Sotkamo

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Sotkamon kunta
coat of arms map
Sotkamo coat of arms Location of Sotkamo in Finland
Basic data
State : FinlandFinland Finland
Landscape : Kainuu
Administrative community : Kajaani
Geographical location 64 ° 8 ′  N , 28 ° 25 ′  E Coordinates: 64 ° 8 ′  N , 28 ° 25 ′  E
Surface: 2,952.49 km²
of which land area: 2,649.88 km²
of which inland waterways: 302.61 km²
Residents : 10,389 (Dec. 31, 2018)
Population density : 3.9 inhabitants / km²
Municipality number : 765
Language (s) : Finnish
Website : sotkamo.fi

Sotkamo [ ˈsɔtkɑmɔ ] is a municipality with 10,389 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2018) in northeastern Finland . It is located about 500 kilometers northeast of the capital Helsinki in the south of the Kainuu region on the border with the Savo region .

The focus of the settlement are the two neighboring places Sotkamo and Vuokatti , which are quite picturesque on isthmus between several lakes. Vuokatti is one of the largest ski resorts in Finland. The surrounding hills (vaara) reach a stately height of up to 345  m for Finnish standards and thus even allow downhill runs. In summer, Sotkamo mainly attracts bathing and hiking tourists. In the east of the district is the approximately 44 square kilometer Hiidenportti National Park , an almost untouched swamp and coniferous forest landscape , in the south the municipality has a share in the Tiilikkajärvi National Park .

Besides tourism, the main industry is mining. In the Lahnaslampi settlement, the Mondo Minerals Oy Talk company is mining .

Talvivaara

The largest undeveloped nickel deposits in Europe are located near the village of Talvivaara and cover a total area of ​​60 km².

Prospected nickel deposits on 60 km²

The company Talvivaara Kaivososakeyhtiö Oyj for operation in the two 3 km from each other mines Kuusilampi and Kolmisoppi removed in open pit methods degradation of the nickel-copper-cobalt-zinc ore. Small amounts of uranium, which is extracted as a by-product, are also present in the ore (approx. 25 mg / l). According to the mine operator, the mine could still cover 80% of the national uranium requirements. Funding was approved in 2006, and in 2012 several samples from leaky retention basins showed quantities of heavy metals and uranium above the limit values . In the same year, 800 million liters of toxic sludge leaked. On April 11, 2013, the then largest shareholder, the Finnish pension fund Ilmarinen, sold all shares in the Talvivaara Mining Company due to the ongoing and particularly recent problems for the environment and production. Since August 2015, four of the company's senior managers have been on trial for environmental offenses. At the end of 2014, the operator Talvivaaran Kaivososakeyhtiö Oyj went bankrupt, in 2016 the Terrafame Group took over the operation of the mine and holds a purchase option.

Since, among other things, the retention basins are too small, the authorities have repeatedly allowed the toxic waste water to be discharged into the area. In April 2016, this also happened in conflict with the mine’s environmental permit.

Leaked wastewater - the actual retention basins in the picture above.

Sub-municipalities

The community of Sotkamo also includes the widely scattered settlements of Alasotkamo, Halmetvaara, Heinämäki, Jormaskylä, Juholankylä, Juurikkalahti, Kontinjoki, Korholanmäki, Laakajärvi, Losovaara, Maanselkä, Naapurinaki, Sipieinjrantvaara, Nuasjärvi, Sipohinenjavaiara, Soakieinjavaiara, Pa Sumsa, Suovaara, Tipasoja, Torinkylä, Tuhkakylä, Vuokatti, Ylisotkamo and Ärväänkylä.

There is a town partnership with Isny im Allgäu .

In terms of sport, Sotkamo is best known for the Pesäpallo team Sotkamon Jymy .

Sons and daughters of the church

See also

Web links

Commons : Sotkamo  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Maanmittauslaitos (Finnish land surveying office): Suomen pinta-alat kunnittain January 1, 2010 (PDF; 199 kB)
  2. ↑ Statistical Office Finland: Table 11ra - Key figures on population by region, 1990-2018
  3. ↑ website of Terra Fame Group
  4. ↑ Uranium Recovery, Archived Copy ( Memento of the original from July 25, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.talvivaara.com
  5. ↑ stoptalvivaara.org ( Memento of the original from November 11, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.stoptalvivaara.org
  6. ↑ Betydligt hear uranhalter än normalt i Talvivaara
  7. ↑ http://svenska.yle.fi/artikel/2013/04/12/ilmarinen-overgav-talvivaara
  8. ↑ Kauppalehti newspaper article from January 18, 2016
  9. ^ "Toxic sludge-from-finnish-nickel mine", online newspaper article in the TAZ
  10. ↑ "Stora vattenproblem i Talvivaara" online - newspaper articles in Wasabladet from 8 April 2016