Rovaniemi 903-24
Rovaniemi (Roavenjárga in Northern Sami and Ruä'vnjargg in Skolt 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. 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 km² and an approximate population of 60,000. It is one of the largest cities in the world by area. 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. Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Rovaniemi Today 3 Facts and Figures Climate Population Employment Famous Inhabitants 4 External links and references 5 References [edit] History 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 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 onwards. The Sami are considered to be Lapland's own indigenous population. The exploitation of Lapland's natural resources in the 1800s 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 w
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Keywords: airport, architecture, arcticum, finland, museum, rovaniemi, town
