Kymenlaakso

Kymenlaakso Kymenlaakson maakunta landskapet Kymmenedalen
Region
Coat of arms
Kymenlaakso on a map of Finland
Country	Finland
Historical province	Uusimaa, Karelia, Tavastia
Former provinces	Viborg and Nyslott County Kymmenegård and Nyslott County Viipuri Province Province of Kymi Southern Finland Province
Capital	Kotka and Kouvola
Area
• Total	5,595.36 km2 (2,160.38 sq mi)
Population  (2019)
• Total	174,167
• Density	31/km2 (81/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 code	FI-09
NUTS	186
Regional bird	Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
Regional flower	Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus)
Website	www.kymenlaakso.fi

Kymenlaakso (literally Kymi Valley) (Swedish: Kymmenedalen) is a region in Finland. It borders the regions of Uusimaa, Päijät-Häme, South Savo and South Karelia and Russia (Leningrad Oblast). Its name means literally The Valley of River Kymijoki. Kymijoki is one of the biggest rivers in Finland with a drainage basin with 11% of the area of Finland. The city of Kotka with 55,000 inhabitants is located at the delta of River Kymijoki and has the most important import harbour in Finland. Other cities are Kouvola further in the inland which has after a municipal merger 88,000 inhabitants and the old bastion town Hamina.

Kymenlaakso was one of the first industrialized regions of Finland. It became the most important region for paper and pulp industry in Finland. Since the late 1900s many plants have closed, which has caused some deindustrialization, unemployment and population decline in Kymenlaakso, especially in those communes that were built around plants such as Myllykoski in Kouvola.

Seal of Kymi district, year 1642

Historical provinces

For history, geography and culture see: Uusimaa, Karelia and Tavastia

Municipalities

Main article: Municipalities of Kymenlaakso

The region of Kymenlaakso is made up of seven municipalities, of which three have city status (marked in bold).

Kotka-Hamina Sub-region:

• Kotka (54,849)
• Hamina (21,249)
• Pyhtää (5,360)
• Virolahti (3,438)
• Miehikkälä (2,165)

Kouvola Sub-region:

• Kouvola (86,943)
• Iitti (6,959)

Former municipalities:

• Kuusankoski
• Elimäki
• Anjala
• Haapasaari
• Kymi
• Karhula
• Anjalankoski
• Valkeala
• Jaala
• Vehkalahti

Politics

Results of the 2019 Finnish parliamentary election in Kymenlaakso:

• Social Democratic Party 24.73%
• Finns Party 20.93%
• National Coalition Party 18.21%
• Centre Party 11.64%
• Green League 8.64%
• Left Alliance 6.34%
• Christian Democrats 4.85%
• Movement Now 1.83%
• Blue Reform 1.68%
• Seven Star Movement 0.33%
• Other parties 0.82%

Gallery

• 
  A general view of Kotka town centre
• 
  Kymijoki River
• 
  Hamina Town Hall
• 
  Österviken Bay in the Gulf of Finland, Pyhtää
• 
  Inkeroinen church in Kouvola
• 
  Haukkavuori Tower, Kotka
• 
  Arboretum Mustila in Kouvola, the biggest and oldest one in Finland
• 
  Ships in Kotka harbour
• 
  A view from the round streets of Hamina
• 
  Anjala church, Kouvola
• 
  Sunila Factory; Kymenlaakso has a strong tradition of pulp mills
• 
  Anjala Manor, Kouvola
• 
  Architecture in Kotka
• 
  Bastions in Hamina
• 
  Kuusankoski church in Kouvola
• 
  Old harbour in Kotka with the Maritime Centre Vellamo during Meripäivät, an annual sea-related festival in Kotka
• 
  Kaunissaari, an island in Pyhtää
• 
  Repovesi National Park, Kouvola
• 
  Kymi church in Kotka
• 
  A view from Verla mill village in Kouvola
• 
  Kouvola Town Hall
• 
  The orthodox St. Peter-Paul Church in Hamina
• 
  Ahvenkoski Rapids in Kymijoki River, Pyhtää
• 
  A cannon from Salpa Line, Miehikkälä
• 
  The Rapakivi granite found especially in Virolahti was used in great measures to build the city of St Petersburg
• 
  Motor racing circuit KymiRing in Iitti, Kausala

External links

• Regional Council of Kymenlaakso