Central Finland

Central Finland (Finnish: Keski-Suomi; Swedish: Mellersta Finland) is a region (maakunta / landskap) in Finland. It borders the regions of Päijät-Häme, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, North Savo, and South Savo. The city of Jyväskylä is the regional centre and by far the largest city in the area. The Central Finland lies slightly south of the geographical centre of Finland. The landscape is hilly and a large part of the province belongs to the Finnish Lakeland.[2]

The western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) is the regional bird of Central Finland.[3]
Central Finland
Keski-Suomi (Finnish)
Mellersta Finland (Swedish)
Region
Region of Central Finland
Keski-Suomen maakunta
Landskapet Mellersta Finland
Flag of Central Finland
Flag
Coat of arms of Central Finland
Coat of arms
Central Finland on a map of Finland
Central Finland on a map of Finland
Coordinates: 62°30′N 025°30′E
CountryFinland
Historical provinceTavastia, Satakunta
CapitalJyväskylä
Area
 • Total19,950.38 km2 (7,702.88 sq mi)
Population
 (2019)
 • Total275,104
 • Density14/km2 (36/sq mi)
GDP
[1]
 • Total€8.725 billion (2015)
 • Per capita€31,662 (2015)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 codeFI-08
NUTS193
Regional animalTundra hare (Lepus timidus)
Regional birdCapercaillie (Tetrao urogallus)
Regional fishLake trout (Salmo trutta lacustris)
Regional flowerOxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)
Regional stoneDiorite
Regional lakeLake Keitele
Websitekeskisuomi.fi

The largest lake in the very water-based region is Lake Päijänne (1,080 km2). Other large lakes are Lake Keitele (490 km2), Lake Konnevesi (190 km2) and Lake Kivijärvi (150 km2). The highest point in the region is Kiiskilänmäki in the municipality of Multia, which reaches an altitude of 269 meters above sea level.[4] Kuokanjoki, Finland's shortest river and one of the world's shortest rivers is in the region.[5][6]

Central Finland has been one of the slowly growing regions in terms of population, but the growth has been based on the Jyväskylä sub-region's position as a significant growth center, and most of the region's municipalities are declining in population.[7][8] Also, of these, Kyyjärvi has landed on the Finnish state's crisis financial management list due to its economic hardship.[9][10] Luhanka, the smallest municipality in the whole Mainland Finland in terms of population, is also located in the region.[11][12]

History

The idea of a province of Central Finland was born at the end of the 19th century. The concept was developed by the district doctor Wolmar Schildt, whose article for Suometar first appeared in 1856. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the provincial identity of Central Finland was strengthened by associations, organisations and companies that expanded into the provinces. The Central Finland Province was established in 1960, but was abolished in the county reform of 1997.[2]

A province is a common administrative unit based on the autonomous decision-making power of municipalities and embodies local democracy at the regional level vis-à-vis the state, while a county is a regional administrative unit of the state. The Central Finland covers almost the same geographical area as the former Central Finland Province. At that time, the province of Central Finland was merged with the provinces of Turku and Pori and Vaasa and the northern parts of Tavastia to form the Western Finland Province. The current Central Finland is larger than the former province of Central Finland, as Jämsä was joined with Kuorevesi and part of Längelmäki, which previously belonged to Pirkanmaa.[2] Kuhmoinen was also part of Central Finland until 2021, when it joined the region of Pirkanmaa.

Historical provinces

For history, geography and culture see: Tavastia, Savonia, Ostrobothnia

Municipalities

The region of Central Finland consists of 22 municipalities, six of which have city status (marked in bold).

Municipalities on the map
Cities and municipalities of Central Finland.
Jyväskylä
Jämsä
Jämsä
Äänekoski
Laukaa
Laukaa
Muurame
Muurame
Keuruu
Keuruu
Saarijärvi
Viitasaari
Viitasaari
Hankasalmi
Hankasalmi
Joutsa
Joutsa
Karstula
Karstula
Pihtipudas
Pihtipudas
Petäjävesi

Petäjävesi
Uurainen
Uurainen
Konne-vesi
Konne-
vesi
Toivakka
Toivakka
Multia
Kinnula
Kinnula
Kannonkoski
Kannonkoski
Kyyjärvi
Kyyjärvi
Kivijärvi
Kivijärvi
Luhanka
Luhanka
Päijänne
Keitele
NorthSavo
SouthSavo
Päijät-Häme
Pirkan-maa
SouthOstrobothnia
CentralOstrobothnia
North Ostrobothnia
Municipalities
Municipalities
Over 100 000 inhabitants
Over 100 000 inhabitants
 Over 10 000 inhabitants
 Over 10 000 inhabitants
 Over 3 000 inhabitants
 Over 3 000 inhabitants
 < 3 000 inhabitants
 < 3 000 inhabitants
Cities and municipalities of Central Finland.

