Virrat

Virrat (Finnish: [ˈʋirːɑt]; Swedish: Virdois) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is part of the Pirkanmaa region, and it is located 104 kilometres (65 mi) north of Tampere and 113 kilometres (70 mi) west of Jyväskylä. The distance between Virrat and Helsinki is 285 kilometres (177 mi). The town has a population of 6,303 (26 October 2023)[2] and covers an area of 1,299.07 square kilometres (501.57 sq mi) of which 136.73 km2 (52.79 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 5.42 inhabitants per square kilometre (14.0/sq mi). The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

For the Martian crater, see Virrat (crater).
Virrat
Virdois
Town
Virtain kaupunki
Virdois stad
An intersection of Virtaintie and Leivontie streets in Virrat
An intersection of Virtaintie and Leivontie streets in Virrat
Coat of arms of Virrat
Coat of arms
Location of Virrat in Finland
Location of Virrat in Finland
Coordinates: 62°15′N 023°46′E
Country Finland
RegionPirkanmaa
Sub-regionUpper Pirkanmaa sub-region
Charter1868
Government
 • Town managerHenna Viitanen
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total1,299.07 km2 (501.57 sq mi)
 • Land1,162.34 km2 (448.78 sq mi)
 • Water136.73 km2 (52.79 sq mi)
 • Rank63rd largest in Finland
Population
 (2023-10-26)[2]
 • Total6,303
 • Rank148th largest in Finland
 • Density5.42/km2 (14.0/sq mi)
Population by native language
[3]
 • Finnish97.1% (official)
 • Swedish0.1%
 • Others2.7%
Population by age
[4]
 • 0 to 1411.7%
 • 15 to 6450.7%
 • 65 or older37.6%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Websitewww.virrat.fi

The town grew rapidly in the middle years of the twentieth century, and by 1950 the population reached more than 12,000. Virrat acquired town status in 1977, although it had received the right to hold markets three years earlier, in 1974. More recently the population level has been adversely impacted by the drift of employment opportunities and people to the larger towns. Apart from the town of Virrat itself, the administratively defined municipality is largely rural, and includes the villages of Äijänneva, Härkönen Jäähdyspohja, Killinkoski, Koro, Kotala, Kurjenkylä, Liedenpohja, Ohtola, Vaskuu, and Vaskivesi.

Major lakes in the area are Lake Toisvesi, beside which the town of Virrat is located, and Lake Tarjanne at the border of the municipalities of Virrat, Mänttä-Vilppula, and Ruovesi.

Virrat crater on Mars is named after it.

Notable people
  • Virrat Town Hall
    Virrat Town Hall
  • Virrat Church
    Virrat Church
  • Virrat Library
    Virrat Library
  • A beach at the Kalettomanlahti Bay in Virrat
    A beach at the Kalettomanlahti Bay in Virrat

See also

References
  1. "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. "Preliminary population statistics 2023, September". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  3. "Demographic Structure by area as of 31 December 2022". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  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.

Media related to Virrat at Wikimedia Commons


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