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Kainuu (; ), is one of the 19 regions of Finland ( maakunta / landskap). Kainuu borders the regions of North Ostrobothnia, Northern Savonia and North Karelia. In the east, it also borders Russia (Republic of Karelia).
Culturally Kainuu is part of larger Eastern-Finnish cultural heritage. The Kainuu dialect resembles Savonian and Karelian dialects.
The largest lake in the region is the Oulujärvi (928.09 km2), one of the largest lakes in Finland. Its shorelines, open waters and islands in Kainuu belong to the municipalities of Paltamo and Kajaani.
The highest point in Kainuu is the Iso Tuomivaara (385 m), located in the municipality of Hyrynsalmi. Sisä-Suomen tuulivoimaselvitys raportti part 3 Report. Regional Council of Kainuu. Referenced on 12.29.2015 The regional climate is continental. The three most populous in Kainuu (December 31, 2017) are Kajaani town center (30,028), Vuokatti village (6,207) in Sotkamo municipality, and Kuhmo town center (5,349).http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_027_fi.px/table/
Pre-historic people in Kainuu lived by hunting and fishing, most bone findings in human settlements being of beavers and moose. Findings of flax pollen from the turn of the Bronze Age suggest the cultivating of flax in Paltamo.Huurre (1986:74-75). Around the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (c. 1000–0 BCE), metallic findings from Kainuu become nearly non-existent. Despite this, it is considered to be unlikely that human inhabitation had ended in the area. It is thought that in this time period, the people spoke a Proto-Sámic language, but archaeological findings culturally linked to Sámi have not been found this south. The spread of the Asbestos-ceramic culture in the north of Fennoscandia has been thought to be a sign of the area turning Sámi. The inhabitants of Kainuu in the Early Iron Age were likely then hunter-gathering Sámi, even if genetically and linguistically differing from modern Sámi.Huurre (1986:148–149). If the population density at the time was the same as among Forest Sámi in Finland in the year 1600 CE, there would've been around 350 individuals living in pre-historic Kainuu.Huurre (1986:85).
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The administrative capital of Kainuu is Kajaani.
Vaala, formerly one of the nine municipal members of the Kainuu region became part of the Northern Ostrobothnia in the beginning of the year 2016. Vaala siirtyy Kainuusta Pohjois-Pohjanmaahan vuoden 2016 alusta Press release. Ministry of Finance. Referenced on the 04.01.2016
The municipality of Vaala is still counted as part of the region in the end of 2015.
The total unemployment of Kainuu was in 2014 6 001 which is 16,9 % of the workforce of the area. The nationwide average at the time was 12,4 %. The worst unemployment was in the town of Kuhmo with (771) 19,6 % people unemployed. The town with the least amount of unemployment was the municipality of Sotkamo with (684) 14,1 % people unemployed. Kainuu has a total of 4301 firms by each sector in its economy. Three of the largest sectors are Agriculture, forestry and fishing, wholesale and retail trade and construction. The smallest three are education, mining & quarrying and information & communication.
State, municipal and private sectors are the three big players in the regions employment market. Private sector is the largest actor in the region with 51% of the workforce working on it. Municipal sector comes up to 29% and the state has 7% of the workforce. Statewide averages are 58% for the private, 23% for the municipal and 6% for the state sectors. The number of companies in the region of Kainuu is 3 429.
Kainuu has several further education institutes and organizations that are centralized in the town of Kajaani. These are Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, Info on the Kajaani University of Applied Science. KAMK. Referenced on the 01.07.2016 AIKOPA Info on AIKOPA . AIKOPA. Referenced on the 01.07.2016 and Kainuu Vocational College (KAO). Kainuu Vocational College Info. Kainuu Vocational College. Referenced on the 01.07.2016 Many of the municipalities and towns also offer education for the upper secondary education.
Kajaani University of Applied Sciences (KAMK) offers education, research, development and innovation services. These happen in the fields of activity tourism, nursing and health care, business and innovation, information systems and mechanical engineering. The students number at 2000 in the KAMK and the staff at 235. Brochure. KAMK. Referenced on the 01.07.2016
AIKOPA is part of KAMK's and University of Oulu's service that is provided for joint adult and continuing education. AIKOPa offers services like education, expertise, research and development at the higher education level.