Sub-regions

Joutsa sub-region:

  • Joutsa
  • Luhanka (Luhango)

Jyväskylä sub-region:

  • Hankasalmi
  • Jyväskylä
  • Laukaa (Laukas)
  • Muurame
  • Petäjävesi
  • Toivakka
  • Uurainen (Urais)

Jämsä sub-region:

  • Jämsä

Keuruu sub-region:

Saarijärvi-Viitasaari sub-region:

  • Kannonkoski
  • Karstula
  • Kinnula
  • Kivijärvi
  • Kyyjärvi
  • Pihtipudas
  • Saarijärvi
  • Viitasaari

Äänekoski sub-region:

List of municipalities
Coat of
arms		 Municipality Population Land area
(km2)		 Density
(/km2)		 Finnish
speakers		 Swedish
speakers		 Other
speakers
coat of arms of HankasalmiHankasalmi4,5495728 97 %0.3 %3 %
coat of arms of JoutsaJoutsa4,0798675 97 %0.3 %3 %
coat of arms of JyväskyläJyväskylä147,7461,171126 93 %0.2 %7 %
coat of arms of JämsäJämsä19,1821,57112 97 %0.1 %3 %
coat of arms of KannonkoskiKannonkoski1,2174453 98 %0.1 %2 %
coat of arms of KarstulaKarstula3,6258874 98 %0.1 %2 %
coat of arms of KeuruuKeuruu9,1841,2587 96 %0.2 %4 %
coat of arms of KinnulaKinnula1,5234603 99 %0.1 %1 %
coat of arms of KivijärviKivijärvi1,0354842 98 %0 %2 %
coat of arms of KonnevesiKonnevesi2,4995135 98 %0 %2 %
coat of arms of KyyjärviKyyjärvi1,1744483 97 %0.1 %3 %
coat of arms of LaukaaLaukaa18,76264929 98 %0.1 %2 %
coat of arms of LuhankaLuhanka7022153 99 %0 %1 %
coat of arms MultiaMultia1,4307332 97 %0 %3 %
coat of arms of MuurameMuurame10,55114473 98 %0.2 %2 %
coat of arms of PetäjävesiPetäjävesi3,5964568 98 %0.2 %2 %
coat of arms of PihtipudasPihtipudas3,7391,0753 99 %0 %1 %
coat of arms of SaarijärviSaarijärvi8,8471,2527 98 %0.1 %2 %
coat of arms of ToivakkaToivakka2,3683617 98 %0.1 %2 %
coat of arms of UurainenUurainen3,61534810 98 %0.1 %2 %
coat of arms of ViitasaariViitasaari5,8771,2495 97 %0.2 %3 %
coat of arms of ÄänekoskiÄänekoski17,97188520 97 %0.1 %3 %
Total273,27115,30918 94 % 0.2 % 5 %

Politics

Results of the 2019 Finnish parliamentary election in Central Finland:

References
  1. Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional GDP per Capita, OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.
  2. "Yleistä tietoa - Perustietoa Keski-Suomen maakunnasta". Keski-Suomi – elämänlaadun maakunta (in Finnish). Mosaiikki ry. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  3. Maakuntatunnukset – Keski-Suomen Liitto (in Finnish)
  4. "Jollei Haltille niin ainakin Kinttumäelle" (in Finnish). Tilastokeskus. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  5. "Shortest river | Revolvy". 2019-03-02. Archived from the original on 2019-03-02. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  6. "River Facts. | Clean Rivers Trust". 2020-10-10. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  7. Väkiluku. Tilasto- ja ennakointitietoa Keski-Suomesta 2019. (in Finnish)
  8. Tilastokeskukselta jäätävä väestöennuste: Keski-Suomessa vain kolme kuntaa kasvaa – Keskisuomalainen (in Finnish)
  9. "Four municipalities in financial crisis, state steps in". Yle News. May 31, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  10. Mustikkamaa, Jussi (June 2, 2019). "IL-reportaasi: Kyyjärvi ajautui kiinteistösijoituksilla kriisikunnaksi – "Kuntaliitoksessa kaikki palvelut häviävät täältä"". Iltalehti (in Finnish). Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  11. Municipalities of the Jyväskylä Region – Visit Jyväskylä Region
  12. 7 Villages in Finnish Lakeland You Need to Know About – Megan & Aram

Media related to Central Finland at Wikimedia Commons Central Finland travel guide from Wikivoyage

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