Kokkola
Encyclopedia
Kokkola is a town and municipality of Finland.
The town is located in the province
of Western Finland
and is part of the Central Ostrobothnia
region
. The town has a population of and covers an area of km2 of which km2 is water. The population density
is PD/km2. The municipality is bilingual with being Finnish
and Swedish
speakers.
and white-tailed eagle
(the suffix
-la denotes location). The town was known in Swedish by the name until when the surrounding land municipality of Kaarlela was consolidated with Kokkola, and the town took over the Swedish name of . The word means "old", karl means "man" or "peasant" and by means "village", in tearn literally meaning '"old village of peasants" or Anglicised as "Old Peasantville". The Latin name was Carolina Vetus.
in Kokkola:
, and the coastal European route E8
(Finnish highway 8) goes through, connecting Oulu
and Turku
via Vaasa
. Finnish highway 28 begins from Kokkola and runs to Kajaani
. Finnish highway 13 begins from Kokkola and runs through Finland into the Nuijamaa border crossing via Jyväskylä
and Mikkeli
. The scenic '7 Bridges Archipelago Road' (road 749) runs along the coast between Kokkola and Jakobstad
.
Kokkola-Pietarsaari Airport is situated 22 kilometres (13.7 mi) from Kokkola in Kronoby
(Finnish: Kruunupyy). The Kokkola railway station
is a stop along Line 7, with service between Helsinki and Kemijärvi
via Tampere
and Seinäjoki
, where the fast Pendolino
bullet train operates. There is no passenger ferry traffic from Kokkola.
Gustav II Adolf of Sweden, when Finland was a part of the Swedish Empire
. Kokkola was founded as a shipping port for the tar
trade. It also became an important shipbuilding
centre in Finland. As a result of tar trade and shipbuilding industry Kokkola was for a time the richest town in Finland.
An interesting historical affair, known as the Skirmish of Halkokari, occurred at the town of Kokkola in June 1854 during the Crimean War
. Royal Marines
from HMS Vulture
and HMS Odin
tried to come ashore to ransack the town, but were repelled by local defenders, of which many were civilians armed with hunting rifles. One of the 9 smaller British craft (a gunboat
) fell into the hands of the defenders. As such, this boat was the only Royal Navy vessel still in foreign possession in 1914. The boat is still today a museum-object and can be seen in Kokkola's English Park. The town council has refused to return the boat despite several requests by the United Kingdom, most recently by John Stuttard
, the Lord Mayor of London. The British Treasury annually pays a small sum for the maintenance of nine graves of nine Royal Marines killed in action during the skirmish to the local church congregation.
The city had a Swedish-speaking majority until 1933.
In 1977, the surrounding municipality of Kaarlela was consolidated into Kokkola (Swedish until then: ). In 2009, the municipalities of Lohtaja
, Kälviä
and Ullava
were consolidated with Kokkola.
. The chemical industry
is a major employer. An industrial area and a port is located in Ykspihlaja. OMG
has a cobalt
plant and Boliden
has a zinc
plant in there. Kemira
, a chemical conglomerate, built an industrial park that is now divided between several corporations. The area has Kemira
's own sulfuric acid
plant, a Kemira GrowHow
site, KemFine
's fine chemicals
plant, Tetra Chemicals calcium chloride
plant and a Nordkalk
plant. In addition, industries represented in the town include metalworking, casting, textiles, plastics, food and carpentry. Largest employers are as follows:
The port of Kokkola is located in Ykspihlaja, approximately 5 km (3 mi) from the city center, and it is one of the busiest ports in Finland. Oil, ore and limestone are imported, refined products and timber are exported, and iron ore is transited.
The town is located in the province
Provinces of Finland
The state of Finland consisted of six provinces between the years 1997 and 2009. The provincial authority was part of the central government's executive branch, not directly elected. The system was created in 1634, and its makeup was changed drastically in 1997, when the number of the provinces...
of Western Finland
Western Finland
Western Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2010. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland.- History :...
and is part of the Central Ostrobothnia
Central Ostrobothnia
Central Ostrobothnia is a region in Finland. It borders to the regions Ostrobothnia, Northern Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Southern Ostrobothnia.- Historical provinces :For History, Geography and Culture see: Ostrobothnia- Municipalities :...
region
Regions of Finland
Finland consists of 19 regions called in Finnish and in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition,...
