Kirkkonummi (; , , Sweden ) is a municipality in Finland, located in the southern coast of the country. Kirkkonummi is situated in the western part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Kirkkonummi is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. Kirkkonummi is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, which has approximately million inhabitants. Kirkkonummi is situated on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland and borders Espoo, Vihti, Siuntio and Ingå. The literal translation of the Finnish name "''Kirkkonummi''" into English is “church heath”; the Swedish name "''Kyrkslätt''" translates to “church plain". Kirkkonummi is a bilingual municipality with Finnish language, Finnish and Swedish language, Swedish as its official languages. The population consists of Finnish speakers, Swedish speakers, and speakers of other languages.

Geography

The municipality is located just outside the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, bordering the city of Espoo in the east. Other neighbouring municipalities are Vihti and Siuntio. The distance from the municipal centre to central Helsinki is some . Kirkkonummi also has excellent train and bus connections to other parts of the Greater Helsinki area, and many of its inhabitants commute daily to Helsinki. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . In recent years, Kirkkonummi has faced the highest population growth rate in the country, at over 3% per annum. Veikkola Kirkkonummi

Major population centres in Kirkkonummi include the Kirkkonummen keskusta, municipal centre, Masala, Kirkkonummi, Masala, Veikkola, Kantvik and the Upinniemi naval garrison area. In addition to these, there are dozens of smaller villages. Geographically, Kirkkonummi has two famous peninsulas, namely Porkkala and Upinniemi, the latter one of which houses a major Finnish naval base. Porkkala is also on one of the main bird migration routes in the Baltic Sea region. Additionally, Kirkkonummi has a large central plains area, through which a railway goes from Helsinki to Turku as well as extensive lake areas, much of which is relatively untouched wilderness.

Climate

Kirkkonummi has a four-season humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification, Köppen: ''Dfb'') with long, cold, snowy winters, and warm summers; spring and fall are somewhat cool and brief seasons. Similar to that of Nova Scotia or Hokkaido. The monthly daily average temperatures range from in January to in July. Precipitation is well-spread throughout the year, though late spring to early summer is the driest season while late fall to winter tends to be the wettest. Its location in the very southern tip of Finland gives it a milder climate than that of northern Finland, being influenced by the North Atlantic Current and the Baltic Sea. Record temperatures range from in February, up to in July. The plant life hardiness zones are between 6a and 7a, representing an annual extreme minimum temperature between .

History

Kirkkonummi has been populated from the Stone Age to the present day as evidenced by the first Stone Age rock paintings found in Finland that are located by lake Vitträsk in the central lake region of Kirkkonummi. Incidentally, these paintings were found by the famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The southern half of the municipality was leased to the Soviet Union between 1945 and 1956 for use as a naval base as part of the peace settlement that ended the hostilities between the Soviet Union and Finland during World War II. Signs of this time include concrete bunkers, other fortifications and the remains of an airbase.

Politics

Results of the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election in Kirkkonummi: *National Coalition Party 30.7% *Social Democratic Party of Finland, Social Democratic Party 16.8% *True Finns 16.3% *Swedish People's Party 14.3% *Green League 10.1% *Centre Party (Finland), Centre Party 4.4% *Left Alliance (Finland), Left Alliance 3.6% *Christian Democrats (Finland), Christian Democrats 2.3%

Attractions

Places of interest located in Kirkkonummi include the St. Michael's Church, Kirkkonummi, medieval stone church in the municipal centre, the wooden church in the village of Haapajärvi, Kirkkonummi, Haapajärvi, as well as the Hvitträsk manor designed by Finnish architects Eliel Saarinen, Herman Gesellius and Armas Lindgren.

Notable people

* Herman Gesellius (1874–1916), architect * Jani Hakanpää (born 1992), professional ice hockey player * Laura Närhi (born 1978), pop singer * Daniela Owusu (born 2004), first Black woman to portray Saint Lucy in national celebrations * Riikka Purra (born 1977), politician * Eero Saarinen (1910–1961), architect

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kirkkonummi is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: * Sundbyberg Municipality, Sundbyberg, Sweden * Paldiski, Estonia

References

External links

Municipality of Kirkkonummi
– official website {{Authority control Kirkkonummi, Greater Helsinki Populated coastal places in Finland Populated places established in the 1330s