Virolahti

Virolahti (Swedish: Vederlax) is the southeasternmost municipality of Finland on the border of Russia. It is located in the Kymenlaakso region. The municipality has a population of 3,042 (31 December 2021)[2] and covers an area of 558.92 square kilometres (215.80 sq mi), of which 186.97 km2 (72.19 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 8.18 inhabitants per square kilometre (21.2/sq mi).

Virolahti
Vederlax
Municipality
Virolahden kunta
Vederlax kommun
Coat of arms
Location of Virolahti in Finland
Coordinates: 60°35′N 027°42′E
Country Finland
RegionKymenlaakso
Sub-regionKotka–Hamina sub-region
Government
 • Municipality managerVeli-Matti Pulli
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total558.92 km2 (215.80 sq mi)
 • Land371.95 km2 (143.61 sq mi)
 • Water186.97 km2 (72.19 sq mi)
 • Rank208th largest in Finland
Population
 (2021-12-31)[2]
 • Total3,042
 • Rank215th largest in Finland
 • Density8.18/km2 (21.2/sq mi)
Population by native language
[3]
 • Finnish95.3% (official)
 • Swedish0.5%
 • Others4.2%
Population by age
[4]
 • 0 to 1411.7%
 • 15 to 6455.3%
 • 65 or older33%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Municipal tax rate[5]20.5%
ClimateDfb
Websitewww.virolahti.fi

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Vaalimaa's border checkpoint along the European route E18 on the Finnish side in Virolahti

The Vaalimaa border crossing, which connects the municipality with Russia, is located in Virolahti.

History

Before World War I the Russian Emperor Nicholas II used to spend summers with his family in the archipelago of Virolahti with his yacht Standart, Finland being an autonomous province within the Russian Empire between 1809 and 1917.

Virolahti lost some of its area (over 100 km2 (39 sq mi)) to Soviet Union in Paris Peace Treaties, 1947, after World War II.

Villages in 1939

Villages marked with an asterisk (*) are now completely or partially on the Russian side:

Alapihlaja, Alaurpala*, Eerikkälä, Hailila, Hanski, Hellä (Heligby), Hämeenkylä (Tavastby), Häppilä, Järvenkylä, Kattilainen, Kiiskilahti* (now Kiyskinlakhti), Kirkonkylä, Klamila, Koivuniemi, Koskela*, Koskelanjoki, Kotola, Kurkela, Laitsalmi*, Länsikylä (Flonckarböle), Martinsaari* (Now Island of Maly Pogranichny), Mattila, Mustamaa, Nopala, Orslahti* (now Primorskoye), Paatio* (Båtö in Swedish, now Bolshoy Pogranitshny), Pajulahti, Pajusaari*, Pitkäpaasi* (Island of Gorniya Kamenya), Pyterlahti, Ravijoki, Ravijärvi, Reinikkala, Rännänen (Grennäs), Sydänkylä (Kallfjärd), Säkäjärvi, Tiilikkala, Vaalimaa (Vaderma), Vilkkilä, Virojoki, Yläpihlaja, Yläurpala* (now Torfjanovka).

Notable people born in Virolahti

References
  1. "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. "Preliminary population structure by area, 2021M01*-2021M12*". StatFin (in Finnish). Statistics Finland. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  3. "Population according to language and the number of foreigners and land area km2 by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  4. "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.
  5. "List of municipal and parish tax rates in 2021" (PDF). Tax Administration of Finland. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2021.

Media related to Virolahti at Wikimedia Commons


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