Kymenlaakso Kymenlaakson maakunta landskapet Kymmenedalen | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
 Kymenlaakso on a map of Finland | |
| Country | Finland |
| Historical province | Uusimaa, Karelia, Tavastia |
| Former provinces | |
| Capital | Kotka and Kouvola |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5,595.36 km2 (2,160.38 sq mi) |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 180,845 |
| • Density | 32/km2 (84/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | FI-09 |
| NUTS | 186 |
| Regional bird | Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) |
| Regional flower | Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus) |
| Website | www |
Kymenlaakso (literally Kymi Valley) (Swedish: Kymmenedalen) is a region in Finland. It borders the regions of Uusimaa, Päijät-Häme, South Savo and South Karelia and Russia (Leningrad Oblast). Its name means literally The Valley of River Kymijoki. Kymijoki is one of the biggest rivers in Finland with a drainage basin with 11% of the area of Finland. The city of Kotka with 55,000 inhabitants is located at the delta of River Kymijoki and has the most important import harbour in Finland. Other cities are Kouvola further in the inland which has after a municipal merger 88,000 inhabitants and the old bastion town Hamina.
Kymenlaakso was one of the first industrialized regions of Finland. It became the most important region for paper and pulp industry in Finland. Since the late 1900s many plants have closed, which has caused some deindustrialization, unemployment and population decline in Kymenlaakso, especially in those communes that were built around plants such as Myllykoski in Kouvola.
Historical provinces
For history, geography and culture see: Uusimaa, Karelia and Tavastia
Municipalities
The region of Kymenlaakso is made up of seven municipalities, of which three have city status (marked in bold).
Kotka-Hamina Sub-region:
- Kotka
(54,849) - Hamina
(21,249) - Pyhtää
(5,360) - Virolahti
(3,438) - Miehikkälä
(2,165)
Kouvola Sub-region:
Former municipalities:
Politics
Results of the 2019 Finnish parliamentary election in Kymenlaakso:
- Social Democratic Party 24.73%
- Finns Party 20.93%
- National Coalition Party 18.21%
- Centre Party 11.64%
- Green League 8.64%
- Left Alliance 6.34%
- Christian Democrats 4.85%
- Movement Now 1.83%
- Blue Reform 1.68%
- Seven Star Movement 0.33%
- Other parties 0.82%
Gallery
A general view of Kotka town centre
Kymijoki River
Hamina Town Hall
Österviken Bay in the Gulf of Finland, Pyhtää
Inkeroinen church in Kouvola
Haukkavuori Tower, Kotka
Arboretum Mustila in Kouvola, the biggest and oldest one in Finland
Ships in Kotka harbour
A view from the round streets of Hamina
Anjala church, Kouvola
Sunila Factory; Kymenlaakso has a strong tradition of pulp mills
Anjala Manor, Kouvola
Architecture in Kotka
Bastions in Hamina
Kuusankoski church in Kouvola
Old harbour in Kotka with the Maritime Centre Vellamo during Meripäivät, an annual sea-related festival in Kotka
Kaunissaari, an island in Pyhtää
Repovesi National Park, Kouvola
Kymi church in Kotka
A view from Verla mill village in Kouvola
The orthodox St. Peter-Paul Church in Hamina
Ahvenkoski Rapids in Kymijoki River, Pyhtää
A cannon from Salpa Line, Miehikkälä
The Rapakivi granite found especially in Virolahti was used in great measures to build the city of St Petersburg
Motor racing circuit KymiRing in Iitti, Kausala
External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kymenlaakso. |