Harjavalta
Harjavalta | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Harjavallan kaupunki Harjavalta stad | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Harjavalta in Finland | |
| Coordinates: 61°19′0″N 22°08′1″E / 61.31667°N 22.13361°E | |
| Country |  Finland |
| Region | Satakunta |
| Sub-region | Pori sub-region |
| Charter | 1869 |
| Market town | 1968 |
| Town privileges | 1977 |
| Government | |
| • Town manager | Hannu Kuusela |
| Area (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 127.74 km2 (49.32 sq mi) |
| • Land | 123.48 km2 (47.68 sq mi) |
| • Water | 4.28 km2 (1.65 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 288th largest in Finland |
| Elevation | 38 m (125 ft) |
| Population (2024-08-31)[2] | |
• Total | 6,679 |
| • Rank | 136th largest in Finland |
| • Density | 54.09/km2 (140.1/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 94.9% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.2% |
| • Others | 4.9% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 13.6% |
| • 15 to 64 | 54.2% |
| • 65 or older | 32.2% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Climate | Dfc |
| Website | www.harjavalta.fi |
Harjavalta is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Satakunta region. The town has a population of 6,679 (31 August 2024)[2] and covers an area of 127.74 square kilometres (49.32 sq mi) of which 4.28 km2 (1.65 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 54.09 inhabitants per square kilometre (140.1/sq mi).
Today people in the town are employed in the copper and nickel smelting industries. Today's most used metal recovery method, the flash smelting method, was developed at Harjavalta and implemented in 1949. Originally part of Outokumpu, a Finnish company, the copper business is now owned by Boliden and the nickel business by Norilsk Nickel.
Hiittenharju is a ridge in Harjavalta, known for its archaeology and cultural history. The banks of the ancient Litorina Sea lies on the fringes of the Hiittenharju ridge. In the Hiittenharju area Bronze Age graves, called barrows, have been discovered, and there is also a historical route called Huovintie running through Hiittenharju.
The river Kokemäenjoki river runs through the town.
The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
History
Earliest signs of habitation on the area have been dated to 1200 BC. Various different writings of the name in documents of the 15th century at the Turku Cathedral are Harianwalta, Hariawalta, Hariaualdastha, Harianwaltha ja Harianwaltaby. The name is supposed to originate from the speculative Proto Germanic name *Harjawaldaz, composed of the speculative words *harjaz ("army") and *waldaz ("authority"). It is believed that either a person named Harjawaldaz or a warrior band settled or lived in the area. The earliest known written occurrence of the name is from Tacitus on the first century, Chariovalda.[6] Different adoptions of the same name are Harald, Hérault and Harold, but Harjavalta is closest to the reconstructed original.
Politics
Results of the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election in Harjavalta:
- Social Democratic Party 27.1%
- True Finns 21.2%
- Left Alliance 19.9%
- National Coalition Party 15.7%
- Centre Party 9.9%
- Christian Democrats 3.5%
- Green League 2.3%
Town twinning
Harjavalta is twinned with:
References
- ^ a b "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Finland's preliminary population figure was 5,625,011 at the end of August 2024". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-09-24. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
- ^ "Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-04-26. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "Population according to age (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ Tacitus, The Annals 2.11
External links
Media related to Harjavalta at Wikimedia Commons
- Town of Harjavalta – Official website
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