Kauhava

Kauhava
Town
Kauhavan kaupunki

Old and new - the Kauhava library seen from the yard of Kauhava Youth Assiciation building.

Coat of arms

Location of Kauhava in Finland
Coordinates: 63°06′N 023°04′E / 63.100°N 23.067°E / 63.100; 23.067Coordinates: 63°06′N 023°04′E / 63.100°N 23.067°E / 63.100; 23.067
Country Finland
Region Southern Ostrobothnia
Sub-region Seinäjoki sub-region
Charter 1867
City rights 1986
Government
 • Town manager Markku Lumio
Area (2011-01-01)[1]
 • Total 1,328.37 km2 (512.89 sq mi)
 • Land 1,313.74 km2 (507.24 sq mi)
 • Water 14.63 km2 (5.65 sq mi)
Area rank 82nd largest in Finland
Population (2016-03-31)[2]
 • Total 16,756
 • Rank 65th largest in Finland
 • Density 12.75/km2 (33.0/sq mi)
Population by native language[3]
 • Finnish 98.8% (official)
 • Swedish 0.5%
 • Others 0.7%
Population by age[4]
 • 0 to 14 17.4%
 • 15 to 64 61.5%
 • 65 or older 21%
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Municipal tax rate[5] 19.75%
Website www.kauhava.fi

Kauhava is a town and municipality of Finland.

It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region, 400 kilometres (250 mi) northwest of Helsinki and by the main railway from Helsinki to Oulu. The town has a population of 16,756 (31 March 2016)[2] and covers an area of 1,328.37 square kilometres (512.89 sq mi) of which 14.63 km2 (5.65 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 12.75 inhabitants per square kilometre (33.0/sq mi).

Knife making is a traditional industry in Kauhava, and many Finns recognize the name of this small town because of knives made there. At one time, as many as five different knife-making enterprises were underway in the town, but today there is only one – Iisakki Järvenpää Oy, which has been making knives in Kauhava since 1879.

Puukko (one of the styles of Finnish knife) made in Kauhava are sometimes referred to as being in the Ostrobothnian style.

Each June sees the Kauhava International Knife Festival, lasting a couple of days and including knife exhibitions, knife making and knife throwing.

As with many Finnish localities, there are museums in Kauhava (Kauhava-Seura). One in the center of town features both the knifemaking tradition as well as the local textiles. An out-of-place fishing lure is one interesting feature of this museum. Another museum on the outskirts of Kauhava features the 19th century home and farm of Iisakin Jussi. It provides a view of late 19th century life in Western Finland. The Iisakin Jussi House is not open during the winter months.

The surrounding country is flat and well suited to agriculture, alternating between fields and forests. The town probably takes its name from the small river which passes through it.

Kauhava is the home of the Finnish Training Air Wing.

The surrounding municipalities of Alahärmä, Kortesjärvi and Ylihärmä were consolidated with Kauhava on 1 January 2009.

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kauhava is twinned with:

References

  1. 1 2 "Area by municipality as of 1 January 2011" (PDF) (in Finnish and Swedish). Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Ennakkoväkiluku sukupuolen mukaan alueittain, maaliskuu.2016" (in Finnish). Statistics Finland. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  3. ↑ "Population according to language and the number of foreigners and land area km2 by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  4. ↑ "Population according to age and gender by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
  5. ↑ "List of municipal and parish tax rates in 2011". Tax Administration of Finland. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.

Media related to Kauhava at Wikimedia Commons

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