Kauhava is a town and municipality of Finland. It 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 15,076 (31 October 2024)[2] and covers an area of 1,328.09 square kilometres (512.78 sq mi) of which 14.63 km2 (5.65 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 11.47 inhabitants per square kilometre (29.7/sq mi).

Kauhava
Town
Kauhavan kaupunki
Kauhava stad
The Kauhava library
The Kauhava library
Coat of arms of Kauhava
Location of Kauhava in Finland
Location of Kauhava in Finland
Coordinates: 63°06′N 023°04′E / 63.100°N 23.067°E / 63.100; 23.067
Country Finland
RegionSouthern Ostrobothnia
Sub-regionSeinäjoki sub-region
Charter1867
City rights1986
Government
 • Town managerVesa Rantala
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total
1,328.09 km2 (512.78 sq mi)
 • Land1,313.85 km2 (507.28 sq mi)
 • Water14.63 km2 (5.65 sq mi)
 • Rank52nd largest in Finland
Population
 (2024-10-31)[2]
 • Total
15,076
 • Rank73rd largest in Finland
 • Density11.47/km2 (29.7/sq mi)
Population by native language
 • Finnish94% (official)
 • Swedish0.7%
 • Others5.4%
Population by age
 • 0 to 1415.3%
 • 15 to 6455.4%
 • 65 or older29.4%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Websitewww.kauhava.fi

The popular amusement park, PowerPark, is located in Alahärmä, Kauhava.[5]

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Geography

edit

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.

Climate

edit
Climate data for Kauhava Airfield (1991–2020 normals, records 1959–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 9.1
(48.4)
9.3
(48.7)
14.7
(58.5)
24.4
(75.9)
29.6
(85.3)
32.4
(90.3)
33.0
(91.4)
31.1
(88.0)
27.3
(81.1)
20.0
(68.0)
13.0
(55.4)
8.6
(47.5)
33.0
(91.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −2.9
(26.8)
−3.0
(26.6)
1.6
(34.9)
8.1
(46.6)
15.0
(59.0)
19.4
(66.9)
22.1
(71.8)
20.2
(68.4)
14.6
(58.3)
7.2
(45.0)
2.0
(35.6)
−1.0
(30.2)
8.6
(47.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) −6.3
(20.7)
−6.8
(19.8)
−2.9
(26.8)
3.1
(37.6)
9.1
(48.4)
14.0
(57.2)
16.6
(61.9)
14.6
(58.3)
9.7
(49.5)
4.0
(39.2)
−0.4
(31.3)
−3.8
(25.2)
4.2
(39.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −10.2
(13.6)
−10.9
(12.4)
−7.3
(18.9)
−1.6
(29.1)
3.0
(37.4)
8.1
(46.6)
11.0
(51.8)
9.3
(48.7)
5.2
(41.4)
0.8
(33.4)
−3.0
(26.6)
−7.1
(19.2)
−0.2
(31.6)
Record low °C (°F) −37.6
(−35.7)
−41.8
(−43.2)
−31.4
(−24.5)
−20.5
(−4.9)
−8.3
(17.1)
−3.1
(26.4)
−1.2
(29.8)
−3.1
(26.4)
−8.7
(16.3)
−22.6
(−8.7)
−29.3
(−20.7)
−37.2
(−35.0)
−41.8
(−43.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 31
(1.2)
27
(1.1)
24
(0.9)
26
(1.0)
40
(1.6)
59
(2.3)
69
(2.7)
63
(2.5)
53
(2.1)
54
(2.1)
45
(1.8)
38
(1.5)
529
(20.8)
Average precipitation days 9 8 7 6 7 9 10 10 8 10 10 10 104
Average snowy days 25.4 22.4 25.5 12.9 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.7 16.0 22.0 128.4
Average relative humidity (%) 90 88 80 72 66 68 74 79 84 89 92 92 81
Source: https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/336063 https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/Finland/Kauhava.htm

https://kilotavu.com/asema-taulukko.php?asema=101503

History

edit

Kauhava was the home of the Finnish Training Air Wing from 1929 until the end of 2014.[citation needed]

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

Knife making

edit

A traditional industry in Kauhava is knife making, 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.[citation needed]

The puukko (one of the styles of Finnish knife) made in Kauhava are sometimes referred to as being in the Ostrobothnian style.[citation needed]

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

Museums

edit

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.[citation needed]

International relations

edit

Twin towns — Sister cities

edit

Kauhava is twinned with:

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Finland's preliminary population figure was 5,635,560 at the end of October 2024". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 19 November 2024. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  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. ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  5. ^ PowerPark - Official website in English
edit

  Media related to Kauhava at Wikimedia Commons