Olofström Municipality facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Olofström Municipality
Olofströms kommun
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| Country | Sweden | |
| County | Blekinge County | |
| Seat | Olofström | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 415.43 km2 (160.40 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 391.9 km2 (151.3 sq mi) | |
| • Water | 23.53 km2 (9.08 sq mi) | |
| Area as of January 1, 2010. | ||
| Population
(June 30, 2012)
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| • Total | 13,081 | |
| • Density | 31.4879/km2 (81.553/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | |
| ISO 3166 code | SE | |
| Province | Blekinge | |
| Municipal code | 1060 | |
| Website | www.olofstrom.se | |
Olofström Municipality (called Olofströms kommun in Swedish) is a special place in Blekinge County, South Sweden. It's the only municipality in Blekinge that doesn't touch the sea! It shares borders with several other municipalities like Osby Municipality, Kristianstad Municipality, and Karlshamn Municipality. The main town and administrative center of the municipality is Olofström.
The municipality was formed in 1967. This happened when the market town of Olofström joined with two other areas, Kyrkhult and Jämshög. Olofström itself had become a separate market town in 1941.
A very famous person from Olofström is Harry Martinson (1904-1978). He was a writer who won the Nobel Prize in 1974. He was born in Jämshög, which is part of the municipality.
Geography and Nature
Olofström Municipality is mostly covered with beautiful forests and many lakes. People sometimes call it "The southernmost wildlife in Sweden." This is because there aren't many forests or lakes further south than the Blekinge province.
The highest point in the entire Blekinge province and county is located here. It's called Rävabacken and stands at 189.65 meters (about 622 feet) tall. You can find it in the northern part of the municipality.
Urban Areas and Towns
There are five main urban areas, or tätort in Swedish, in Olofström Municipality. There is also one smaller recognized locality. These are places where most people live.
Here are the urban areas and localities, listed by how many people lived there as of December 31, 2006. The main town, which is the municipal seat, is shown in bold.
| # | Locality | Population |
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| 1 | Olofström | 7,425 |
| 2 | Jämshög | 1,605 |
| 3 | Kyrkhult | 1,016 |
| 4 | Vilshult | 327 |
| 5 | Gränum | 208 |
| 6 | Hemsjö | 73 |
Local Parishes
The municipality includes these two parishes:
- Jämshög Parish
- Kyrkhult Parish
Main Industries
The growth of the car industry in the 1950s and 1960s was a huge boost for Olofström. Today, the car industry is still very important here. Volvo Cars is the biggest employer, with about 2,400 people working for them. Many other companies in the area are also connected to the car industry.
Because of Volvo, many people travel to Olofström for work every day. In 2005, almost 2,000 workers came from nearby municipalities like Bromölla Municipality, Karlshamn Municipality, and Sölvesborg Municipality.
There's also a small village called Vilshult in the municipality, about 10 kilometers north of Olofström. Since 2001, it has been known for a factory that makes photovoltaics (PV) modules, which are used to create solar power.
See also
In Spanish: Municipio de Olofström para niños
