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Hailuoto (; sv, Karlö) is a Finnish island in the northern Baltic Sea and a municipality in
Northern Ostrobothnia North Ostrobothnia ( fi, Pohjois-Pohjanmaa; sv, Norra Österbotten) is a region of Finland. It borders the Finnish regions of Lapland, Kainuu, North Savo, Central Finland and Central Ostrobothnia, as well as the Russian Republic of Karelia. T ...
region. The population of Hailuoto is (), which make it the smallest municipality in Northern Ostrobothnia and the former
Oulu Province The Province of Oulu ( fi, Oulun lääni, sv, Uleåborgs län) was a province of Finland from 1775 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Lapland, Western Finland and Eastern Finland and also the Gulf of Bothnia and Russia. History ''For Histo ...
in terms of population. The municipality covers an area of (excluding sea areas) of which is inland water (). The population density is . Of all the Finnish sea islands, Hailuoto is the third largest after
Fasta Åland Fasta Åland ( fi, Manner-Ahvenanmaa or , meaning mainland Åland) is the largest and most populous island of Åland, an autonomous province of Finland. The island is home to the provincial capital Mariehamn. About ninety percent of the archipela ...
and Kimitoön. Hailuoto lies opposite the city of
Oulu Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after: ...
in the
Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; fi, Pohjanlahti; sv, Bottniska viken) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the Sweden's east coast (West ...
. The distance between Oulu and Hailuoto is , and the sea area between them is called ''Luodonselkä'' (literally "open water of the islet"). Land in the region is constantly rising due to post-glacial rebound. It is estimated that the first parts of Hailuoto appeared from the Baltic Sea about 1700 years ago. The current island of Hailuoto was formed from many smaller islands. Two large sections, Santonen and Hanhinen merged into the main island (Luoto) only about two centuries ago. The island is continuously expanding and eventually it will join with the continent. Kirkkosalmi, a wetland region between Hanhinen and Luoto is renowned for being an important bird refuge where rare bird species are observed. The theme of the coat of arms of Hailuoto describes the economy of the island municipality; the explanation of the coat of arms is "in a blue field with a silver rowlock." The coat of arms was designed by Teuvo-Pentti Pakkala and approved by the Hailuoto Municipal Council at its meeting on 28 April 1966. The Ministry of the Interior approved the use of the coat of arms on 19 December of the same year.


History

The permanent settlement of Hailuoto apparently began in the 12th century. Residents came from many directions, especially from
Karelia Karelia ( Karelian and fi, Karjala, ; rus, Каре́лия, links=y, r=Karélija, p=kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə, historically ''Korjela''; sv, Karelen), the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for ...
. The
Swedes Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countr ...
, who competed for its fishing waters, gave the island the name ''Karelö'' (which was transformed into ''Karlö''), which means freely translated "Karelian Island". The first permanent residents of Hailuoto were mostly from Western Finland, but some also came from Eastern Finland. In 1548 there were 43 houses on the island, and by 1570 the number of houses had grown to 60. Queen Christina of Sweden donated the entire island of Hailuoto in 1652 to Colonel
Berndt Taube Taube is an ancient Baltic noble family, originally from Denmark, Jutland whose earlier roots can be traced from Westphalia, Germany. History The family historic references: Engelke Tuve (Taube) 1373 Danish vassal in Estonia. Another branch ...
, from whose heirs it was returned to the crown in 1675.Hannu Tarmio, Pentti Papunen & Kalevi Korpela: ''Suomenmaa 1: maantieteellis-yhteiskunnallinen tieto- ja hakuteos'', p. 217–220. Porvoo-Helsinki: WSOY, 1967. (in Finnish) Hailuoto first belonged to the high parish of Saloinen (nowadays part of Raahe), from which it separated into an independent parish in 1587. The church, built in 1610–1620, was for a long time the oldest wooden church in use in Finland until it burned down in 1968. The current church was completed in 1972. During the Great Famine of 1695–1697, 88 inhabitants of Hailuoto died. During the Great Northern War (1713–1721), 200
Cossacks The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...
of the Tsardom of Russia killed about 800 people in Hailuoto with axes on 29 September 1714. Many of the victims had sought protection on the island, as Hailuoto had a population of less than 300 at that time. The bloodshed done overnight was the greatest of the Great Northern War. According to tradition, the bells of Hailuoto Church were drowned in Lake Kirkonjärvi during the Great Northern War, where they were never found again.


