Virrat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Virrat
Virdois
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Town
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| Virtain kaupunki Virdois stad |
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An intersection of Virtaintie and Leivontie streets in Virrat
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Location of Virrat in Finland
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| Country |  Finland |
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| Region | Pirkanmaa | |
| Sub-region | Upper Pirkanmaa sub-region | |
| Charter | 1868 | |
| Area
(2018-01-01)
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| • Total | 1,299.07 km2 (501.57 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 1,162.63 km2 (448.89 sq mi) | |
| • Water | 136.73 km2 (52.79 sq mi) | |
| Area rank | 63rd largest in Finland | |
| Population
(2023-12-31)
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| • Total | 6,275 | |
| • Rank | 150th largest in Finland | |
| • Density | 5.4/km2 (14/sq mi) | |
| Population by native language | ||
| • Finnish | 96.4% (official) | |
| • Swedish | 0.1% | |
| • Others | 3.4% | |
| Population by age | ||
| • 0 to 14 | 11.7% | |
| • 15 to 64 | 50.7% | |
| • 65 or older | 37.6% | |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) | |
Virrat (pronounced like "veer-raht") is a town and municipality in Finland. It's part of the Pirkanmaa region. Virrat is about 104 kilometers north of Tampere and 113 kilometers west of Jyväskylä. The capital city, Helsinki, is 285 kilometers away.
As of 31 December 2023, about 6,275 people live in Virrat. The town covers an area of 1,299.07 square kilometres (501.57 sq mi). A big part of this area, 136.73 km2 (52.79 sq mi), is water! This means there are many lakes and rivers around. The town speaks only Finnish.
Contents
History and Growth of Virrat
Virrat grew a lot in the middle of the 1900s. By 1950, more than 12,000 people lived there. Virrat officially became a town in 1977. Before that, in 1974, it gained the right to hold markets. This meant people could come and sell their goods.
Recently, some people have moved from Virrat to bigger cities. This is often for new job chances. Besides the main town, the Virrat municipality also includes many villages. These are Äijänneva, Härkönen Jäähdyspohja, Killinkoski, Koro, Kotala, Kurjenkylä, Liedenpohja, Ohtola, Vaskuu, and Vaskivesi.
Lakes and Nature
Virrat is home to some beautiful lakes. Lake Toisvesi is right next to the town of Virrat. Another important lake is Lake Tarjanne. This lake is located where the borders of Virrat, Mänttä-Vilppula, and Ruovesi municipalities meet. These lakes are great for enjoying nature.
Virrat on Mars?
Did you know there's a place named after Virrat far away? A Virrat crater on the planet Mars is named after this Finnish town! That's a pretty cool connection to space.
Climate in Virrat
Virrat has a subarctic climate. This means it has long, cold winters and short, mild summers. The temperature can change quite a bit between day and night in Virrat. This change is often more noticeable here than in other parts of the Pirkanmaa region.
| Climate data for Virrat Äijänneva (1991-2020 normals, extremes 1993-present) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) |
8.6 (47.5) |
14.8 (58.6) |
22.9 (73.2) |
28.2 (82.8) |
31.0 (87.8) |
32.9 (91.2) |
30.7 (87.3) |
23.1 (73.6) |
19.5 (67.1) |
13.0 (55.4) |
9.4 (48.9) |
32.9 (91.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −3.6 (25.5) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
1.1 (34.0) |
7.9 (46.2) |
14.6 (58.3) |
18.9 (66.0) |
21.6 (70.9) |
19.9 (67.8) |
14.2 (57.6) |
7.0 (44.6) |
1.6 (34.9) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
8.2 (46.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −6.5 (20.3) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
2.7 (36.9) |
8.8 (47.8) |
13.4 (56.1) |
16.0 (60.8) |
14.1 (57.4) |
9.3 (48.7) |
3.7 (38.7) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
3.9 (39.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −10.3 (13.5) |
−11.2 (11.8) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
2.0 (35.6) |
6.7 (44.1) |
9.7 (49.5) |
8.1 (46.6) |
4.4 (39.9) |
0.8 (33.4) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −36.2 (−33.2) |
−37.5 (−35.5) |
−33.7 (−28.7) |
−19.6 (−3.3) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
−7.1 (19.2) |
−18.3 (−0.9) |
−26.9 (−16.4) |
−34.2 (−29.6) |
−37.5 (−35.5) |
| Source 1: https://www.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/ilmastollinen-vertailukaus | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: https://kilotavu.com/asema-taulukko.php?asema=101310 | |||||||||||||
Notable People from Virrat
Many interesting people have come from Virrat:
- Seppo Hovinen (born 1951) was a Finnish javelin thrower, an athlete who throws a long spear.
- I. K. Inha (1865–1930) was a Finnish photographer, writer, and journalist. He captured many beautiful images of Finland.
- Antti Lieroinen (?–1643) was a famous Finnish "cunning man." In old times, people believed he had special powers.
- Vesa Rantanen (born 1975) is a Finnish pole vaulter, an athlete who uses a long pole to jump over a high bar.
- Tom Sukanen (1873–1943) was a Finnish-born Canadian sailor and farmer. He was known for building a ship in the middle of Canada!
Gallery
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Virrat Town Hall
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Virrat Church
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Virrat Library
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A beach at the Kalettomanlahti Bay in Virrat
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See also
In Spanish: Virrat (Finlandia) para niños
