Kuru is a former

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, now part of the town of

Ylöjärvi Ylöjärvi () is a town and a municipality in the Pirkanmaa region, northwest of Tampere and north of the capital city Helsinki in Finland. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . ...

. Kuru is located in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Western Finland Western Finland ( fi, Länsi-Suomen lääni, sv, Västra Finlands län) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland. ...

and is part of the

Pirkanmaa Pirkanmaa (; sv, Birkaland; la, Birkaria, link=no), also known as ''Tampere Region'' in government documents, is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, South Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Päijät-Häme, Kanta-Häme an ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

. Kuru lies north of

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...

. The municipality had a population of 2,782 and covered an area of 820.48 km² of which 103.53 km² is water. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 3.4 inhabitants per km². The service industry is the primary employer for the area. Kuru was consolidated with the town of Ylöjärvi on January 1, 2009. The municipality was unilingually

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

. Approximately two-thirds of the

Seitseminen national park Seitseminen National Park ( fi, Seitsemisen kansallispuisto) is located in the municipalities of Ikaalinen and Ylöjärvi in Finland. The national park was established in 1982 and later expanded in 1989. It now covers . The park is a typical mix o ...

is located in the municipality and represents the number one attraction for the area. Eco-tourism, nature conservation, and other nature related studies occur in Seitseminen. The park has vast forests, marshlands, and ridges of preserved land. The park is a total of 4000 km². The water from the streams and river in Kuru is so clean, it is drinkable without purification. The vast majority of Kuru is either water or forest. In fact, 550 km², out of 820.48 km², of the district is covered with forests. Popular activities include canoeing, swimming, fishing, hiking, camping, backpacking and other outdoor activities. Kuru has vast natural resources including wood, water and stone. The stone is used for gravestones, building material, and memorial statues. The stone is also used for jewelry and souvenirs. The more popular variety of stone that comes from Kuru includes grey granite and "pallograniitti" ( orbicular granite), a rare variety with decorative ring-shaped forms in it. Kuru is also home to the forestry department of Tampere College (''Tampereen Ammattiopisto'' in Finnish), where they host international wilderness guide,

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

and log house building courses.

People born in Kuru

* Emanuel Kolkki (1869 – 1940) * Kalle Kaakko-oja (1875 – 1942) * Artturi Tienari (1907 – 1998) * Tauno Kovanen (1917–1986) * Seppo Lehto (born 1962)

References

External links

Official Kuru Website
(in Finnish) * Populated places disestablished in 2009 2009 disestablishments in Finland Former municipalities of Finland Ylöjärvi {{WesternFinland-geo-stub