. The town has a population of and covers an area of km2 of which km2 is water. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
is PD/km2. The municipality is bilingual with being Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
and Swedish
Finland-Swedish
Finland Swedish is a general term for the closely related cluster of dialects of Swedish spoken in Finland by Swedish-speaking Finns as their mother tongue...
speakers.
Name
The Finnish name Kokkola means "place of bonfire" or "place of eagle" because the Finnish root word means both bonfireBonfire
A bonfire is a controlled outdoor fire used for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Celebratory bonfires are typically designed to burn quickly and may be very large...
and white-tailed eagle
White-tailed Eagle
The White-tailed Eagle , also known as the Sea Eagle, Erne , or White-tailed Sea-eagle, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which includes other raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers...
(the suffix
Affix
An affix is a morpheme that is attached to a word stem to form a new word. Affixes may be derivational, like English -ness and pre-, or inflectional, like English plural -s and past tense -ed. They are bound morphemes by definition; prefixes and suffixes may be separable affixes...
-la denotes location). The town was known in Swedish by the name until when the surrounding land municipality of Kaarlela was consolidated with Kokkola, and the town took over the Swedish name of . The word means "old", karl means "man" or "peasant" and by means "village", in tearn literally meaning '"old village of peasants" or Anglicised as "Old Peasantville". The Latin name was Carolina Vetus.
Politics
Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011Finnish parliamentary election, 2011
An election to the Eduskunta was held on 17 April 2011 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term. Advance voting, which included voting by Finnish expatriates, was held between 6 and 12 April with a turnout of 31.2%....
in Kokkola:
- Centre PartyCentre Party (Finland)The Centre Party is a centrist and Nordic agrarian political party in Finland. It is one of the four largest political parties in the country, along with the Social Democratic Party , the National Coalition Party and the True Finns , and currently has 35 seats in the Finnish Parliament...
24.3% - Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party of FinlandThe Social Democratic Party of Finland is one of the three major political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the National Coalition Party. Jutta Urpilainen is the current SDP leader. The party has been in the Finnish government cabinet for long periods and has set many...
20.7% - True FinnsTrue FinnsTrue Finns or The Finns is a populist and nationalist political party in Finland, founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. The head of the movement is Timo Soini. In the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election, The party won 19.1% of votes, becoming the third largest party...
17.0% - Christian DemocratsChristian Democrats (Finland)The Christian Democrats is a Christian democratic political party in Finland. Formerly known as the Finnish Christian League , the Christian Democrats have six seats in the Finnish Parliament and one in the European Parliament.The party was founded in 1958, chiefly from the Christian faction of...
10.0% - Swedish People's Party 9.9%
- National Coalition Party 9.8%
- Left AllianceLeft Alliance (Finland)The Left Alliance is a left-wing political party in Finland. It was founded on the basis of the Finnish People's Democratic League and the Communist Party of Finland in 1990....
5.0% - Green LeagueGreen LeagueThe Green League is a centrist green liberal political party in Finland. It has ten seats in the Finnish Parliament and two in the European Parliament. The current chairperson is Ville Niinistö....
2.3%
Transportation
Kokkola is located on the coast of Gulf of BothniaGulf of Bothnia
The Gulf of Bothnia is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It is situated between Finland's west coast and Sweden's east coast. In the south of the gulf lie the Åland Islands, between the Sea of Åland and the Archipelago Sea.-Name:...
, and the coastal European route E8
European route E8
The European route E 8 is a European route that goes from Tromsø, Norway to Turku, Finland. The length of the route is .* E 8: Tromsø – Nordkjosbotn – Skibotn – Kilpisjärvi – Kaaresuvanto – Muonio – Tornio – Keminmaa – Kemi – Oulu – Liminka – Raahe – Kalajoki – Kokkola – Vaasa – Pori –...
(Finnish highway 8) goes through, connecting Oulu
Oulu
Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....
and Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
via Vaasa
Vaasa
Vaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa...
. Finnish highway 28 begins from Kokkola and runs to Kajaani
Kajaani
Kajaani is a town and municipality in Finland.It is the capital of the Kainuu region. It is located southeast of Oulujärvi , which drains to the Gulf of Bothnia along the Oulujoki . There are inhabitants and city surface area is of which is water. The population density is . The town is...
