Suomussalmi

Suomussalmi
Municipality
Suomussalmen kunta Suomussalmi kommun
An aerial view of Ämmänsaari, an administrative center of Suomussalmi
Coat of arms
Location of Suomussalmi in Finland
Coordinates: 64°53′N 028°55′E / 64.883°N 28.917°E / 64.883; 28.917
Country	Finland
Region	Kainuu
Sub-region	Kehys-Kainuu
Charter	1867
Seat	Ämmänsaari
Government
• Municipal manager	Erno Heikkinen
Area  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	5,857.60 km2 (2,261.63 sq mi)
• Land	5,270.33 km2 (2,034.89 sq mi)
• Water	587.03 km2 (226.65 sq mi)
• Rank	9th largest in Finland
Population  (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total	7,172
• Rank	130th largest in Finland
• Density	1.36/km2 (3.5/sq mi)
Population by native language [3]
• Finnish	96.7% (official)
• Swedish	0.1%
• Others	3.2%
Population by age [4]
• 0 to 14	10.1%
• 15 to 64	52%
• 65 or older	37.9%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Website	www.suomussalmi.fi/en

Suomussalmi (Finnish: [ˈsuo̯muˌsːɑlmi]) is a municipality in Finland and is located in the Kainuu region about 90 kilometres (56 mi) northeast of Kajaani, the capital of Kainuu and 120 kilometres (75 mi) south of Kuusamo. The municipality has a population of 7,172 (31 December 2023)^[2] and covers an area of 5,857.60 square kilometres (2,261.63 sq mi) of which 587.03 km² (226.65 sq mi) is water.^[1] The population density is 1.36 inhabitants per square kilometre (3.5/sq mi). The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Ämmänsaari is the biggest built-up area in the municipality.

Suomussalmi is the second southernmost part of the reindeer-herding area in Finland.

During the Winter War of 1939–40, several battles were fought in the area around Suomussalmi, the most important ones being the Battle of Suomussalmi and the Battle of Raate. In these battles Finnish forces defeated numerically superior Soviet forces.

Formula One racing driver Heikki Kovalainen is from Suomussalmi, as well as the author Ilmari Kianto and the composer Osmo Tapio Räihälä, in addition to the ice hockey player, Janne Pesonen.^[6] Also, the first President of the Republic of Finland, K. J. Ståhlberg, was born in the Karhula rectory (Karhulan pappila) in Suomussalmi.^[7]

Suomussalmi hosted the 2016 World Berry Picking Championship.^[8]

Kuivajärvi and Hietajärvi, located close to the Russian border, have long belonged to the poetic villages of White Karelia, and the Karelian language, Viena Karelian, has traditionally been spoken in the area.^[9][10][11]

Highway 5 (E63) comes from Hyrynsalmi via Suomussalmi to Kuusamo. The rest of the municipality's most important roads are mainly smaller regional roads; regional road 912 from Kuhmo comes to Suomussalmi, regional road 843 from Palovaara to Suomussalmi continues to Kuusamo's Poussuu, regional road 892 runs from Suomussalmi through Korpikylä and Kytömäki to Hyrynsalmi, regional road 897 takes you from Alajärvi from Suomussalmi via Hattuvaara to Yli-Näljänkä, and connecting road 9125 or Raatteentie (also included parts of the current regional road 912) is a connecting road from Raatteenportti to Raate in the municipality of Suomussalmi, which was named after the Battle of Raate in 1940.

Results of the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election in Suomussalmi:

• Left Alliance 36.3%
• Centre Party 30.9%
• Finns Party 20.5%
• National Coalition Party 5.2%
• Social Democratic Party 3.1%
• Christian Democrats 2.3%
• Green League 0.9%
• Other parties 0.8%

• K. J. Ståhlberg (1865–1952)
• Hannes Tauriainen (1909–1971)
• Alho Alhoniemi (born 1933)
• Toini Gustafsson (born 1938)
• Matti Makkonen (1952–2015)
• Osmo Tapio Räihälä (born 1964)
• Tero Penttilä (born 1975)
• Merja Kyllönen (born 1977)
• Heikki Kovalainen (born 1981)
• Janne Pesonen (born 1982)

Suomussalmi is twinned with:

• Kalevala, Russia
• Nordmaling Municipality, Sweden

• Municipality of Suomussalmi – Official website