Kuusamo (; ; ; ) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in Koillismaa, the northeastern part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of () or 14% of the area of Kuusamo is covered by water. The largest of the 166 lakes in the area are Joukamojärvi, Kiitämä, Kitka, Kurkijärvi, Kuusamojärvi, Muojärvi and Suininki. Rivers in the area include Oulankajoki, Kitkajoki, Kuusinkijoki and Pistojoki flowing eastward to the White Sea and Iijoki westward to the Gulf of Bothnia.

The area of Oulanka National Park is shared between northern Kuusamo and neighboring Salla municipality. The landscape is dominated by pine forests, Oulankajoki river and its side branches with their sandbanks and rapids, and in the northern part vast marsh areas. In the wilderness live 30 species of mammals and 120 species of birds, including brown, stone and white-tailed eagle. Wolves and lynxes are rare. Rapids in Oulankajoki include Kiutaköngäs, Taivalköngäs, Jyrävä, Niskakoski, and Myllykoski. Near the southern border with Suomussalmi is the canyon lake Julma Ölkky with cliffs up to high.

According to IQAir, Kuusamo's air quality is the cleanest in the world; small particulates are present in the air at only 0.2&nbsp;μg/m<sup>3</sup>.

Climate

The average annual temperature is 0.7&nbsp;°C, annual precipitation . The warmest month is July with an average temperature of +15.0&nbsp;°C, coldest January with −11.5&nbsp;°C. The coldest ever measured temperature was −48&nbsp;°C in Kiutaköngäs. The warmest temperature ever measured is 32,5&nbsp;°C in Välikangas. Kuusamo is one of the snowiest areas in Finland: the ground is snow-covered for about 200 days a year, from late October until mid-May, with a depth of .

The center of Kuusamo is located approximately south of the Arctic Circle, so does not technically experience midnight sun or polar night play a major role, but does experience very long days (White nights) in the summer and sees very little direct sunlight around the winter solstice . From 14 to 29 June, Kuusamo has nearly midnight sun.

Population

thumb|The Kuusamo centre

thumb|Kuusamo Market Square

thumb|A cottage at the [[Rukatunturi fell]]

On Kuusamo had inhabitants.

{| class="wikitable"

! Year !! Population

|-

| 1960 || 18,639

|-

| 1965 || 20,795

|-

| 1970 || 19,974

|-

| 1980 || 18,161

|-

| 1985 || 17,923

|-

| 1990 || 18,061

|-

| 1995 || 18,687

|-

| 2000 || 17,891

|-

| 2001 || 17,729

|-

| 2003 || 17,405

|-

| 2005 || 17,113

|-

| 2008 || 16,779

|}

Economy

The main economic activities in Kuusamo include forestry, reindeer husbandry, small industries and tourism. The unemployment rate, at 16.2% (2003) is relatively high.

In 2002 there were 248 farms in Kuusamo. Given the climatic conditions, milk and meat production have a major role, including reindeer meat from the approximately 10,000 semi-domesticated reindeer which roam the pastures in Kuusamo. The forestry and wood processing industry also employs over 1,000 people.

Tourism

right|thumb|Ruka in winter

thumb|The Ruka village

Around one million tourists visit Kuusamo annually. There are around 7,500 cottages (mökki) in Kuusamo, more than any other municipality in Finland.

Tourism income in Kuusamo on 2024 was 149 MEur (18 % of the total turnover across all industries). Tourism provided year-round employment for 649 residents of Kuusamo in 2024 (17,1 % of the total full-time equivalent jobs in the region).

The Ruka ski center, centered on the 492-metre Rukatunturi, is one of the largest in Finland with a total of 12,000 beds, five hotels and 28 restaurants. Activities include skiing, snowmobile tours and excursions with reindeer and dog sleds. Ruka benefits from a long snowy season, from October to May, and snow-how in snow making.

In summer, Kuusamo is a popular wilderness destination for fishing, kayaking and hiking. The most popular hiking trail is Bear's Ring (Karhunkierros), which runs for , mostly in the Oulanka National Park.

Transportation

thumb|left|National road 20 in Kuusamo

National highway 5 (E63) connects Kuusamo to Southern Finland. Highway 20 leads from Kuusamo to Oulu, and the main road 81 to Rovaniemi. In Suoperä at Kuusamo, there is a border crossing to Russia, opened for international traffic in 2006. In 2007, 17,000 border crossings recorded.

Kuusamo Airport is from the city center and from Ruka. It was opened in 1969 and has since been expanded several times. The airline Finnair offers daily direct flights from Helsinki, adding charter flights during the tourist season. Seasonal flights are offered by Lufthansa from Frankfurt, Edelweiss Air from Zurich and Eurowings by Dûsseldorf. In 2024, 129,373 passengers used the airport.

Culture and attractions

thumb|right|upright|The Church of Kuusamo

While Kuusamo mainly attracts visitors because of its natural environment, the city has produced little of interest in the traditional sense. Because the city center was completely destroyed in the Lapland War and then had to be rebuilt quickly and economically, Kuusamo is seen as largely uninteresting from an architectural point of view. In contrast - at least considering the small population - the cultural life of the city is relatively lively.

The Kuusamo Hall in the town center, completed in 1996, acts as a convention and cultural center. In it one can find regular musical and theatrical performances as well as changing art exhibitions. The Kuusamo Local History Museum is an outdoor museum that has been established on a historic farm. Additionally, a school museum is set up in the old school of Kirkkoketo.

The church in the center of Kuusamo was built in 1951. It stands on the site of the old wooden church from 1802, which was burnt down in 1944 Lapland War by German troops. At that time German soldiers buried the two church bells (one endowed to the church by Charles XI of Sweden in 1698, and the other originating from the year 1721) in the cemetery to secure them from the advancing Soviet troops. The bells were considered lost until 1959, when the former German regimental commander visited Kuusamo and revealed the location of the buried bells. Today these same bells are housed in the rebuilt church.

Sports

thumb|Rukatunturi ski jumping hill

Kuusamo is the venue of several international winter sports competitions. In Ruka skiing there is a stadium with the Rukatunturi-hill (HS142) and a smaller-K64 ski jumping hill and lighted trails and a biathlon facility. Since 2002, the World Cup kick-off in ski jumping and Nordic combined and cross country skiing World Cup races in Ruka Nordic Opening in late November at a joint event in Kuusamo. In 2024 Ruka Nordic hosted nearly 30,000 spectators.

International relations

Twin towns—Sister cities

Kuusamo is twinned with:

  • Hørning Municipality, Denmark
  • Avesta Municipality, Sweden
  • Askøy Municipality, Norway
  • Loukhsky District, Russia

Notable people

  • Alexander Kuoppala, former Children Of Bodom guitarist
  • Enni Rukajärvi, slopestyle snowboarder and 2014 Winter Olympics silver medalist
  • Karoliina Honkala, Finnish chemist
  • Anssi Koivuranta, ski-jumper, former Nordic combined athlete
  • Pirkko Määttä, cross-country skier
  • Jarkko Oikarinen, developer of IRC
  • Kalevi Oikarainen, cross-country skier
  • Veikko Törmänen, visual artist
  • Meeri Koutaniemi, photographer

References

  • Town of Kuusamo – Official website
  • Ruka, ski resort in Kuusamo