Kouvola
Kouvola | ||
---|---|---|
City | ||
Kouvolan kaupunki | ||
Pedestrian zone Manski in Kouvola downtown | ||
| ||
Motto: "Ihmeen hieno kaupunki." (A surprisingly fine town.) | ||
![]() Location of Kouvola in Finland | ||
Coordinates: 60°52′05″N 026°42′15″E / 60.86806°N 26.70417°ECoordinates: 60°52′05″N 026°42′15″E / 60.86806°N 26.70417°E | ||
Country | Finland | |
Region | Kymenlaakso | |
Sub-region | Kouvola sub-region | |
Charter | 1922 | |
City rights | 1960 | |
Government | ||
• City manager | Lauri Lamminmäki | |
Area (2011-01-01)[1] | ||
• City | 2,883.30 km2 (1,113.25 sq mi) | |
• Land | 2,558.24 km2 (987.74 sq mi) | |
• Water | 325.06 km2 (125.51 sq mi) | |
Area rank | 21st largest in Finland | |
Population (2016-03-31)[2] | ||
• City | 85,808 | |
• Rank | 10th largest in Finland | |
• Density | 33.54/km2 (86.9/sq mi) | |
• Metro | 60,776 | |
• Metro density | 267/km2 (690/sq mi) | |
Population by native language[3] | ||
• Finnish | 97.2% (official) | |
• Swedish | 0.4% | |
• Others | 2.4% | |
Population by age[4] | ||
• 0 to 14 | 15.1% | |
• 15 to 64 | 65.1% | |
• 65 or older | 19.8% | |
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |
• Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | |
Postal code | 45100 | |
Municipal tax rate[5] | 20% | |
Climate | Dfc | |
Website | www.kouvola.fi |
Kouvola is a town and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located 134 kilometres (83 mi) northeast of the capital, Helsinki.
The city has a population of 85,808 (31 March 2016)[2] and covers an area of 2,883.30 square kilometres (1,113.25 sq mi) of which 325.06 km2 (125.51 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 33.54 inhabitants per square kilometre (86.9/sq mi).
The town originally grew up around the junction of the north-south and east-west rail tracks. It was also a major road transport junction.
In January 2009, the six municipalities of Kouvola, Kuusankoski, Elimäki, Anjalankoski, Valkeala and Jaala were consolidated, forming the new municipality of Kouvola. Kouvola can now claim the natural beauty of Valkeala and Jaala as well as the cultural heritage of Elimäki and Anjalankoski as its own, the town itself being infamous for its Soviet-like Brutalist architecture[6] and allegedly high crime rate . Kouvola has also assumed the slogan Kymijoen kaupunki (the town of Kymijoki) previously used by Anjalankoski.[7] The name itself derives from Old Finnish kouvo, bear. The arms are Sable, an escarbuncle Or, base wavy Argent.
Near Kouvola is the Verla factory, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Newspapers Kouvolan Sanomat and Keskilaakso are published in Kouvola.
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Kouvola is twinned with:
Balatonfüred, Hungary
Vologda, Russia
Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
Güstrow, Germany
References
- 1 2 "Area by municipality as of 1 January 2011" (PDF) (in Finnish and Swedish). Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- 1 2 "Ennakkoväkiluku sukupuolen mukaan alueittain, maaliskuu.2016" (in Finnish). Statistics Finland. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "List of municipal and parish tax rates in 2011". Tax Administration of Finland. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ↑ "Tshernobyl (Pripyat) -- Kouvola". The view of Kouvola in comparison with that of Pripyat, Ukraine. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- ↑ "Kouvolan kaupunki". Website of Kouvola. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
External links
Media related to Kouvola at Wikimedia Commons
- The official website of Kouvola
- Kouvola Tourist Office
Kouvola travel guide from Wikivoyage
- h2g2.com on Kouvola