Loviisa

Loviisa
Loviisa (Finnish)
Lovisa (Swedish)
Town
Loviisan kaupunki
Lovisa stad
Loviisa townhall Square
Loviisa townhall Square
Coat of arms of Loviisa
Location of Loviisa in Finland
Location of Loviisa in Finland
Coordinates: 60°27.5′N 026°14′E / 60.4583°N 26.233°E / 60.4583; 26.233
Country Finland
RegionUusimaa
Sub-regionLoviisa sub-region
Charter1745
Named forLouisa Ulrika of Prussia[1]
Government
 • Town managerTomas Björkroth
Area
 (2018-01-01)[2]
 • Total1,751.52 km2 (676.27 sq mi)
 • Land819.82 km2 (316.53 sq mi)
 • Water931.92 km2 (359.82 sq mi)
 • Rank95th largest in Finland
Population
 (2024-08-31)[3]
 • Total14,400
 • Rank78th largest in Finland
 • Density17.56/km2 (45.5/sq mi)
Population by native language
 • Finnish55.2% (official)
 • Swedish39% (official)
 • Others5.7%
Population by age
 • 0 to 1413.5%
 • 15 to 6457%
 • 65 or older29.5%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Postal code
07900
Area code019
ClimateDfb
Websitewww.loviisa.fi/en/

Loviisa (Finnish: [ˈloʋiːsɑ]; Swedish: Lovisa [luˈviːsɑ] ;[7] formerly Degerby[1]) is a town in Finland, located in the southern coast of the country. Loviisa is situated in the eastern part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Loviisa is approximately 14,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 17,000. It is the 78th most populous municipality in Finland.

Loviisa is located 90 kilometres (56 mi) from Helsinki and 38 kilometres (24 mi) from Porvoo. The municipality covers an area of 1,751.52 square kilometres (676.27 sq mi) of which 931.92 km2 (359.82 sq mi) is water.[2] The population density is 17.56 inhabitants per square kilometre (45.5/sq mi).

The neighboring municipalities of Liljendal, Pernå and Ruotsinpyhtää were consolidated with Loviisa on 1 January 2010.

Loviisa is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. The population consists of 55% Finnish speakers, 39% Swedish speakers, and 6% speakers of other languages.

Loviisa was founded in 1745, as a border fortress against Russia. Most of the fortifications have been preserved. Loviisa was originally called Degerby, but king Adolf Frederick of Sweden renamed the city after his spouse Lovisa Ulrika after visiting the town in 1752.[1]

Loviisa is the site of two of Finland's nuclear reactors, two VVER units each of 488 MWe, at the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant. The other operating reactors are at the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant.

  1. ^ a b c "Kuningas saapuu Lowiisaan". hww.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-04-26. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Svenska ortnamn i Finland - Institutet för de inhemska språken".