Pargas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pargas
Pargas – Parainen
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Town
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| Pargas stad Paraisten kaupunki |
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The city centre of Pargas
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Location of Pargas in Finland
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| Country |  Finland |
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| Region | Southwest Finland | |
| Sub-region | Åboland–Turunmaa sub-region | |
| Charter | 2009 | |
| Seat | Pargas | |
| Area
(2018-01-01)
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| • Total | 5,548.17 km2 (2,142.16 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 883.98 km2 (341.31 sq mi) | |
| • Water | 4,666.46 km2 (1,801.73 sq mi) | |
| Area rank | 88th largest in Finland | |
| Population
(2023-12-31)
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| • Total | 14,999 | |
| • Rank | 76th largest in Finland | |
| • Density | 16.97/km2 (44.0/sq mi) | |
| Population by native language | ||
| • Swedish | 54.1% (official) | |
| • Finnish | 41.3% | |
| • Others | 4.6% | |
| Population by age | ||
| • 0 to 14 | 15.1% | |
| • 15 to 64 | 56.7% | |
| • 65 or older | 28.1% | |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) | |
Pargas (Finnish: Parainen) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in the Archipelago Sea, which is the world's largest archipelago with about 50,000 islands!
Pargas is known for its big limestone mine. This mine is a major part of the local economy. While the central areas are more developed, much of the municipality is still rural.
The town is in Southwest Finland. It was formed on January 1, 2009. This happened when five smaller municipalities merged into one. These were Pargas, Nagu, Korpo, Houtskär, and Iniö.
Pargas has a population of about 14,999 people (as of 31 December 2023). It covers a large area of land and water. The municipality is bilingual, meaning it has two official languages: Finnish and Swedish. Most people speak Finnish, but a good number also speak Swedish.
Contents
Economy in Pargas
Pargas has a strong economy based on a few key areas.
Limestone Mining
The biggest industry in Pargas is limestone mining. The company Nordkalk is a very important employer here. Many people work in the mine or in related businesses.
Farming and Shipping
In the rural parts of Pargas, many people work in agriculture, which means farming. The shipping industry is also important in this island area.
History of Pargas
Pargas has a long and interesting history.
Early Times
Archaeologists have found proof that vikings visited the archipelago as early as the 9th century. Imagine Vikings sailing through these islands!
Notable People
One interesting historical figure was Karin Thomasdotter (1610–1697). She worked as a vogt (a type of local official) in Pargas for over forty years. She was one of the longest-serving vogts in Finland, and one of only two women to hold this position during her time.
Recent Changes and Mergers
On January 1, 2009, the five municipalities of Pargas, Nagu, Korpo, Houtskär, and Iniö joined together. They formed a new municipality called Väståboland (which means "Western Åboland").
The Name Debate
Soon after the merger, people started to argue about the new name, Väståboland. Many felt that Pargas would be a better name for the combined municipality. The old municipalities couldn't agree, so the government had to step in. They decided the name would stay Väståboland.
The debate became quite intense. In May 2011, a special vote (a referendum) was held to let the people decide. The results showed that 57.7% of voters wanted the name Pargas. Only 40.1% wanted to keep Väståboland.
Even though most people wanted Pargas, the support for Väståboland was very strong in four of the five original municipalities. For example, in Iniö, almost everyone voted for Väståboland. But in the original Pargas area, a large majority (74.5%) voted for Pargas.
On June 14, 2011, the municipality council (called "Fullmäktige") decided to listen to the majority of the people. They voted to rename the municipality Pargas. This change officially happened on January 1, 2012. The council even re-voted on September 6, 2011, confirming their decision.
Future Mergers
There have been talks about Pargas possibly merging with Kimitoön. If this happened, it would create one large municipality covering the entire Åboland archipelago.
