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Location Information:
Rovaniemi is a city and municipality
of Finland. It is the administrative
capital and commercial centre of
Finland's northernmost province,
Lapland. It is situated close to the
Arctic Circle and is between the
hills of Ounasvaara and Korkalovaara,
at the confluence of the Kemijoki
River and its tributary, the
Ounasjoki. The city and the
surrounding Rovaniemen maalaiskunta
(Rural municipality of Rovaniemi)
were consolidated into a single
entity on January 1, 2006. The new
municipality has an area of 8,017.19
square kilometres (3,095.45 sq mi)
and an approximate population of
60,000. It is one of the largest
cities in the world by area – though
much of it is covered by forests.
Because of the unspoiled nature and
numerous recreational opportunities,
tourism is an important industry in
Rovaniemi. The city has a number of
hotels and restaurants located both
in the center and on the outskirts
of the town.
Since
Rovaniemi represents the capital of
the Province of Lapland, many
government institutions have their
offices there. About 10,000 of the
inhabitants are students. Rovaniemi
is home to not only the University
of Lapland but also the Rovaniemi
University of Applied Sciences
(formerly known as the Rovaniemi
Polytechnic), which comprises
institutes of information and
traditional technology, business,
health and social care, culinary
studies, forestry, rural studies and
sports. Local newspapers include the
Lapin Kansa, Uusi Rovaniemi and ROI-press.
Rovaniemi's most prominent landmarks
include the Jätkänkynttilä bridge
with its eternal flame over the
Kemijoki river, the Arktikum House
which rises out of the bank of the
Ounasjoki river, the Rovaniemi Town
Hall, the Lappia House which serves
as a theatre, concert hall and
congress centre, and the library.
The last three mentioned buildings
are by the famous Finnish architect
Alvar Aalto. Claimed to be the
residence of Santa Claus, Santa
Claus Village and Santapark, is
located 8 km north of the centre.
Rovaniemi is also home to the
world's most northern branch of
McDonald's. The Arktikum is a very
comprehensive museum of Finland's
and the world's Arctic regions.
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