Vaala facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vaala
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Municipality
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| Vaalan kunta Vaala kommun |
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Mist rising from Oulujoki river in Vaala
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Location of Vaala in Finland
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| Country |  Finland |
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| Region | North Ostrobothnia | |
| Sub-region | Oulunkaari | |
| Charter | 1954 | |
| Area
(2018-01-01)
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| • Total | 1,764.04 km2 (681.10 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 1,302.37 km2 (502.85 sq mi) | |
| • Water | 461.45 km2 (178.17 sq mi) | |
| Area rank | 54th largest in Finland | |
| Population
(2023-12-31)
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| • Total | 2,589 | |
| • Rank | 232nd largest in Finland | |
| • Density | 1.99/km2 (5.2/sq mi) | |
| Population by native language | ||
| • Finnish | 97.5% (official) | |
| • Others | 2.5% | |
| Population by age | ||
| • 0 to 14 | 11.1% | |
| • 15 to 64 | 51.4% | |
| • 65 or older | 37.4% | |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) | |
Vaala is a small town, also known as a municipality, in Finland. It is located in the North Ostrobothnia region. Vaala was officially created in 1954. Before that, it was called Säräisniemi, which started in 1867.
Today, Vaala has about 2,589 people (as of 31 December 2023). The total area of Vaala is about 1,764.04 square kilometres (681.10 sq mi). A big part of this area, about 461.45 km2 (178.17 sq mi), is water. This means there are many lakes and rivers. The number of people living in each square kilometer is about 1.99 inhabitants per square kilometre (5.2/sq mi).
Vaala used to be part of the Kainuu region. But on January 1, 2016, it moved to the North Ostrobothnia region.
A very important part of Vaala is Oulujärvi. This is the fifth largest lake in Finland, and half of it is located right here in Vaala!
The official language spoken in Vaala is Finnish. The word "Vaala" itself is an old Finnish word. It means the calm part of a river just before it turns into fast-moving rapids.
Contents
Vaala's Past
The very first main area of this region was Manamansalo. This is the biggest island in the large Oulujärvi lake. There was a village on the island with the same name. Both Manamansalo and Säräisniemi were first mentioned in the year 1555. At that time, they were part of a much larger area called the Liminka parish.
In 1559, the Oulujärvi parish was created. It covered the whole Kainuu area, and its center was in Manamansalo. However, in the 1580s, after some attacks by Russians on the island, it became part of Liminka again.
In 1599, the area became a parish once more. This time, its center was in Paltaniemi. Because of this, the parish was then known as Paltamo.
How Vaala Became a Municipality
Säräisniemi got its own church in 1779 while still under Paltamo. It then became its own separate parish and municipality in 1864. Later, a place called Vuolijoki separated from Säräisniemi. It became its own parish in 1896 and a municipality in 1915. Some parts of Kajaanin maalaiskunta were also used to form the municipality.
The village of Vaala was moved from Utajärvi to Säräisniemi in 1954. This village then became the new main center of the municipality. At the same time, the municipality itself was renamed Vaala.
As mentioned before, Vaala moved from the Kainuu region to the North Ostrobothnia region in 2016.
Finnish Dialects in Vaala
Vaala is located right on the edge where two different Finnish dialects meet. These are the Northern Ostrobothnian dialect and the Savonian dialect. The Savonian dialect spoken here is also known as the Kainuu dialect. This mix of dialects makes the language in Vaala quite interesting!
Famous People from Vaala
Some notable people who come from Vaala include:
- Anne Huotari (born in 1959)
- Maustetytöt, a popular band
- Tytti Seppänen (born in 1980), who is the current municipality manager
