North Ostrobothnia
Region of Finland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
North Ostrobothnia[2] (Finnish: Pohjois-Pohjanmaa; Swedish: Norra Österbotten) is a region of Finland. It borders the Finnish regions of Lapland, Kainuu, North Savo, Central Finland and Central Ostrobothnia, as well as the Russian Republic of Karelia. The easternmost corner of the region between Lapland, Kainuu and the Russian border is known as Koillismaa ("North-East Finland").[3]
North Ostrobothnia
| |
|---|---|
| Region of North Ostrobothnia Pohjois-Pohjanmaan maakunta Landskapet Norra Österbotten | |
North Ostrobothnia on a map of Finland | |
| Coordinates: 65°N 026°E | |
| Country | Finland |
| Historical province | Ostrobothnia |
| Capital | Oulu |
| Other towns | Haapajärvi, Haapavesi, Ii, Kalajoki, Kempele Kuusamo, Nivala, Oulainen, Pudasjärvi, Raahe and Ylivieska |
| Area | |
• Total | 37,149.23 km2 (14,343.40 sq mi) |
| Population (2023) | |
• Total | 418,212 |
| • Density | 11.2576/km2 (29.1571/sq mi) |
| GDP | |
| • Total | €12.502 billion (2015) |
| • Per capita | €30,779 (2015) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | FI-14 |
| NUTS | 1A2 |
| Regional song | Kymmenen Virran Maa (The Land of Ten Mighty Streams) |
| Regional animal | Stoat (Mustela erminea) |
| Regional bird | Common crane (Grus grus) |
| Regional fish | Common whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) |
| Regional flower | Marsh Labrador tea (Rhododendron tomentosum) |
| Regional rock | Schist |
| Regional lake | Lake Pyhäjärvi |
| Website | www |
Historical provinces
Municipalities
The region of North Ostrobothnia consists of 30 municipalities, 11 of which have city status (marked in bold).
Map of municipalities
Sub-regions
List of municipalities

| Coat of arms |
Municipality | Population | Land area (km2) |
Density (/km2) |
Finnish speakers |
Swedish speakers |
Other speakers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alavieska | 2,384 | 252 | 9 | 98 % | 0 % | 2 % | |
| Haapajärvi | 6,441 | 766 | 8 | 98 % | 0 % | 2 % | |
| Haapavesi | 6,298 | 1,050 | 6 | 96 % | 0 % | 4 % | |
| Hailuoto | 912 | 206 | 4 | 98 % | 0 % | 2 % | |
| Ii | 9,755 | 1,616 | 6 | 99 % | 0.2 % | 1 % | |
| Kalajoki | 12,155 | 924 | 13 | 96 % | 0.4 % | 4 % | |
| Kempele | 19,702 | 110 | 179 | 98 % | 0.1 % | 2 % | |
| Kuusamo | 14,800 | 4,979 | 3 | 95 % | 0.3 % | 5 % | |
| Kärsämäki | 2,324 | 697 | 3 | 98 % | 0 % | 2 % | |
| Liminka | 10,116 | 637 | 16 | 99 % | 0.1 % | 1 % | |
| Lumijoki | 2,018 | 214 | 9 | 96 % | 0 % | 4 % | |
| Merijärvi | 1,031 | 230 | 4 | 99 % | 0 % | 0 % | |
| Muhos | 8,767 | 785 | 11 | 98 % | 0 % | 2 % | |
| Nivala | 10,300 | 527 | 20 | 98 % | 0 % | 2 % | |
| Oulainen | 6,832 | 588 | 12 | 97 % | 0 % | 3 % | |
| Oulu | 217,469 | 2,972 | 73 | 93 % | 0.2 % | 7 % | |
| Pudasjärvi | 7,168 | 5,639 | 1 | 98 % | 0.2 % | 2 % | |
| Pyhäjoki | 2,938 | 543 | 5 | 96 % | 0 % | 4 % | |
| Pyhäjärvi | 4,551 | 1,310 | 3 | 97 % | 0 % | 3 % | |
| Pyhäntä | 1,678 | 810 | 2 | 89 % | 0 % | 11 % | |
| Raahe | 23,413 | 1,014 | 23 | 95 % | 0.1 % | 5 % | |
| Reisjärvi | 2,476 | 474 | 5 | 99 % | 0 % | 1 % | |
| Sievi | 4,585 | 786 | 6 | 94 % | 0.2 % | 6 % | |
| Siikajoki | 4,723 | 1,055 | 4 | 98 % | 0 % | 2 % | |
| Siikalatva | 4,861 | 2,173 | 2 | 98 % | 0 % | 2 % | |
| Taivalkoski | 3,555 | 2,438 | 1 | 97 % | 0 % | 3 % | |
| Tyrnävä | 6,470 | 492 | 13 | 99 % | 0.2 % | 1 % | |
| Utajärvi | 2,399 | 1,669 | 1 | 98 % | 0 % | 2 % | |
| Vaala | 2,544 | 1,302 | 2 | 98 % | 0 % | 2 % | |
| Ylivieska | 15,274 | 570 | 27 | 97 % | 0.2 % | 3 % | |
| Total | 417,939 | 36,830 | 11 | 95 % | 0.2 % | 5 % |
Demographics
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1990 | |
| 1995 | |
| 2000 | |
| 2005 | |
| 2010 | |
| 2015 | |
| 2020 | |
| 2025 |
Politics
For parliamentary elections, the regions of North Ostrobothnia and Kainuu form the Oulu constituency. As of 2023, the constituency elects 18 of the 200 members of the Parliament of Finland.[5]