Kolari

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Kolari
Municipality
Kolarin kunta
Kolari kommun
Yllas Kesanki.jpg
Lake Kesänki at Ylläs
Kolari.vaakuna.svg
Coat of arms
Kolari sijainti Suomi.svg
Location of Kolari in Finland
OpenStreetMap
Kolari
Interactive map outlining Kolari.
Coordinates: 67°19′50″N023°46′40″E / 67.33056°N 23.77778°E / 67.33056; 23.77778
CountryFlag of Finland.svg Finland
Region Lapland
Sub-region Fell Lapland
Charter 1867
Government
 • Municipal managerHeikki Havanka
Area
 (2018-01-01) [1]
 • Total
2,617.87 km2 (1,010.77 sq mi)
 • Land2,559.29 km2 (988.15 sq mi)
 • Water59.15 km2 (22.84 sq mi)
 • Rank 21st largest in Finland
Population
 (2025-06-30) [2]
 • Total
3,952
 • Rank 191st largest in Finland
 • Density1.54/km2 (4.0/sq mi)
Population by native language
[2]
 •  Finnish 96.4% (official)
 •  Swedish 0.7%
 • Others2.9%
Population by age
[3]
 • 0 to 1415.2%
 • 15 to 6457.6%
 • 65 or older27.1%
Time zone UTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Website www.kolari.fi

Kolari is a municipality of Finland at the Swedish border, which follows the Torne River, the longest free-flowing river in Europe.

Contents

It is located in the region of Lapland. The municipality has a population of 3,952 (30 June 2025) [2] and covers an area of 2,617.87 square kilometres (1,010.77 sq mi) of which 59.15 km2 (22.84 sq mi) is water. [1] The population density is 1.54 inhabitants per square kilometre (4.0/sq mi).

Neighbouring municipalities are Muonio, Pello, Kittilä, Rovaniemi in Finland and Pajala Municipality in Sweden.

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Kolari railway station is the northernmost station in Finland.

Ylläs, one of the most popular ski resorts in Finland, is located in Kolari. The area also features the country's largest bog with a thousand-year-old forest.[ citation needed ]

History

The first permanent settler in the area was a Savonian named Pekka Kolari, arriving in the area in the early 1580s. He originated from Konnevesi, which was a part of the Rautalampi parish at the time. The island named Kolarinsaari near the village of Istunmäki was likely his original home, as the Savonian surname Kolari originates from the same island.[ citation needed ]

The area of Kolari was a part of the Pajala parish, which is in modern Sweden. Kolari started growing in the 17th century due to the nearby Kengis (Köngäs) ironworks established in 1644. Kolari was home to many skilled blacksmiths. Charcoal, tar and chalk were produced and delivered to Tornio.[ citation needed ]


After Russia gained Finland in 1809, it was transferred to the Turtola parish, modern Pello. As the winter market could no longer be held in Kengis due to the new border, they were held on the island of Kolarinsaari in the Tornio river. Kolari became a chapel community in 1856 and a separate parish in 1894. [4] [5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Population increased most in Uusimaa in January to June 2025". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 24 July 2025. ISSN   1797-5395 . Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  3. ↑ "Population according to age (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020". StatFin. Statistics Finland . Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  4. ↑ "SuomalainenPaikannimikirja_e-kirja_kuvallinen.pdf" (PDF). kaino.kotus.fi (in Finnish). p. 172. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  5. ↑ "Kolarin tarina - Kolarin kunta". kolari.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 24 August 2022.

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