Pertunmaa () is a

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 ...

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 Bot ...

located in the

Southern Savonia South Savo (or Southern Savonia; fi, Etelä-Savo; sv, Södra Savolax) is a region in the south-east of Finland. It borders the regions of North Savo, North Karelia, South Karelia, Kymenlaakso, Päijät-Häme, and Central Finland. The total are ...

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 ...

. The municipality has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of () and covers an area of of which is

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...

. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

is . Neighbour municipalities are Hartola,

Heinola Heinola () is a town and a municipality of inhabitants () located in the eastern part of the Päijänne Tavastia region, Finland, near the borders of the South Savonia region and the Kymenlaakso region. It is the third largest municipality in ...

, Hirvensalmi,

Mäntyharju Mäntyharju (, literally 'Pine Ridge') is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The coastline is almost . The population de ...

and

Joutsa Joutsa is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Finland region. Jyväskylä is located about north of the Joutsa municipality. The municipality has a population of () and cov ...

. Pertunmaa became an independent municipality in 1926 when it was separated from Mäntyharju. Hartola's old wooden church was moved to Pertunmaa and it was inaugurated in

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 ...

. The

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

of the

is Finnish.

Culture

Pertunmaan kirkko - Kirkkotie 2a - Pertunmaa - 1

It's said that Pertunmaa's culture is mixed with two regions:

and Päijänne Tavastia. Also, '' Itä-Häme'' (literally " East Tavastia") newspaper is also distributed in Pertunmaa. According to a common legend in the locality, Pertunmaa is named after a man called Perttu, who once ruled the whole of Pertunmaa (literally the "land of Perttu") alone. The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the municipality, the explanation of which is “a golden flame in a red field with a black ear,” has its origins in the

slash-and-burn cultivation Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area. The downed vegeta ...

in ancient times. The coat of arms, designed by Tapio Vallioja, was approved at a meeting of the Pertunmaa Municipal Council on April 14, 1965, and the coat of arms was officially approved for use by the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

on July 1 of that year. In the 1980s,

blodpalt Blodpalt (in Swedish) or ( fi, veripalttu lv, asins pankūkas) is an old-fashioned dish still fairly common in northern Finland and parts of northern Sweden. The dish's history goes back to a time when the households carefully made use of all pa ...

called ''Kisko'', and ''Rieska'' breads baked from rye flour,

cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

and

sour cream Sour cream (in North American English, Australian English and New Zealand English) or soured cream (British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial cultu ...

, which are baked with

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&n ...

leaves, were named Pertunmaa's traditional dishes.

Villages

Pertunmaa's

church village Church Village ( cy, Pentre'r Eglwys) is a large village in the historic parish and community of Llantwit Fardre, located within the Taff Ely district of the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales. The village is centrally located being ...

(''Pertunmaan kirkonkylä'') and Kuortti are the largest and most populous villages of the municipality. Other smaller villages are Hartosenpää, Hölttä, Joutsjärvi, Karankamäki, Kuhajärvi, Kälkyttä, Lihavanpää, Mansikkamäki, Nipuli and Ruorasmäki.

Notable people

* Jari Leppä, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry * Vesa Törnroos, a sports shooter * Kari Uotila, a politician

References

External links

Municipality of Pertunmaa
– Official website, ''english, finnish and russian languages'' {{SouthernSavonia Populated places established in 1926