Kristinestad (; ; ; ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, located on the west coast of the country. Kristinestad is situated in Ostrobothnia, along the

Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; ; ) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the northern part of Sweden's east coast ( West Bothnia an ...

. The population of Kristinestad is approximately , while the sub-region has a population of approximately . It is the most populous

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

in Finland. Kristinestad is located in the western part of Finland on the shore of the

Bothnian Sea The Bothnian Sea (; ) links the Bothnian Bay (also called the Bay of Bothnia) with the Baltic Sea, Baltic proper. Kvarken is situated between the two. Together, the Bothnian Sea and Bay make up a larger geographical entity, the Gulf of Bothnia, ...

. Kristinestad covers an area of (excluding sea areas) of which is inland water. The population density is . Kristinestad is a

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...

municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. The population consists of Finnish speakers, Swedish speakers, and speakers of other languages. The Finnish name "Kristiinankaupunki" is the longest municipality name currently in use in Finland. In the vernacular, locally and on some maps, the town itself is known only as "Kristiina".

History

The town was chartered in 1649 by Per Brahe the Younger at Koppö island and is named for Queen Christina of Sweden.Get to known the town: Urban traditions since 1649 – Visit Kristinestad
/ref> Kristinestad is known for its old town with low wooden houses and narrow alleys. In April, 2011, Kristinestad became Finland's first Cittaslow community.Kristiinankaupunki on Suomen ensimmäinen ja ainut Cittaslow-kaupunki, eli virallisesti leppoisa (in Finnish)
/ref>

Geography

Climate

Kristinestad has a continental

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

('' Dfc).''

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kristinestad is twinned with: * Sala, Sweden * Novello, Italy

Gallery

File:Kristinestad church.jpg, Ulrica Eleonora church in central Kristinestad. File:A sunset at the town of Kristiinankaupunki Finland.jpg, During twilight over the town bay and the silhouette. File:Kristiinakaupunki.jpg, Summer market of Kristinestad in 1989. File:Kristinestad town hall.jpg,

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

(1865)

References

External links

* *
Official website
Cities and towns in Finland Populated coastal places in Finland Municipalities of Ostrobothnia (administrative region) Grand Duchy of Finland Populated places established in 1649 1649 establishments in Sweden {{WesternFinland-geo-stub