Imatra | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Imatran kaupunki Imatra stad | |
 Imatran Valtionhotelli | |
 Coat of arms | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 61°11′N 028°46′E / 61.183°N 28.767°E | |
| Country |  Finland |
| Region |  South Karelia |
| Sub-region | Imatra sub-region |
| Charter | 1948 |
| Government | |
| • Town manager | Matias Hildén |
| Area (2018-01-01)[1] | |
| • Total | 191.28 km2 (73.85 sq mi) |
| • Land | 154.99 km2 (59.84 sq mi) |
| • Water | 36.29 km2 (14.01 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 274th largest in Finland |
| Population (2024-08-31)[2] | |
| • Total | 24,810 |
| • Rank | 42nd largest in Finland |
| • Density | 160.07/km2 (414.6/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 91.3% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.1% |
| • Others | 8.6% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 12.1% |
| • 15 to 64 | 56.8% |
| • 65 or older | 31.2% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Climate | Dfc |
| Website | www |
Imatra is a town in Finland, located in the southeastern interior of the country. Imatra is located in the region of South Karelia, on Lake Saimaa, the River Vuoksi. The population of Imatra is approximately 25,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 37,000. It is the 42nd most populous municipality in Finland.
Imatra lies on the border with Russia. On the other side of the border, seven kilometres (4.3 mi) away from the centre of Imatra, lies the Russian town of Svetogorsk. The city of St. Petersburg is situated 210 km (130 mi) to the southeast, the Finnish capital Helsinki is 230 km (140 mi) away and Lappeenranta, the nearest Finnish town, is 37 km (23 mi) away.
The main employers are the pulp and paper manufacturer Stora Enso Oyj, the town of Imatra, the engineering steel manufacturer Ovako Bar Oy Ab and the Finnish Border Guard. As of October 2003[update], the total number of employees was 12,423.[6] As of December 2004[update], 1,868 people were employed by the City of Imatra. The town's nicknames include Imis, Ibiza and Nahkalippis City (leather baseball cap city). Due to its location close to the border, Russian tourists are a common sight in the town, and Russian tourism is a boon to the local economy. Most people shop in Imatra, and Imatra's tax-free sales are the third largest among Finnish cities (only Helsinki and Lappeenranta are ahead).[7]
The name of Imatra is thought to derive from a pre-Finno-Ugric language. The lightning symbols on Imatra's coat of arms refer to the power plants that were built in the early 1920s at the Tainionskoski and Imatrankoski rapids. The coat of arms was designed by Olof Eriksson and approved by the Imatra Town Council on 9 August 1950. The Ministry of the Interior approved the coat of arms for use on 25 October of the same year.[8][9]
- ^ "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ "Finland's preliminary population figure was 5,625,011 at the end of August 2024". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-09-24. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
- ^ "Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-04-26. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ "Imatra". Imatra. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ Tiilikainen, Tenho: Tax free -kauppa käy kiivaana Archived 2016-10-13 at the Wayback Machine. Etelä-Saimaa, 9 December 2006. (in Finnish)
- ^ Suomen kunnallisvaakunat (in Finnish). Suomen Kunnallisliitto. 1982. p. 123. ISBN 951-773-085-3.
- ^ "Imatran vaakunan vahvistaminen". Digitaaliarkisto: Heraldica I, vaakunat (in Finnish). Kansallisarkisto. Retrieved July 26, 2022.