Climate in Pargas
Pargas has a climate that is called a humid continental climate. This means it has warm summers and cold winters. It's also quite close to what is known as an oceanic climate, which means it gets influences from the sea.
| Climate data for Pargas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1959–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 7.7 (45.9) |
6.7 (44.1) |
11.6 (52.9) |
15.9 (60.6) |
21.5 (70.7) |
25.9 (78.6) |
29.2 (84.6) |
27.1 (80.8) |
22.3 (72.1) |
17.0 (62.6) |
12.8 (55.0) |
9.2 (48.6) |
29.2 (84.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.4 (34.5) |
0.2 (32.4) |
1.8 (35.2) |
5.6 (42.1) |
10.7 (51.3) |
15.6 (60.1) |
19.8 (67.6) |
19.6 (67.3) |
15.3 (59.5) |
9.9 (49.8) |
5.9 (42.6) |
3.5 (38.3) |
9.1 (48.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.2 (31.6) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
0.1 (32.2) |
3.5 (38.3) |
8.3 (46.9) |
13.4 (56.1) |
17.6 (63.7) |
17.7 (63.9) |
13.6 (56.5) |
8.5 (47.3) |
4.6 (40.3) |
2.0 (35.6) |
7.3 (45.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −1.8 (28.8) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
1.4 (34.5) |
5.8 (42.4) |
11.1 (52.0) |
15.4 (59.7) |
15.7 (60.3) |
11.9 (53.4) |
7.0 (44.6) |
3.2 (37.8) |
0.5 (32.9) |
5.5 (41.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −27.6 (−17.7) |
−28.0 (−18.4) |
−21.2 (−6.2) |
−11.4 (11.5) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
0.8 (33.4) |
7.0 (44.6) |
7.4 (45.3) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
−9.9 (14.2) |
−22.4 (−8.3) |
−28.0 (−18.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 44 (1.7) |
34 (1.3) |
32 (1.3) |
24 (0.9) |
28 (1.1) |
42 (1.7) |
47 (1.9) |
57 (2.2) |
57 (2.2) |
66 (2.6) |
62 (2.4) |
57 (2.2) |
551 (21.7) |
| Source: Extreme Weather Watch | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Parainen Fagerholm (1991-2020 normals, records 1993-present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 8.5 (47.3) |
8.9 (48.0) |
11.6 (52.9) |
20.1 (68.2) |
25.8 (78.4) |
28.2 (82.8) |
31.7 (89.1) |
30.5 (86.9) |
24.6 (76.3) |
17.0 (62.6) |
14.1 (57.4) |
9.7 (49.5) |
31.7 (89.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.5 (32.9) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
1.8 (35.2) |
6.7 (44.1) |
12.3 (54.1) |
17.0 (62.6) |
20.5 (68.9) |
19.8 (67.6) |
15.3 (59.5) |
9.7 (49.5) |
5.5 (41.9) |
2.7 (36.9) |
9.3 (48.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.3 (29.7) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
3.5 (38.3) |
9.1 (48.4) |
14.0 (57.2) |
17.8 (64.0) |
17.4 (63.3) |
13.2 (55.8) |
8.0 (46.4) |
4.0 (39.2) |
1.2 (34.2) |
7.0 (44.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3.6 (25.5) |
−5.2 (22.6) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
0.8 (33.4) |
5.8 (42.4) |
11.1 (52.0) |
15.2 (59.4) |
15.1 (59.2) |
11.3 (52.3) |
6.5 (43.7) |
2.4 (36.3) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
4.6 (40.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −26.8 (−16.2) |
−25.7 (−14.3) |
−20.8 (−5.4) |
−11.3 (11.7) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
4.2 (39.6) |
9.6 (49.3) |
8.2 (46.8) |
3.5 (38.3) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−12.0 (10.4) |
−20.3 (−4.5) |
−26.8 (−16.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 56 (2.2) |
39 (1.5) |
36 (1.4) |
30 (1.2) |
29 (1.1) |
46 (1.8) |
52 (2.0) |
62 (2.4) |
59 (2.3) |
72 (2.8) |
70 (2.8) |
67 (2.6) |
617 (24.3) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 17 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 161 |
| Source 1: https://www.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/ilmastollinen-vertailukaus | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: https://kilotavu.com/asema-taulukko.php?asema=100924 | |||||||||||||
International Connections
Pargas has special connections with other towns around the world. These are called twin towns or sister cities.
Twin Towns
Pargas is twinned with:
Haninge Municipality, Sweden
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