Kotka

Kotka
City
Kotkan kaupunki
Kotka stad
City of Kotka
The cityscape of Kotka with the harbour.
Kotka in July 2019
Coat of arms of Kotka
Location of Kotka in Finland
Location of Kotka in Finland
Coordinates: 60°28′N 026°56.5′E / 60.467°N 26.9417°E / 60.467; 26.9417
Country Finland
Region Kymenlaakso
Sub-regionKotka-Hamina sub-region
Charter16 July 1879
Government
 • City managerEsa Sirviö
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total
949.77 km2 (366.71 sq mi)
 • Land272.13 km2 (105.07 sq mi)
 • Water678.45 km2 (261.95 sq mi)
 • Rank239th largest in Finland
Population
 (2024-10-31)[2]
 • Total
50,336
 • Rank21st largest in Finland
 • Density184.97/km2 (479.1/sq mi)
Population by native language
 • Finnish88.5% (official)
 • Swedish1%
 • Others10.6%
Population by age
 • 0 to 1413.1%
 • 15 to 6459.2%
 • 65 or older27.7%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Postal code
48400
ClimateDfb
Websitewww.kotka.fi/en/

Kotka (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkotkɑ]; lit.'"eagle"') is a town in Finland, located on the southeastern coast of the country at the mouth of the Kymi River. The population of Kotka is approximately 50,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 79,000. It is the 21st most populous municipality in Finland, and the 16th most populous urban area in the country.

Kotka is situated in the southern part of the Kymenlaakso province of Finland. Kotka is a major port and industrial city situated on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Kotka is a culturally diverse city with a variety of schools. It was previously a part of the former Kymi parish. Kymi, Haapasaari island, and Karhula, which was once a separate market town, were later incorporated into Kotka. Kotka's neighboring municipalities are Hamina, Kouvola, and Pyhtää.[6] The neighboring municipalities of Kotka are Hamina, Kouvola, and Pyhtää. Kotka is situated in the Kotka-Hamina subdivision and, along with Kouvola, is one of the main centres of the Kymenlaakso region.

The city centre of Kotka is located on an island in the sea called Kotkansaari ("Island of Kotka").[7][8] The main road in Kotka is the Finnish national road 7 (E18), which runs west through Porvoo to Helsinki, the capital of Finland, and extends east to St. Petersburg, Russia. The Port of Kotka is a major Finnish seaport serving both Finnish and Russian foreign trade.[9] The municipality is officially unilingually Finnish, with 88% being native Finnish speakers, 1% Swedish, and 10% speaking some other language.

  1. ^ "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Finland's preliminary population figure was 5,635,560 at the end of October 2024". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-11-19. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  3. ^ "Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-04-26. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  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.
  5. ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  6. ^ Koskinen, Tero (12 June 2014). "Virkkunen pakkoliitoksista: Kunnissa otetaan kriisimenettely nyt vakavammin". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  7. ^ Kotkansaari - Kotkan kaupunki (in Finnish)
  8. ^ Kotkan Kauppatie (in Finnish)
  9. ^ "Efficient logistics hub for the needs of global traffic". PortOfKotka.fi. Archived from the original on May 31, 2010.