Simo 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 go ...

located in the province of Lapland,

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 ...

, about from the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

border. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. 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 RosenberPopul ...

is . In 2001, Simo's debt per capita was 946.39

Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

s. Simo's three largest neighbouring towns are

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: ...

( inhabitants),

Kemi Kemi (; sme, Giepma ; smn, Kiemâ; sms, Ǩeeʹmm; Swedish (historically): ''Kiemi'') is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located very near the city of Tornio and the Swedish border. The distance to Oulu is to the south and to Rovani ...

( inhabitants) and

Tornio Tornio (; sv, Torneå; sme, Duortnus ; smn, Tuárnus) is a city and municipality in Lapland, Finland. The city forms a cross-border twin city together with Haparanda on the Swedish side. The municipality covers an area of , of which is ...

( inhabitants). Some of the bigger neighbouring municipalities are

Keminmaa Keminmaa (until 1979 Kemin maalaiskunta) ( smn, Kiemâeennâm; sms, Ǩeeʹmmjânnam) is a municipality of Finland. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Geography Neighbou ...

( inhabitants) and Ii ( inhabitants).

History

Early history

The oldest residential areas of Simo are the Simonkylä and Maksniemi regions. The oldest records of human habitation within Simo is found in the village of Simonkylä, which was occupied during the 1300s. In the 1500s the population of Simo began to grow as a result of migration, the population increased especially in the villages of Simonkylä and Simoniemi. Simo was known for its large farms and fishermen.

Development over the course of time

In the 1800s the population gradually began to expand along the beaches of the

Simojoki Simojoki is a river of Finland in the region of Lapland. It flows for into the Bothnian Bay The Bothnian Bay or Bay of Bothnia (; ) is the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia, which is in turn the northern part of the Baltic Sea. The la ...

river. In the year of 1865, a large municipal reform occurred in which the municipality, named Simo, received its actual borders, even though the area had long been referred to as ''Simo'' and the residents as ''simolaiset''.

Lapland War

During the

Lapland War During World War II, the Lapland War ( fi , Lapin sota; sv, Lapplandskriget; german: Lapplandkrieg) saw fighting between Finland and Nazi Germany – effectively from September to November 1944 – in Finland's northernmost region, Lapland. ...

, the village of Maksniemi suffered serious damage. Bridges along the Simojoki river were blown up by the German forces, which is why for quite some time after the war Simojoki had to be crossed by ferry. The destruction of the connection that the bridges provided was important as it cut off the municipality of Simo from Finnish Highway Four.

Geography

Simo is situated by the

Bothnian Bay The Bothnian Bay or Bay of Bothnia (; ) is the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia, which is in turn the northern part of the Baltic Sea. The land holding the bay is still rising after the weight of ice-age glaciers has been removed, and w ...

, at the mouth of river Simojoki. In Simo there is a rural landscape and also in the planning of the centre an attempt has been made to emphasise the nature vicinity. Simo consists of many small and vital village communities. Simo's sights include Simo's Church which was completed in 1846 during the late

Empire time An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

and light infantryman place with its statues which will be a memory from the war of independence when the route goes through Simo's wildernesses.

Islands

Islands within Simo are inclusive of: * Haahka * Halttari * Harvakari * Härkäletto * Junkiletto * Koivuluoto * Korkiakari * Kuralanletto * Laitakari * Lammasletto * Leipäre * Leipäreenkrunni * Lissabon * Louekari * Montaja * Munakari * Möyly * Oravainen * Paavonletto * Palokarinletto * Paskaletto * Pensasletot * Peurankallio * Pihlajakari * Pikku-Leipäre * Pirttisaari * Rajaletto * Saapaskari * Selkäkari * Selkäkarinmatala * Tiuranen * Tiurasenkalla * Tiurasenkrunni * Tynttyrit * Vatunki * Ykskivi * Ööperit

Villages

The villages of Simo are inclusive of: * Alaniemi * Asemakylä * Hamari * Karisuvanto * Koivuoja * Maksniemi * Malininperä * Matala * Ojalanperä * Onkalonperä * Patokoski * Pömiö * Simoniemi * Simonkylä * Siperianperä * Soikko * Taininiemi * Viantie * Ylikärppä

Economy

In Simo there is no industry. In 2007–2011,

Fennovoima Fennovoima Ltd ( fi, Fennovoima Oy) is a nuclear power company established by Russian state's nuclear company Rosatom and a consortium of Finnish state-owned power and industrial companies. The company does not own any nuclear capacities; however ...

considered to build a 1,500 to 2,500 megawatt nuclear power plant in Karsikko and Laitakari.Fennovoima press release, 11 March 2008
/ref> However, Fennovoima announced in October 2011 that the power plant would be built at

Pyhäjoki Pyhäjoki (; literally the " Holy River") is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the defunct province of Oulu, which was split in two regions; Pyhäjoki is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. It is located southwest of the city of O ...

Education

Simo has three elementary schools, one secondary school and a high school. The nearest

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

is in

Notable individuals

Aarne Orjatsalo Aarne Alarik Orjatsalo (13 October 1883 – 1 January 1941) was a Finnish actor, theater manager, writer, revolutionary and soldier. He fought for the Finnish Red Guards in the 1918 Civil War and in the 1918–1919 Allied North Russia Inte ...

, actor * Esko Tavia, Mayor of Simo from 2002 - 2015 * Juha Marttila, MTK chairman *

Martti Miettunen Martti Juhani Miettunen (17 April 1907 – 19 January 2002), was a Finnish politician who served twice as Finland's prime minister, from 1961 to 1962 and again from 1975 to 1977. Miettunen was born in Simo, the son of a smallholder. He studi ...

, Minister of State, three times Prime Minister * Matti Lackman, Ph.D, principal investigator and philosopher * Seppo Lohi, Doctor of Theology * Tuomas Lohi, Mayor of

Kempele Kempele is a municipality south of the city of Oulu and south of the Oulu Airport in Northern Finland. Historically it was in the province of Oulu, but today it is in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia. The population of Kempele is () and the m ...

* Veikko Huovinen, writer (born in Simo)

References

External links

Municipality of Simo
– Official website {{Authority control Populated coastal places in Finland Populated places established in 1608 1608 establishments in Sweden