Parikkala

Parikkala is a municipality of Finland located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the South Karelia region. The municipality has a population of 5,330 (30 June 2015) and covers an area of 760.71 square kilometres (293.71 sq mi) of which 167.78 km² (64.78 sq mi) is water. The population density is 8.99 inhabitants per square kilometre (23.3/sq mi).

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

History

Parikkala is located around lake Simpele and it is a part of a countryside rich with hills and chains of ridges. Settlements and artifacts dated to the Stone Age and Bronze Age have been found in Parikkala. A permanent settlement was established around the 15th century. Many demarcations had a significant impact to Parikkala's development from the Treaty of Nöteborg on August 12, 1323 to peace treaties signed in 1947 with the Soviet Union. After World War II 1/3 (199.3 km²) of Parikkala's area was handed over to the Soviet Union. Orthodoxy has been very influential in this area since the middle ages. Later, Parikkala has become known for its many dairies. Parikkala became independent in the year 1617. In the year 2004 three municipalities (Parikkala, Saari and Uukuniemi) merged to form one municipality called Parikkala.