Puumala

Puumala (Finnish: [ˈpuːmɑlɑ]) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of 2,096 (26 October 2023)[6] and covers an area of 1,237.75 square kilometres (477.90 sq mi) of which 443.17 km² (171.11 sq mi) is water.[2] The population density is 2.64 inhabitants per square kilometre (6.8/sq mi).

Puumala
Municipality
Puumalan kunta Puumala kommun
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Saimaan kaunein, Suomen kuumin. (English: The most beautiful in Saimaa, the hottest in Finland.)[1]
Location of Puumala in Finland
Coordinates: 61°31.5′N 028°11′E
Country	Finland
Region	Southern Savonia
Sub-region	Mikkeli sub-region
Charter	1868
Government
• Municipal manager	Matias Hildén
Area  (2018-01-01)[2]
• Total	1,237.75 km2 (477.90 sq mi)
• Land	794.53 km2 (306.77 sq mi)
• Water	443.17 km2 (171.11 sq mi)
• Rank	102nd largest in Finland
Population  (2023-10-26)[3]
• Total	2,096
• Rank	252nd largest in Finland
• Density	2.64/km2 (6.8/sq mi)
Population by native language [4]
• Finnish	97.3% (official)
• Swedish	0.2%
• Others	2.5%
Population by age [5]
• 0 to 14	6.8%
• 15 to 64	49.2%
• 65 or older	44%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Website	www.puumala.fi

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

The main road route through the region is route 62, which connects to Mikkeli to the north and Imatra to the south. Until the year 1995 a cable ferry connected the two sides of Puumalansalmi-strait. In 1995, a 781-metre-long (2,562 ft) bridge replaced the ferry. The bridge is a very dominant structure when looking Puumala town center from a distance.

Puumala has relatively good services compared to the amount of population. In the town center is situated a post office, an Alko store, a kiosk, several supermarkets and a few restaurants. The reason for the survival of these entrepreneurs is the arrival of summer inhabitants who triple the population of Puumala during the season.

In June 1788, Swedish soldiers wearing uniforms of the Imperial Russian Army, staged an attack against the town. This would allow King Gustav III to declare a defensive war against the Russian Empire, as Swedish law prohibited starting offensive wars without approval by the Riksdag.

The subject of Puumala's coat of arms refers to the local history: in the Treaty of Åbo in 1743, Puumala became a border parish, but due to its strategic location, the narrow Puumalansalmi has been the scene of several battles since the 16th century, which the flaming bombshells on the coat of arms refer to. The coat of arms was designed by Tapio Vallioja, and the Puumala municipal council approved it at its meeting on September 24, 1962. The Ministry of the Interior approved the coat of arms for use on April 18, 1963.[7][8]

The Puumala virus is named after this place as it was first isolated from samples from the Puumala area.