Kirkkonummi

Kirkkonummi (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkirkːoˌnumːi]; Swedish: Kyrkslätt, Finland Swedish: [ˈtɕyrːkslet] (listen), Sweden Swedish: [ˈɕʏ̂rːkslɛt]) is a municipality of 40,055 inhabitants (31 July 2020)[2] in southern Finland. The literal meaning of the words "Kirkkonummi" and "Kyrkslätt" in English is "church heath".

Kirkkonummi Kirkkonummi – Kyrkslätt
Municipality
Kirkkonummen kunta Kyrkslätts kommun
Kirkkonummi church
Coat of arms
Location of Kirkkonummi in Finland
Coordinates: 60°07′N 024°26′E
Country	Finland
Region	Uusimaa
Sub-region	Helsinki sub-region
Charter	1330
Municipal manager	Tarmo Aarnio
Area  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	1,017.01 km2 (392.67 sq mi)
• Land	366.10 km2 (141.35 sq mi)
• Water	649.91 km2 (250.93 sq mi)
Area rank	209th largest in Finland
Population  (2020-07-31)[2]
• Total	40,055
• Rank	27th largest in Finland
• Density	109.41/km2 (283.4/sq mi)
Population by native language [3]
• Finnish	77.9% (official)
• Swedish	18.5%
• Others	3.6%
Population by age [4]
• 0 to 14	23.3%
• 15 to 64	67%
• 65 or older	9.7%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Municipal tax rate[5]	19%
Website	www.kirkkonummi.fi

The municipality is located just outside the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, bordering the city of Espoo in the east. Other neighbouring municipalities are Vihti and Siuntio. The distance from the municipal centre to central Helsinki is some 30 kilometres (20 mi). Kirkkonummi also has excellent train and bus connections to other parts of the Greater Helsinki area, and many of its inhabitants commute daily to Helsinki.

The municipality covers an area of 1,017.01 square kilometres (392.67 sq mi) of which 649.91 km² (250.93 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 109.41 inhabitants per square kilometre (283.4/sq mi). Over the recent years, Kirkkonummi has faced the highest population growth rate in the country, over 3% per annum.

Major population centres in Kirkkonummi include the municipal centre, Masala, Veikkola, Kantvik and the Upinniemi naval garrison area. In addition to these, there are dozens of smaller villages. Geographically, Kirkkonummi has two famous peninsulas, namely Porkkala and Upinniemi, the latter one of which houses a major Finnish naval base. Porkkala is also on one of the main bird migration routes in the Baltic Sea region. Additionally, Kirkkonummi has a large central plains area, through which a railway goes from Helsinki to Turku as well as extensive lake areas, much of which is relatively untouched wilderness.

Kirkkonummi has been populated from the Stone Age to the present day as evidenced by the first Stone Age rock paintings found in Finland that are located by lake Vitträsk in the central lake region of Kirkkonummi. Incidentally, these paintings were found by the famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius himself. The southern half of the municipality was leased to the Soviet Union between 1945 and 1956 for use as a naval base as part of the peace settlement that ended the hostilities between the Soviet Union and Finland during World War II. Signs of this time include concrete bunkers, other fortifications and the remains of an airbase.

Other places of interest located in Kirkkonummi include the medieval stone church in the municipal centre, the wooden church in the village of Haapajärvi as well as the Hvitträsk manor designed by Finnish architects Eliel Saarinen, Herman Gesellius and Armas Lindgren.