. Finnish highway 13 begins from Kokkola and runs through Finland into the Nuijamaa border crossing via Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä is the capital of Central Finland and the largest city on the Finnish Lakeland, north-east of Tampere and north of Helsinki, on northern coast of lake Päijänne. The city has been continuously one of the most rapidly growing cities in Finland since World War II. The city is surrounded...
and Mikkeli
Mikkeli
Mikkeli is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
. The scenic '7 Bridges Archipelago Road' (road 749) runs along the coast between Kokkola and Jakobstad
Jakobstad
Jakobstad is a town and municipality in Ostrobothnia, Finland. The town has a population of and covers a land area of . The population density is .- History :...
.
Kokkola-Pietarsaari Airport is situated 22 kilometres (13.7 mi) from Kokkola in Kronoby
Kronoby
Kronoby is a municipality of Finland.Kruunupyy is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
(Finnish: Kruunupyy). The Kokkola railway station
Kokkola railway station
Kokkola railway station is located in the town of Kokkola, Central Ostrobothnia, Finland....
is a stop along Line 7, with service between Helsinki and Kemijärvi
Kemijärvi
Kemijärvi is a municipality of Finland and the northern-most town in Finland. It is located in the province of Lapland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
via Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
and Seinäjoki
Seinäjoki
Seinäjoki is a city located in Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland. Seinäjoki originated around the Östermyra bruk iron and gunpowder factories founded in 1798. Seinäjoki became a municipality in 1868, market town in 1931 and town in 1960...
, where the fast Pendolino
Pendolino
Pendolino is an Italian family of tilting trains used in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Russian Federation, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Switzerland, China and shortly in Romania and Poland...
bullet train operates. There is no passenger ferry traffic from Kokkola.
History
The town of Kokkola was chartered in 1620 by kingMonarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
Gustav II Adolf of Sweden, when Finland was a part of the Swedish Empire
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
. Kokkola was founded as a shipping port for the tar
Tar
Tar is modified pitch produced primarily from the wood and roots of pine by destructive distillation under pyrolysis. Production and trade in tar was a major contributor in the economies of Northern Europe and Colonial America. Its main use was in preserving wooden vessels against rot. The largest...
trade. It also became an important shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
centre in Finland. As a result of tar trade and shipbuilding industry Kokkola was for a time the richest town in Finland.
An interesting historical affair, known as the Skirmish of Halkokari, occurred at the town of Kokkola in June 1854 during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
from HMS Vulture
HMS Vulture (1843)
HMS Vulture was a steam-powered wooden-hulled second-class paddle frigate of the Royal Navy. The Vulture carried 6 guns - two 8-inch guns of 95 cwt mounted on pivots at bow and stern, and four 8-inch guns of 65 cwt on broadside trucks, and had a displacement of 1,960 tons...
and HMS Odin
HMS Odin (1846)
HMS Odin was a steam-powered first-class paddle frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1846 and was used in the Baltic theatre of the Crimean War....
tried to come ashore to ransack the town, but were repelled by local defenders, of which many were civilians armed with hunting rifles. One of the 9 smaller British craft (a gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
) fell into the hands of the defenders. As such, this boat was the only Royal Navy vessel still in foreign possession in 1914. The boat is still today a museum-object and can be seen in Kokkola's English Park. The town council has refused to return the boat despite several requests by the United Kingdom, most recently by John Stuttard
John Stuttard
Sir John Boothman Stuttard is an English chartered accountant and was the Lord Mayor of the City of London in 2006/2007.-Early life:...
, the Lord Mayor of London. The British Treasury annually pays a small sum for the maintenance of nine graves of nine Royal Marines killed in action during the skirmish to the local church congregation.
The city had a Swedish-speaking majority until 1933.
In 1977, the surrounding municipality of Kaarlela was consolidated into Kokkola (Swedish until then: ). In 2009, the municipalities of Lohtaja
Lohtaja
Lohtaja is a former municipality of Finland. Lohtaja was condolidated with the city of Kokkola on 2009-01-01.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The former municipality had a population of 2,900 and covered an area of 289.26 km² of...
, Kälviä
Kälviä
Kälviä is a former municipality of Finland. Kälviä was consolidated with the city of Kokkola on 2009-01-01.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The former municipality had a population of 4,475 and covered an area of 682.36 km² of which...
and Ullava
Ullava
Ullava is a former municipality of Finland. Ullava was condolidated with the city of Kokkola on 2009-01-01.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The former municipality had a population of 1,037 and covered an area of 177.03 km² of which...
were consolidated with Kokkola.
