Ilomantsi

Ilomantsi (Karelian: Il'manči or Ilomančči, Swedish: Ilomants) is municipality and a village of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of 4,439 (26 October 2023)[2] and covers an area of 3,172.69 square kilometres (1,224.98 sq mi) of which 409.01 km² (157.92 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 1.61 inhabitants per square kilometre (4.2/sq mi). The most eastern point of Finland and of the continental part of the European Union is located in Ilomantsi near the village of Hattuvaara. (In the EU, only Cyprus is located further to the east.)

Ilomantsi Ilomants
Municipality
Ilomantsin kunta Ilomants kommun
Church of Saint Prophet Elijah
Coat of arms
Location of Ilomantsi in Finland
Coordinates: 62°40′N 030°56′E
Country	Finland
Region	North Karelia
Sub-region	Joensuu
Charter	1875
Government
• Municipal manager	Markku Lappalainen
Area  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	3,172.69 km2 (1,224.98 sq mi)
• Land	2,763.68 km2 (1,067.06 sq mi)
• Water	409.01 km2 (157.92 sq mi)
• Rank	19th largest in Finland
Population  (2023-10-26)[2]
• Total	4,439
• Rank	182nd largest in Finland
• Density	1.61/km2 (4.2/sq mi)
Population by native language [3]
• Finnish	96.1% (official)
• Swedish	0.3%
• Others	3.6%
Population by age [4]
• 0 to 14	8.9%
• 15 to 64	50.1%
• 65 or older	41%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Website	www.ilomantsi.fi

The nearest town is Joensuu, 72 kilometres (45 mi) away; the distance to Helsinki is 511 km (318 mi). Neighbouring municipalities are Lieksa and Joensuu. In the east, Ilomantsi shares 100 km (60 mi) long border with the Russian Republic of Karelia. The municipality is sparsely populated and is mostly characterized by forests and boglands. About 250 km² (97 sq mi) of the area is designated as natural reserves, among them the national parks Petkeljärvi and Patvinsuo. The most important bodies of water in Ilomantsi are the lakes Koitere and Nuorajärvi and the river Koitajoki. The Pampalo gold mine is located in Ilomantsi.[5][6]

The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Local words of Karelian or Russian extraction might be used in Ilomantsi. For example, the central village of the municipality is not called kirkonkylä as is usual in Finland, but pogosta (a Russian loan-word, originally pogost). Even the local newspaper is called Pogostan Sanomat, i.e. "The Pogosta News".[7]

Ilomantsi has 17.4% Orthodox minority, which is the largest percentage among Finnish municipalities. The wooden Orthodox church of Ilomantsi is the largest in Finland and is dedicated to the prophet Elijah. There are also five Orthodox chapels (tsasouna) in the municipality. The Orthodox community of Ilomantsi is more than 500 years old and counts 1,100 members.