Kuusamo

Kuusamo (Russian: Куусамо) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of 15,740 (30 June 2015) and covers an area of 5,808.92 square kilometres (2,242.84 sq mi) of which 830.81 km² (320.78 sq mi) is water. The population density is 3.16 inhabitants per square kilometre (8.2/sq mi).

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Kuusamo is a major center for winter sports and receives approximately a million tourists every year. One of the largest ski resorts in Finland, Ruka, is situated in Kuusamo. Ruka is also the host of many international competitions in ski jumping, cross country skiing and Nordic combined. The 2005 World Championships of Freestyle Skiing was held in Kuusamo. Kuusamo Airport is located 6 kilometres (4 mi) north-east from Kuusamo town centre.

History

Sami settlement

Until the 17th century, the area of Kuusamo was inhabited by the semi-nomadic Sami. During the cold season they lived in the villages Maanselkä and Kitka. In spring they moved to the rivers and in summer, after the melting of the ice, to the lakes; there they fished and gathered berries and mushrooms; in autumn they hunted reindeer, bears and beavers in the forest. Apart from fishing and hunting the Sami earned their living by trading fur with the Finns settled on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia and the Karelians of the White Sea coast.