Geography and nature

Hailuoto is the largest island in the
Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; fi, Pohjanlahti; sv, Bottniska viken) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the Sweden's east coast (West ...
, consisting of four parts, Luoto, Santonen, Hanhinen and Syökari. They were still separated a couple of centuries ago until they joined together as a result of crustal rebound. The young surface forms of the island are shaped throughout by
sea wave In fluid dynamics, a wind wave, water wave, or wind-generated water wave, is a surface wave that occurs on the free surface of bodies of water as a result from the wind blowing over the water surface. The contact distance in the direction o ...
s, currents, ice thrust and wind. The soil consists of sandy materials, which are partly derived from clay sandstone, which is called The formation of Muhos extends to Hailuoto. A 15-kilometer-long grayling ridge runs through the island from Hyypänmäki to Marjaniemi in a north-east-southwest direction. In the eastern parts of Hyypänmäki, the
meltwater Meltwater is water released by the melting of snow or ice, including glacial ice, tabular icebergs and ice shelves over oceans. Meltwater is often found in the ablation zone of glaciers, where the rate of snow cover is reducing. Meltwater can be ...
of the glacier has broken up the sand into a plateau almost two kilometers wide. In the central parts, Harju runs only a few ten-meter-wide high ridges, but spreads west from Isomäki again. The quarry Marjaniemi tip is a wear residue of the heart of the ridge. The highest point is Hyypänmäki which is about 31 meters above sea level. There are also rocks in the Hyypänmäki area, which are later covered with
dry quicksand Dry quicksand is loose sand whose bulk density is reduced by blowing air through it and which yields easily to weight or pressure. It acts similarly to normal quicksand, but it does not contain any water and does not operate on the same principle ...
. The rocks show that the waves washed the shores of the islands, but the cliff ramparts also show that the drift ice pushed violently against the shores. Aerial sand dikes and shore dikes are a special feature that characterizes the surface forms of Hailuoto, especially on the north and west coasts. The most diverse part of Hailuoto's vegetation is spread on the shores, especially in the coastal meadows of sheltered coves. In forest nature, dry
pine barren Pine barrens, pine plains, sand plains, or pineland areas occur throughout the U.S. from Florida to Maine (see Atlantic coastal pine barrens) as well as the Midwest, West, and Canada and parts of Eurasia. Perhaps the most well known pine-barren ...
s are well represented. Extensive lichen fabrics are particularly characteristic. Hailuoto, a bird research site, has a long tradition. Waterfowl are most abundant in meadows, extensive
shallows ''Shallows'' (1984) is a novel by Australian author Tim Winton. It won the 1984 Miles Franklin Award, and was the 1985 joint winner of Western Australian Premier's Book Award - Fiction. Carolyn See called it "a dark masterpiece that ranks with ' ...
, reefs and lush bays. The highlight of the fall is the migration of
swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...
s, which culminates in one and a half thousand birds resting on the shores. In November 2019, a rare phenomenon was observed on the shores of
Marjaniemi Marjaniemi ( sv, Marudd) is a seaside residential area in eastern Helsinki, Finland, with a population of approximately 2,000. Administratively it forms a quarter in the neighbourhood of Vartiokylä. Marjaniemi is a sought-after neighborhood, and ...
in Hailuoto, when thousands of "egg-shaped"
sea ice Sea ice arises as seawater freezes. Because ice is less dense than water, it floats on the ocean's surface (as does fresh water ice, which has an even lower density). Sea ice covers about 7% of the Earth's surface and about 12% of the world's oce ...
had accumulated on the shore. BBC Weather expert George Goodfellow explained the reason for the phenomenon: "The general picture is that they form from pieces of larger ice sheet which then get jostled around by waves, making them rounder. They can grow when sea water freezes on to their surfaces and this also helps to make them smoother. So the result is a ball of smooth ice which can then get deposited on to a beach, either blown there or getting left there when the tide goes out."


