Luhanka was also known as "Luhango".
The official animal mascot of Luhanka is Sisu the Badger (Sisu-mäyrä). This badger is inspired by the badger shown on Luhanka's coat of arms.
Geography of Luhanka
Luhanka is surrounded by several other towns. Its neighbors are Hartola, Joutsa, Jyväskylä, Jämsä, Kuhmoinen, and Sysmä.
There are 61 lakes in Luhanka. The biggest lakes are Päijänne, Tammijärvi-Hauha, and Jutilanjärvi.
History of Luhanka
Luhanka was first mentioned in history in 1462. Back then, it was a small village that belonged to the Sysmä area.
The name Luhanka comes from a lake called Luhankjärvi or Luhankajärvi. This lake's name comes from the word luha. This word is a type of luhta, which means a kind of swampy land. The -nka part is a common ending in Finnish place names. You can also see it in names like Puolanka and Maaninka.
Luhanka got its own small church in 1767. It became its own separate church area in 1864. Because Luhanka has a small population, its church area joined with the church area of Joutsa in 2006.
Famous People from Luhanka
- Hertta Kuusinen, a politician, was born in Luhanka in 1904.
- Kreetta Onkeli, a writer, spent her childhood years in Luhanka.
- Toni Edelmann, a composer, lived in Luhanka.
Images for kids
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A beautiful view of Kivivuorenlahti in Luhanka.
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The coat of arms of Luhanka, featuring a badger.
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A map showing where Luhanka is located in Finland.
