Näljänkä () is a small
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
in the
Suomussalmi
Suomussalmi () is a municipality in Finland located in the Kainuu region about northeast of Kajaani, the capital of Kainuu and south of Kuusamo. The municipality has a population of
() and covers an area of of which is water. The population ...
municipality in
Kainuu
Kainuu (), also historically known as Cajania (), is one of the 19 regions of Finland (''maakunta'' / ''landskap''). Kainuu borders the regions of North Ostrobothnia, North Savo and North Karelia. In the east, it also borders Russia (Republic o ...
,
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, ...
. It is located about north of the municipal centre,
Ämmänsaari
Suomussalmi () is a municipality in Finland located in the Kainuu region about northeast of Kajaani, the capital of Kainuu and south of Kuusamo. The municipality has a population of
() and covers an area of of which is water. The population ...
, and its most important road connection is regional road 800 between
Ylivieska
Ylivieska () is a List of towns in Finland, town and Municipalities of Finland, municipality of Northern Ostrobothnia region, Finland. It has a population of (), and it serves as the administrative centre for Kalajokilaakso and Pyhäjokilaakso, a ...
and
Taivalkoski
Taivalkoski () is a municipality of Finland, it is located in the Province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region.
The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density
Pop ...
, which runs through the village.
The name of the village is of
Sámi origin, which means "
fourth". In this case, this ordinal number can mean either (''Näljänkäjärvi''), which is the fourth lake in its watershed from the main lake, or the four
swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
s surrounding the village.
The village has its own church, , which was completed in 1981; in April 2020, Suomussalmi parish put the church building up for sale. There have been three former schools in the village, which have now been closed down: Leinola school founded in 1925, Niva school founded in 1927 and Kurkikylä folk school founded in 1945. One of the transportation points of the defunct Taivalkoski line, the Leino railway station, was located east of the village.
Sources
Further reading
*
*
*
References
External links
Näljänkä's location– Fonecta
Suomussalmi
Villages in Kainuu
{{OuluProvince-geo-stub