Islands

* Hailuoto (main island) * Hoikanriisi * Isomatala * Kengänkari * Mustakivi * Santosenkari * Pikku-Hoikka * Ulkoriisi * Ulkolaidanmatala * Väliteonkarit


Villages

* Järventakusta * Hailuoto * Koivukylä * Marjaniemi * Ojakylä * Pöllä * Ulkokarvo * Vaski


Services

In the center village of Hailuoto there is a
comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...
, two grocery stores (
K-Market sv, Kesko Abp , logo = Kesko logo.svg , logo_size = 150px , type = Julkinen osakeyhtiö , traded_as = , foundation = , location_city = Helsinki , location_country = Finland , key_people = Mikko Helander (President and CEO), Esa Kii ...
and Sale), a bank (
Osuuspankki OP Financial Group is one of the largest financial companies in Finland. It consists of 180 cooperative banks and their central organization. “OP” stands for “osuuspankki” in Finnish, literally meaning “cooperative bank”. The financi ...
), a barber shop and a filling station (SEO). The Arctic Light House Hotel for tourists is located right next to the
Marjaniemi Lighthouse Marjaniemi Lighthouse ( fi, Marjaniemen majakka) is a lighthouse located in the village of Marjaniemi at the westernmost point of Hailuoto island on the Gulf of Bothnia. The lighthouse is located approximately west of Oulu. The lighthouse was ...
.


Religion

According to the 2018 regional division, the only parishes in the municipality are the Hailuoto Parish of the
Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland ( fi, Suomen evankelis-luterilainen kirkko; sv, Evangelisk-lutherska kyrkan i Finland) is a national church of Finland. It is part of the Lutheran branch of Christianity. The church has a legal position ...
and the Oulu Orthodox Parish of the Finnish Orthodox Church. Of the revival movements within the church, Conservative Laestadianism operates in the locality, which has the Hailuoto Peace Association (''Hailuodon Rauhanyhdistys'').


Culture

The entire island of Hailuoto is classified as one of Finland's nationally significant built cultural environments. The unique landscape and natural conditions have made Hailuoto, the largest island in the Bay of Bothnia, one of Finland's national landscapes.


Food

In the 1980s, fish potatoes made from European whitefish were named traditional food of the Hailuoto parish.


Transportation

A ferry operates regularly between Hailuoto and Oulu's suburb of Oulunsalo. In winter an official ice road, approximately long, connects the island to the mainland. The main road on the island is the regional road 816, which continue to the mainland towards the Kempele municipality via a ferry connection. Hailuoto also has a small airfield, Hailuoto Airfield, about south of central village. A 8.4 km fixed link to connect Hailuoto to the mainland, consisting of a causeway with two 750 m bridges, was approved in 2015. Due to environmental litigation, as of 2022 construction has yet to start.


Notable people

*
Henry Askeli Philip Henry Askeli (March 24, 1886 – March 13, 1962) was a Finnish American draftsman, labor activist and therapist. Askeli was born on the island of Hailuoto in North Ostrobothnia, Finland; his parents were John (Juho) Askeli Jr. (1861&nda ...
(1886–1962), Finnish American journalist and labor activist *
Yrjö Karilas Yrjö Antero Karilas (3 January 1891 – 7 June 1982) was a Finnish writer. He is most known for his ''Pikkujättiläinen'' book series. Short biography Yrjö Karilas was born at Hailuoto on 3 January 1891. He passed his Matriculation examina ...
(1891–1982), writer


See also

*
Hiidenniemi beacon tower Hiidenniemi beacon tower () was a historic daymark tower on the northern coast of Hailuoto island in Gulf of Bothnia in Finland. The structure was located at the northernmost point of the island, a minor promontory named Hiidenniemi. The structu ...


References


External links

*
hailuototourism.fiMunicipality of Hailuoto
– Official site *



{{Authority control Finnish islands in the Baltic Landforms of North Ostrobothnia Ramsar sites in Finland Seaside resorts in Finland Cultural heritage