Economy
Kokkola is the capital and only city in the region of Central OstrobothniaCentral Ostrobothnia
Central Ostrobothnia is a region in Finland. It borders to the regions Ostrobothnia, Northern Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Southern Ostrobothnia.- Historical provinces :For History, Geography and Culture see: Ostrobothnia- Municipalities :...
. The chemical industry
Chemical industry
The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials into more than 70,000 different products.-Products:...
is a major employer. An industrial area and a port is located in Ykspihlaja. OMG
OM Group
OM Group Incorporated is a metal-based chemistry firm based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was ranked #992 on the 2009 Fortune 1000. It is a provider of speciality chemicals, advanced materials and technologies.- Overview :...
has a cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
plant and Boliden
Boliden
Boliden is a locality situated in Skellefteå Municipality, Västerbotten County, Sweden with 1,515 inhabitants in 2005. It lies 28,5 kilometers from Skellefteå City....
has a zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
plant in there. Kemira
Kemira
Kemira Oyj is a chemical industry group that consists of three main segments. Kemira is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland.Kemira’s main shareholder is Oras Invest Oy and its owners, members of the Paasikivi family. Its former main owner, the State of Finland, sold the largest part of its holding...
, a chemical conglomerate, built an industrial park that is now divided between several corporations. The area has Kemira
Kemira
Kemira Oyj is a chemical industry group that consists of three main segments. Kemira is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland.Kemira’s main shareholder is Oras Invest Oy and its owners, members of the Paasikivi family. Its former main owner, the State of Finland, sold the largest part of its holding...
's own sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
plant, a Kemira GrowHow
Kemira GrowHow
Kemira GrowHow is a fertilizer producer headquartered in downtown Helsinki, Finland. Its products are sold in over 100 countries but it has market stronghold in Northern Europe. Most of the revenue comes from Western Europe, particularly from the UK and Ireland . Kemira Growhow was a division of...
site, KemFine
KemFine
KemFine Ltd. is a custom fine chemicals manufacturer, producing active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates, agrochemicals, and speciality chemicals. It has sites in Kokkola, Finland and Grangemouth, Scotland. Its headquarters are located in Helsinki, Finland.In 1984, the Finnish chemical...
's fine chemicals
Fine chemicals
Fine chemicals are pure, single chemical substances that are commercially produced with chemical reactions for highly specialized applications. Fine chemicals produced can be categorized into active pharmaceutical ingredients and their intermediates, biocides, and specialty chemicals for technical...
plant, Tetra Chemicals calcium chloride
Calcium chloride
Calcium chloride, CaCl2, is a salt of calcium and chlorine. It behaves as a typical ionic halide, and is solid at room temperature. Common applications include brine for refrigeration plants, ice and dust control on roads, and desiccation...
plant and a Nordkalk
Nordkalk
Nordkalk is a manufacturer of limestone-based products based in Finland. It operates at more than 30 different locations in 8 countries of Central and Northern Europe.-History:...
plant. In addition, industries represented in the town include metalworking, casting, textiles, plastics, food and carpentry. Largest employers are as follows:
- The city of Kokkola approx. 2,080
- Regional Central Hospital 1,140
- Boliden Kokkola (zinc) 640
- Health care centre 450
- OMG (cobalt) 375
- KPOS-GroupThe S Group is a Finnish retailing cooperative organisation, founded in 1904. It consists of 22 regional cooperatives operating all around Finland in the markets for groceries, consumer durables, service station, hotel and restaurant services, agricultural supplies, and car sales...
group (retail) 355 - Halpa-Halli (retail) 300
- KemFine (fine chemicals) 170
The port of Kokkola is located in Ykspihlaja, approximately 5 km (3 mi) from the city center, and it is one of the busiest ports in Finland. Oil, ore and limestone are imported, refined products and timber are exported, and iron ore is transited.
See also
- Kokkolan PalloveikotKokkolan PalloveikotKPV is a Finnish football club, based in Kokkola. It currently plays in the Finnish First Division . The club's manager is Jarmo Korhonen, and it plays its home matches at Kokkolan keskuskenttä....
- Gamlakarleby Bollklubb
- ÄlvkarlebyÄlvkarlebyÄlvkarleby is a locality situated in Älvkarleby Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 1,648 inhabitants in 2005. It is not the seat of the municipality, a function uphold by Skutskär 7 km to the north.- References :...
(Sweden) - NykarlebyNykarlebyNykarleby is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality is bilingual, with the majority speaking Swedish and the minority Finnish ....
External links
- City of Kokkola – Official site