The Kainuu Vocational College (KAO) has a goal to give training, vocational and basic skills for both the young people and adults who number approximately at 2600. KAO has six different field of education through which students and the adults alike can receive qualification and training. These are technology and transportation, tourism, catering and domestic services, natural resources, healthcare, culture and business and administration. Fields of study info . Kainuu Vocational College. Referenced on the 01.07.2016
The air traffic of Kainuu had 81 854 cumulative passengers of which 77 981 were domestic and 3 873 were international passengers. The only major airport in the region is the Kajaani airport which is located some 7 kilometers (4 mi) northwest from the Kajaani town center.
The Kajaani railway station works as the central hub for the Kainuu regions train passenger and freight transportation. The passenger traffic from and to Kajaani railway station runs between the line 13 of Helsinki-Kajaani and the line 14A of Oulu-Kontiomäki.
Kainuu region has three major sports and ski resorts, which are Paljakka, Resort homepage in English. Paljakka Hiihtokeskus. Referenced on the 01.07.2016 Ukkohalla Resort homepage in English. Ukkohalla -Ski and Sport Resort. Referenced on the 01.07.2016 and Vuokatti. Homepage in English. Vuokatti. Referenced on the 01.07.2016 These resorts offer various sport possibilities for different seasons such as skiing, downhill skiing and hiking among others.
Outside the sport resorts there are also tourism related service clusters and networks such as Wild Taiga which offers various services from different actors of Kuhmo and Suomussalmi municipalities. Wild Taiga Infopage . Wild Taiga. Referenced on the 01.07.2016 Other significant regional points of interest from the perspective of tourism are the areas around Oulujärvi, Kajaani and Ristijärvi.
In tourism Oulujärvi is concentrated on offering services in water and culture based tourism around the lake. Homepage of Oulunjärvi . Oulunjärven Jättiläiset ry. Referenced on the 01.07.2016 Kajaani, the town on the shores of the lake, is the capital of Kainuu and the central transportational hub in the area. The town is central for the tourists who come to the Kainuu region either by train or by plane to the Kajaani Airport.
Kajaani offers many commercial and culturally related services for tourists. The historical village of Paltaniemi in Kajaani is well-known as the birthplace of the Finnish poet Eino Leino, and Elias Lönnrot lived in the same village when he compiled the Finnish national epic Kalevala. The writer Ilmari Kianto also influenced the Kainuu region, and through his works, Kianto made known the description of the Kainuu poor people at the time. Korpikirjailija Ilmari Kianto – Yle (in Finnish) Other examples of these cultural services includes the Town Theater, Kaukametsä Culture and Congress Center, Info on the congress & culture center. Town of Kajaani. Referenced on the 01.07.2016 Kainuu Museum Info of the museum. Town of Kajaani and the Kajaani Art Museum Info of the museum. Town of Kajaani. Referenced on the 01.07.2016 and many others. Kajawood, a film production company, also known as the "Finnish Hollywood", is located in Sotkamo, Kainuu. KAJAWOOD: KAINUU – SUOMEN HOLLYWOOD (in Finnish) YLE: Vuokattiin tulee Hollywood-tason LED-elokuvastudio – mahdollistaa The Mandalorianin kaltaiset virtuaalimaailmat (in Finnish)
Bread and bakery are also one of the corner stones of Kainuu-based kitchen. These include rye bread and local specialties such as a traditional sweet delicacy called Rönttönen and the Finnish cuisine that is often served together with cloudberry jam or as is.
| Parliamentary elections 2019 | % Of Votes Cast | |||||||||||
| Centre Party | Finns Party | Left Alliance | SDP | National Coalition | Green League | Christian Democrats | Movement Now | Blue Reform | Seven Star Movement | Swedish People's Party | Other | |
| Kainuu | 31.28 | 20.42 | 18.54 | 9.57 | 7.75 | 6.23 | 2.20 | 0.40 | 0.38 | 0.21 | 0.08 | 2.94 |
| Whole country | 13.76 | 17.48 | 8.17 | 17.73 | 17.00 | 11.49 | 3.90 | 2.25 | 0.97 | 0.37 | 4.53 | 2.35 |
A municipal election is held every 4 years and the members of the elected municipal councils also elect members amongst themselves to represent their respective municipality in the regional council of Kainuu. Traditionally, up to this date, the Centre Party has been the largest political entity in both the Oulu electoral district and in the region of Kainuu.
