Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi (/ˈroʊvəni.əmi/ ROH-və-nee-ə-mee, Finnish: [ˈroʋɑˌnie̯mi] ⓘ; Northern Sami: Roavvenjárga [ˈroɑ̯vveˌɲaːrːka]; Inari Sami: Ruávinjargâ; Skolt Sami: Ruäʹvnjargg) is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland, and its southern part Peräpohjola. The city centre is situated about 6 kilometres (4 miles) south of the Arctic Circle and is between the hills of Ounasvaara and Korkalovaara, at the confluence of the river Kemijoki and its tributary, the Ounasjoki. It is the second-largest city of Northern Finland after Oulu, and, together with the capital city Helsinki, it is one of Finland's most significant tourist cities in terms of foreign tourism.
Rovaniemi
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Municipality | |
| Rovaniemen kaupunki Rovaniemi stad City of Rovaniemi | |
Clockwise from top: the Rovaniemi Church, the Rovaniemi Airport, the Santa Claus Village, downtown Rovaniemi, a view of the city from Ounasvaara, the Arktikum Science Museum, and aurora borealis in Someroharju. | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
| Nickname(s): Arctic Capital; Hometown of Santa Claus | |
Location of Rovaniemi in Finland | |
| Coordinates: 66°30′N 025°44′E | |
| Country | Finland |
| Region | Lapland |
| Sub-region | Rovaniemi sub-region |
| Charter | 1960 |
| Government | |
| • City manager | Ulla-Kirsikka Vainio |
| Area (2018-01-01) | |
| • Total | 8,016.75 km2 (3,095.28 sq mi) |
| • Land | 7,581.63 km2 (2,927.28 sq mi) |
| • Water | 434.75 km2 (167.86 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 5th largest in Finland |
| Population (2023-12-31) | |
| • Total | 65,285 |
| • Rank | 17th largest in Finland |
| • Density | 8.61/km2 (22.3/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 95.6% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.2% |
| • Sami | 0.3% |
| • Others | 3.9% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 16.3% |
| • 15 to 64 | 63.8% |
| • 65 or older | 19.9% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Website | www.rovaniemi.fi |
The city and the surrounding Rovaniemen maalaiskunta (Rural municipality of Rovaniemi) were consolidated into a single entity on 1 January 2006. Rovaniemi municipality has an approximate population of 65,000. The urban area of Rovaniemi has a population of 53,361, in an area of about 59 km2 (23 sq mi). Rovaniemi is a unilingual Finnish-speaking municipality and, uncommonly for larger Finnish towns, it is also known by its Finnish name and spelling in the Swedish language.
The coat of arms of Rovaniemi was designed by Toivo Vuorela. Its explanation is "in the green field, a silver pall with light-height upper branches; accompanied by a golden flame in the upper corner". It was approved on 15 August 1956 by the Rovaniemi Rural Municipal Council and confirmed on October 26 at the Ministry of the Interior as the coat of arms of the Rovaniemi Rural Council.