Merikarvia

Merikarvia (Swedish: Sastmola) is a municipality in Finland. It is located in the Satakunta region. The neighboring municipalities are Isojoki, Kristinestad, Pomarkku, Pori and Siikainen.

Merikarvia Sastmola
Municipality
Merikarvian kunta Sastmola kommun
Coat of arms
Location of Merikarvia in Finland
Coordinates: 61°51.5′N 021°30′E
Country	Finland
Region	Satakunta
Sub-region	Pori sub-region
Charter	1639
Government
• Municipal manager	Pentti Ala-Luopa
Area  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	1,246.22 km^2 (481.17 sq mi)
• Land	446.04 km^2 (172.22 sq mi)
• Water	800.2 km^2 (309.0 sq mi)
Area rank	194th largest in Finland
Population  (2020-07-31)[2]
• Total	3,068
• Rank	218th largest in Finland
• Density	6.88/km^2 (17.8/sq mi)
Population by native language [3]
• Finnish	99.1% (official)
• Swedish	0.3%
• Others	0.6%
Population by age [4]
• 0 to 14	13.9%
• 15 to 64	59%
• 65 or older	27.1%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Municipal tax rate[5]	19.5%
Climate	Dfc
Website	www.merikarvia.fi

The municipality has a population of 3,068 (31 July 2020)[2] and it covers an area of 1,246.22 square kilometres (481.17 sq mi), of which 800.2 km² (309.0 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 6.88 inhabitants per square kilometre (17.8/sq mi).

The municipality is unilingually Finnish. The coastline was formerly Swedish-speaking. Merikarvia is known by the Oura Archipelago, which is part of the Bothnian Sea National Park.

History

The area has been inhabited since as early as 1800 BC. There are grave sites from the Bronze and Iron Ages within the municipality. Most of the cairns are located in Tuorila village located east of the municipal center.

The birth of the earliest villages in Merikarvia - Kasala, Riispyy, Ala- and Yli-Kylä, and Köörtilä - is dated to between the 13th and 14th centuries. As a separate municipality, Merikarvia has existed since 1865.

The first church in Merikarvia was built in 1776 and was named after the queen consort of Sweden at the time, Sofia Magdalena. The church, still in use today, was finished in 1899.

As a coastal municipality, Merikarvia largely lived from the sea until modern times. Fishing, sawmills and shipyards were common businesses until the end of the 19th century.

Politics

Results of the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election in Merikarvia:

• Centre Party 35.7%
• True Finns 23.7%
• Social Democratic Party 18.6%
• National Coalition Party 11.3%
• Left Alliance 6.1%
• Christian Democrats 2.6%
• Green League 1.7%

Sights

• Lankoski rapids
• The church of Merikarvia
• Oura Archipelago

References

1. "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
2. "Suomen virallinen tilasto (SVT): Väestön ennakkotilasto [verkkojulkaisu]. Heinäkuu 2020" (in Finnish). Statistics Finland. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
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.

External links

Media related to Merikarvia at Wikimedia Commons

• Municipality of Merikarvia – Official website