| Municipal Elections 2012 | Council Seats | |||||||||
| Center Party | Left Alliance | SDP | National Coalition | Green League | Finns Party | Other | Total | |||
| Hyrynsalmi | 13 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | ||
| Kajaani | 13 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 51 | ||
| Kuhmo | 15 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 35 | ||
| Paltamo | 11 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 21 | ||
| Puolanka | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21 | ||
| Ristijärvi | 12 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | ||
| Sotkamo | 15 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 35 | ||
| Suomussalmi | 19 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 35 | ||
| Vaala | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 21 | ||
| Kainuu in total | 126 | 41 | 20 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 38 | 257 | ||
Regional Council of Kainuu is governed by the regional assembly, decisions carried out by the regional board and assisted by the Regional council's office, which is led by the regional mayor. The Regional Assembly of Kainuu has 35 members. The regional council's office has about 20-25 employees and is divided into different teams depending on the area of their responsibility and expertise. Regional Councils office staff Contact Information. Regional Council of Kainuu. Referenced on 04.01.2016
The establishing treaty of the Regional Council of Kainuu (accepted in December 2015) defines the Assembly tasks as follows:
Regional Assembly's tasks, Regional Council of Kainuu Tasks of the Regional Assembly of Kainuu Tasks of the Regional Assembly of Kainuu. Regional Council of Kainuu. Referenced on 04.01.2016
Land use planning, cooperation with interest groups and other authority related tasks which are the key fields of responsibility in the regional land use planning.
The Regional land use plan is drafted by the Regional Council of Kainuu and approved by the Regional Assembly. Up until the beginning of the year 2016 the approved plan was sent to be validated at the Ministry of Environment.> Brochure of the Reginal land use planning in Finland Ministry of the Environment. Referenced on the 01.18.2016 The changes in the legislations deemed that the need for the validation of the Ministry of Environment was no longer necessary. finlex.fi Government Bill 114/2015. Finlex. Referenced on the 01.18.2016
From the perspective of the municipalities involved in the regional development, regional land use plan is the guide and framework that has to be taken into account when the municipalities plan or change their local master plans or local detailed plans. Regional land use plans should also be noted by the authorities of whose decision making the plans affect. The regional land use plan is a map which contains the planning entries, instructions and descriptions. These affect the contents of the land use plan, give background to the decisions made and bring forth the meaningful data about the effectiveness factors. Phased regional land use land works as supplement and provide information to the previously mentioned regional land use plan. Regional Land Use Planning Regional Council of Kainuu. Referenced on the 18.01.2016
Regional development unit is responsible for the regional development plan. This task is given by the law to the regional councils. Regional development also has the task of leading, planning and implementing both the national and EU level regional- and cohesion policymaking in the region of Kainuu. This is done in cooperation with neighboring regions. Regional development views that developing and maintaining the regions vigor is important. This relates to the work that is done on both the local, national and international level in cooperation with other actors. Cooperation and Supervision of Interests> Brochure of the Reginal Council in Finnish Regional Council of Kainuu. Referenced on the 01.18.2016
According to 5§ of the establishing treaty of the regional council of Kainuu the mission for the council is to observe and take into account in their own work the aspects of interest driving between other actors and cooperation. In this the establishing treaty emphasizes the importance of managing the partnerships both inside the region and outside of it. The later refers to national, EU and other international level of activities. The themes for interest driving are changed depending how the situation and times dictate it and these themes and their changes can be found from the project catalog document that is kept by the regional council.
Cooperation and communication have an important role from the perspective of the interest driving. The establishing treaty notes that these two should have the role of upholding the positive image of the region of Kainuu both inside and outside of the region. An interest driving team is formed for the purpose of this role that also has members from other important actors from other organizations in addition to the regional council of Kainuu.
