Rovaniemi is a city in Lapland, Finland's northernmost region, about 6 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle at the confluence of the Kemijoki and Ounasjoki rivers, with a municipal population of roughly 66,000, the 17th most populous city in Finland. First documented in 1453 and granted township status in 1929, the city was almost entirely destroyed during World War II, with 90 percent of its buildings lost in 1944, and was rebuilt to a plan by the architect Alvar Aalto shaped like a reindeer's head; widely promoted today as the official home town of Santa Claus, it was named one of the best places in the world to celebrate Christmas by CNN in 2024, and its airport is among Finland's busiest.
Facts
Area (sq km) Founding Year Population Estimate Year Elevation (m) Sources
1. Rovaniemi (Wikidata)
P1082 (population)
population 65,329 (2024)
P625 (coordinate location)
latitude 66.50279, longitude 25.728479
P2044 (elevation above sea level)
elevation 88 m
P2046 (area)
area 8016.62 sq km
P1082 (population), P585 (point in time)
population 65329 (2024)
View the Source2. Wikidata: Rovaniemi
- Wikidata Q103717, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
Wikidata Q103717 P1249, class allow-list match, knownqid pass (w-bbfill-geography5-0926)
P1249 value year 1453
View the SourceRovaniemi (Wikipedia)
In Group: Cities of Northern Europe (World), Wikipedia; part-of country and UN M49 subregionView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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