Nousiainen (Finnish: [ˈnou̯siˌɑi̯nen]; Swedish: Nousis) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southwest Finland region, 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Turku along Highway 8 (E8).[5] The Finnish-speaking municipality has a population of 4,664 (31 August 2024)[2] and covers an area of 199.55 square kilometres (77.05 sq mi) of which 0.62 km2 (0.24 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 23.45 inhabitants per square kilometre (60.7/sq mi).

Nousiainen
Nousis
Municipality
Nousiaisten kunta
Nousis kommun
Nousiainen Church
Nousiainen Church
Coat of arms of Nousiainen
Location of Nousiainen in Finland
Location of Nousiainen in Finland
Coordinates: 60°36′N 022°05′E / 60.600°N 22.083°E / 60.600; 22.083
Country Finland
RegionSouthwest Finland
Sub-regionTurku sub-region
Charter1867
Government
 • Municipal managerJuhani Kylämäkilä
Area
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total
199.55 km2 (77.05 sq mi)
 • Land198.93 km2 (76.81 sq mi)
 • Water0.62 km2 (0.24 sq mi)
 • Rank263rd largest in Finland
Population
 (2024-08-31)[2]
 • Total
4,664
 • Rank175th largest in Finland
 • Density23.45/km2 (60.7/sq mi)
Population by native language
 • Finnish95.8% (official)
 • Swedish0.8%
 • Others3.4%
Population by age
 • 0 to 1419%
 • 15 to 6460.3%
 • 65 or older20.6%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
ClimateDfb
Websitewww.nousiainen.fi

There are two Natura 2000 sites in Nousiainen: the Kurjenrahka National Park and the Rehtisuo Raised Bog.[6]

History

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Nousiainen was an "ancient parish" (a unit of social organization) before Swedish rule.

Nousiainen was the first seat of the bishop of Finland until the early 13th century, when the seat was shifted to Koroinen, nowadays a part of Turku. It remained, however, a place of pilgrimage throughout the Middle Ages.[7] The coat of arms of Nousiainen depicts Bishop Henry and Lalli.

Nousiainen was mentioned in 1232 as de Nousia and in 1234 as Nosis. Its name is derived from a pre-Christian Finnish personal name Nousia, still the name of some 10-20 men in 2022.[8] Even after the bishopric was moved to Koroinen, Nousiainen was still an important pilgrimage site until the reformation, as it was thought that bishop Henry was buried there.

The village of Nummi, the current administrative seat of the municipality, was mentioned in 1380 as Nummusby. Court sessions for Nousiainen, Masku and Santamala were held there at the time. By 1556, Nummi was the largest village in Nousiainen.[9]

Economics

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Agriculture has always been Nousiainen's most significant industry. Significant employers also included Teleste Oyj's electronics factory, which, however, has already closed down in the municipality. In 2015, the municipality had 1,009 jobs; of these, 11% were in primary production (agriculture, forestry and fishery), 72% in services and 15% in processing.[10] The companies that paid the most corporate tax in 2016 were FCR Finland, which operates in the shipbuilding industry, Mynämäen-Nousiaisten Osuuspankki and Maalausliike Helin.[11]

Culture

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Food

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Sweetened potato casserole, or imelet perunloora in the local dialect, was named the traditional parish dish of Nousiainen in the 1980s.[12]

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Finland's preliminary population figure was 5,625,011 at the end of August 2024". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 24 September 2024. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  5. ^ Opaskartta - Turun karttapalvelu
  6. ^ Natura 2000 -alueet - Varsinais-Suomi - Ympäristö (in Finnish)
  7. ^ David Kirby, A Concise History of Finland (Cambridge, 2006), p. 7.
  8. ^ "Digi- ja väestötietovirasto". verkkopalvelu.vrk.fi (in Finnish). 15 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  9. ^ "SuomalainenPaikannimikirja_e-kirja_kuvallinen.pdf" (PDF). kaino.kotus.fi (in Finnish). p. 293+294. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  10. ^ Kuntien avainluvut - Statistics Finland (in Finnish)
  11. ^ YLE: Alueen Nousiainen yhteisöverotiedot (in Finnish)
  12. ^ Jaakko Kolmonen: Kotomaamme ruoka-aitta: Suomen, Karjalan ja Petsamon pitäjäruoat, p. 26. Helsinki: Patakolmonen Ky, 1988. (in Finnish)
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  Media related to Nousiainen at Wikimedia Commons   Nousiainen travel guide from Wikivoyage