According to the charter of the Regional council, one of the essential tasks of the organization is improving the wellbeing of the region's population. Among other interest driving goals, improving the living- and the business environment in the region is one of the goals of the regional development. Projects, plans and other development related-work are ways to work towards these goals with the relevant actors inside and outside of the region. The project programs and their goals are controlled to some extent by the goals set in the regional strategic programme.> Project Funding Regional Council of Kainuu. Referenced on the 01.18.2016
For the project work the regional council has to do tasks that relate to requisitioning, co-financing and being as a partner in the projects. The project preparations are divided in the responsibilities inside the regional council teams (land use & planning, regional development etc.) depending on their field of expertise that are for example in charge of the international funding of the project. In the years of the 2014 – 2020 EU funding is offered towards the region of Kainuu in the programs of Baltic Sea Region Programme, Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme, Interreg Europe, ENI Kolarctic and the Karelia CBC.
Other activities of the Regional Council
The European Commission maintains an information network called the Europe Direct and one of its offices can be found from the office of regional council of Kainuu. The Europe Direct offers general information about the Europe, EU, functions and actions of the union and the funding possibilities that it offers together with the themes that the funds are emphasizing. For the information distribution the office uses social media, news letters and brochures. Europe Direct Kainuu in Finnish Europe Direct Kainuu. Referenced on the 18.01.2016
The Kainuu Regional Plan of 2035 represents the political intentions of the region. This document has the strategies that hold inside of them the vision for the region and the politically desired outcomes for the future. The regional plan is approved by the Regional Assembly of Kainuu.> The Plan of Kainuu 2035 & Regional Programme 2014 -2017 Regional Council of Kainuu. Referenced on the 01.18.2016
From the perspective of the regional planning and land use the regional land use plan is the most important document that drives their actions. The timeframe for this plan varies between 10 – 30 years and the examination for the current regional land use plan started in the year of 2014...
Regional programmes intent is to bring up ways and means through which the long timespan strategic goals of the Regional Plan 2035 can be accomplished. Strategic choices and emphasizing certain themes are ways through which the regional council aims to achieve these goals. This includes cooperation in the teams of regional development and the interest driving team and also utilizing other development actions taken by the organization.
Four emphasized themes are set for the programme of 2014 – 2017. These have themes that aim towards the development of different sectors in the society. The timeframe for each regional programme is four years.
An implementation plan is compiled out for the region of Kainuu. The time frame for this plan is two years. The function for the implementation plan is to monitor, prioritize and harmonize the region councils work together with other authorities that relate to the goals set in the regional programme. The implementation plan is an instrument to guiding projects in a way that the themes and goals of the regional programmes and the condition for the fund funding are met and achieved in these projects. Implementation Plan Regional Council of Kainuu. Referenced on the 01.18.2016
| Representatives in the Regional Assembly | Regional Assembly of Kainuu | |||||||||
| Center Party | Left Alliance | SDP | National Coalition | Green League | Finns Party | Other | Total | |||
| Number of Assembly Representatives | 14 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 35 | ||
The Regional Assembly of 2013-2016
Municipalities and towns each get certain count of representatives in the assembly. This is based on their population size. These are divided into three different categories. These numbers also include the vice representavies from each member of the assembly. Members of the Regional Council Contact Information. Regional Council of Kainuu. Referenced on 04.01.2016
The Regional Board of 2015-2016 Regional Board of Kainuu Contact Information. Regional Council of Kainuu. Referenced on 04.01.2016
The members of the youth council are appointed by their local municipal councils or their institutions student council. The term if two years long and during that time the youth council will also get a total of seven sponsor representatives from the Regional Assembly and the Kainuus Social and Welfare Council. The Regional Councils office will help the Youth Council with such things as setting up meetings, compile agenda for the next meeting and giving counsel and guidance on how to make meeting records, how decision making works and so forth.> Handbook of the Regional Youth Council 2015 . Regional Council of Kainuu. Referenced on the 01.14.2016
Youth councils work is not defined by law, but the Regional Assembly has decided that the Youth Council should have four main tasks among more minor ones. The main tasks are:
Term for each regional youth council is two-year long. The youth council representatives will select one chairman amongst themselves who is accompanied by two vice chairmen for the two-year term. The council also selects a secretary who will cooperate together with a contact from the regional council of Kainuu who gives the necessary help, guidance and advice that the youth council secretary needs to handle their tasks.
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