Ristijärvi

Ristijärvi (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈristiˌjærʋi]) is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of 1,158 (31 December 2025),^[2] which makes it the smallest municipality in Kainuu in terms of population. It covers an area of 897.93 square kilometres (346.69 sq mi) of which 62.31 km² (24.06 sq mi) is water.^[1] The population density is 1.39 inhabitants per square kilometre (3.6/sq mi). The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Country Finland

Charter1867

SeatRistijärvi (village)

Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)

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Ristijärvi
Municipality
Ristijärven kunta Ristijärvi kommun
Karppala mill along the Torvenjoki River.
Coat of arms
Location of Ristijärvi in Finland
Interactive map of Ristijärvi
Coordinates: 64°30.3′N 028°13′E
Country	Finland
Region	Kainuu
Sub-region	Kajaani
Charter	1867
Seat	Ristijärvi (village)
Government
• Municipal manager	Katri Aula
Area  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	897.93 km2 (346.69 sq mi)
• Land	835.83 km2 (322.72 sq mi)
• Water	62.31 km2 (24.06 sq mi)
• Rank	94th largest in Finland
Population  (2025-12-31)[2]
• Total	1,158
• Rank	286th largest in Finland
• Density	1.39/km2 (3.6/sq mi)
Population by native language [3]
• Finnish	96.2% (official)
• Others	3.8%
Population by age [4]
• 0 to 14	10.2%
• 15 to 64	51.3%
• 65 or older	38.5%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Website	www.ristijarvi.fi

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The municipality was founded in 1867,^[5] while the wooden church [fi], designed by Gustaf af Sillén, dates back to 1807.^[6][7] The municipality was named after the Ristijärvi lake (lit. 'Cross Lake') referring to the shape of the lake.^[8]