Puolanka facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Puolanka
Municipality
Puolangan kunta Puolanka kommun
Puolanka Church
Coat of arms
Location of Puolanka in Finland
Country	Finland
Region	Kainuu
Sub-region	Kehys-Kainuu
Area  (2018-01-01)
• Total	2,598.68 km2 (1,003.36 sq mi)
• Land	2,461.17 km2 (950.26 sq mi)
• Water	137.3 km2 (53.0 sq mi)
Area rank	24th largest in Finland
Population  (2023-12-31)
• Total	2,359
• Rank	242nd largest in Finland
• Density	0.96/km2 (2.5/sq mi)
Population by native language
• Finnish	97.2% (official)
• Swedish	0.2%
• Others	2.5%
Population by age
• 0 to 14	9.1%
• 15 to 64	51.5%
• 65 or older	39.5%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Website	www.puolanka.fi

Puolanka is a small town, also called a municipality, in Finland. It is located in the Kainuu region. About 2,359 people live there. The municipality covers a total area of 2,598.68 square kilometres (1,003.36 sq mi). A small part of this area, 137.3 km² (53.0 sq mi), is water. Puolanka is a place where people speak only Finnish.

The special drawing on the coat of arms of Puolanka tells a story. The wavy line that looks like fir trees shows the importance of forestry in the area. The cattle bells remind us of how people used to raise animals. They also show how animals grazed in the forests long ago. Aake Kaarnama designed this coat of arms. The local council approved it in 1962.

Puolanka has a funny nickname: "the most pessimistic municipality in Finland." In 2019, a famous news channel, the BBC, even made a video about it. They called Puolanka "the most pessimistic town in the world." Being pessimistic has been a long tradition in the Kainuu region. The people of Puolanka decided to make this their special trademark. Because of this, they organize fun events every year related to being pessimistic.

History of Puolanka

The first people to settle permanently in Puolanka arrived in the 1550s.

The municipality of Puolanka was officially created in 1867. In the same year, the church parish of Puolanka became independent. Before that, it was part of the Hyrynsalmi church. The local council for Puolanka was formed in 1916.

Puolanka had its largest population around 1960. About 7,520 people lived there at that time. However, like many other places in the Kainuu region, Puolanka's population started to get smaller in the late 1960s.

Geography and Nature

One of Finland's most beautiful waterfalls is in Puolanka. It is called Hepoköngäs. This waterfall is 24-metre-high (79 ft). You can find it about 16 kilometres (10 mi) from the center of Puolanka.

Villages in Puolanka

Here are some of the villages located within the Puolanka municipality:

Famous People from Puolanka

Many notable people have come from Puolanka. Here are a few:

• Juha Sipilä, who was the Prime Minister of Finland from 2015 to 2019.
• Kalle Määttä, a volleyball player.
• Kaarina Mähönen, a poet.
• Kari Hiltunen, a sports journalist.
• Kimmo Saneri, a writer.
• Lasse Väisänen, a footballer.
• Louis Moilanen, a giant.
• Markku Kukkoaho, a sprinter.
• Santeri Haapanen, a politician.
• Tauno Tarkkinen, a writer.
• Tuulikki Pyykkönen, an Olympic cross-country skier.
• Unto Väisänen, a baseball player.

Images for kids

• 

  Lake Kalettomanlampi in Puolanka, seen from the southernmost shore towards northeast.

• 

  With its drop of 24 meters, Hepoköngäs is the highest waterfall in Kainuu.

• 

  The river Keskijoki in Puolanka.

• 

  The lake of Pirttijärvi in Puolanka, seen from the beach at the North-Western end of the lake towards southeast.

See also

In Spanish: Puolanka para niños