(''Roavenjárga'' in
Northern Sami ) is the administrative
Capital and the centre of commerce of
Finland 's northernmost Province,
Lapland . It is situated close to the
Arctic Circle and between the hills of
Ounasvaara and
Korkalovaara , at the confluence of the
Kemijoki River and its tributary, the
Ounasjoki River. Due to its advantageous location it is the starting point of the
Great Arctic Highway . The city and the surrounding
Rovaniemen Maalaiskunta (Rural municipality of Rovaniemi) were merged into one on
January 1 ,
2006 . The new municipality has an area of 8 016 km&
2 and an approximate population of 60 000. It is the largest city by area in the
Northern Hemisphere and one of the largest in the world.
The word Rovaniemi has often been considered to be of Lappish origin, as "''roavve''" in Sami denotes a forested ridge or hill or the site of an old forest fire. In the dialects of southern Lapland, however, "''rova''" means a heap of stones, a rock or a group of rocks in a stretch of rapids, or even a sauna stove.
There has probably been continuous settlement in the Rovaniemi area since the
Stone Age . Periodic clearance of new land for
Agriculture and the practice of slash-and-burn cultivation began around 750-530 B.C. Artifacts found in the area suggest that an increasing number of travellers from
Karelia in the east, Häme in the south and the
Arctic Ocean coast in the north must have come there from 500 A.D. onwards. The
Sami are considered to be Lapland's own indigenous population.
The exploitation of Lapland's
Natural Resources in the
1800 s boosted Rovaniemi's growth. Extensive logging sites and gold fever attracted thousands of people to
Lapland . As the
Mining of natural resources was increased, Rovaniemi became the business centre of the Province of
Lapland .
In the
Lapland War , during the
Second World War , approximately 90% of the total property in the town was destroyed by German troops. The rebuilding of Rovaniemi began in
1946 . Several public and private buildings designed by the
Finnish architect
Alvar Aalto have been erected in the town. One example is the Administrative and Cultural Centre, which comprises the City Hall, the Lappia Hall (housing the City Theatre, Orchestra and Congress Hall), and the Provincial Library.
Because of the unspoilt nature and numerous recreational opportunities,
Tourism is an important
Industry in Rovaniemi. The city has a number of hotels and restaurants located both in the centre and on the outskirts of the town. The majority of its 35,000 inhabitants make their living in service professions.
Since Rovaniemi represents the
Capital of the Province of
Lapland , many government institutions have their offices there. It is said that out of 35,000 inhabitants, about 10,000 are students. Rovaniemi is home to not only the
University Of Lapland but also the
Rovaniemi University Of Applied Sciences , which comprises institutes of information and traditional technology, business, health and social care, culinary studies,
Forestry , rural studies and sports.
Rovaniemi's most prominent landmarks include the Jätkänkynttilä bridge with its eternal flame over the Kemijoki river, the Arktikum House which rises out of the bank of the Ounasjoki river, the Rovaniemi Town Hall, the Lappia House which serves as a theatre, concert hall and congress centre, and the library. The last three mentioned buildings are by the famous Finnish architect . Rovaniemi is also home to the world's northenmost branch of
McDonald's .
A phenomenon also attracting numerous tourists is the
Aurora Borealis or ''Northern Lights''. In
Finnish Lapland the number of auroral displays can be as high as 200 a year whereas in southern
Finland the number is usually fewer than 20.
- average temperature: + 0.2 °C
- annual rainfall: 535 mm/annum
- snow stays on the grounds 183 days a year on average
- lowest temperature ever recorded: - 51.7°C
- highest temperature ever recorded: + 30.6°C
- the midnight sun can be seen from June 6th to July 7th
(''figures 2000/2001'')
- female: 18,524
- male: 16,406
- Finnish: 35,158
- foreigners: 497
- total: 34,930
(''figures 1999'')
- primary production: 1.6 %
- manufacturing in industry: 14.9 %
- private services: 36.8 %
- public services: 44.4 %
- unknown: 2.3 %
- The popular Finnish author Jari Tervo is a native of Rovaniemi and his novels describe the town in an unforgettable manner.
- The important Finnish writer Timo K. Mukka died in Rovaniemi in 1974 .
- Snowboarder and 2005 Winter X Games gold medalist Antti Autti is a Rovaniemi native, and in April 2005 he received his own piece of land in the city for being named to the 2006 Finnish Olympic team.
- Alpine skier Tanja Poutiainen is a Rovaniemi native.
- The Black Metal band Beherit (1989-1996), formed by Arjo Wennstrom (bass), Marko Laiho (vocals/guitar), and a drummer, is from Rovaniemi.
- Heavy metal band Lordi also come from Rovaniemi, and famously played an open-air concert in the town square at midnight.
- Pop band The Supperheads is also originally from Rovaniemi.
- http://www.rovaniemi.fi - Rovaniemi's official website
- http://www.fintravel.fi - Online travel information Finland and incoming tour operator
- http://www.laplandfinland.com - Information about Finnish Lapland
- http://www.ulapland.fi - Website of the University of Lapland
- http://www.ramk.fi - Website of the Rovaniemi Polytehcnic
- Rikkinen, K. ''A Geography of Finland''. Lahti: University of Helsinki (1992)
- ''Rovaniemi: Arctic Circle - Finland''. Helsinki: Oy Sevenprint Ltd (1998)
